Beginner Insect macro post processing brain picking.

GarethB

GarethB

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Hello folks!:)

I am fairly new to insect macro photography (been doing it for a couple of months now), and I'm enjoying my journey immensely so far.
I've been avidly watching all the recent threads over in the critique boards, and I'm hugely impressed and inspired by the incredible images produced by so many of the talented photographers here!

I am wondering if I may pick some brains as to what post processing techniques you use?

I have seen some amazingly clean images some of which were shot on similar equipment to what I own, with similar settings, so I'm curious what your secrets are!
(Naturally I completely understand if there is anyone who wishes not to divulge their secrets! ;) )

For the record, my primary equipment/software is:

  • Canon 7Dmk2 - which I think is very decent apart from the high ISO noise.
  • Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro - sometimes with extension tubes
  • Canon 70-200mm f/4 L IS - occasionally and with tubes
  • Yongnuo HSS speedlites - occasionally....light dependant
  • Photoshop CS5....quite old but still capable
  • Adobe DNG converter - my software predates my camera, so I cannot import RAWs directly into ACR
  • Adobe Camera Raw (ACR)
  • RawTherapee and DarkTable - occasionally, highly dependent on level of laziness!
  • Nik Collection PS plugins - mostly noise reduction
I have no plan/need to update to CC....if it ain't broke etc..:giggle:

I usually roughly aim for these settings: (all dependant on ambient light etc)

  • Shutter speed - usually a minimum 1/320th - most likely higher (factoring for reciprocal rule since I don't have the steadiest of hands)
  • Aperture - usually f/8, but sometimes higher depending on required DoF/background/available light etc.
  • ISO - 800 to 1000
  • Auto WB
It's the higher ISOs that are my biggest concern - I usually set it high(ish) before venturing out, so that I don't have to lower my shutter speed too much and risk hand shake etc

My workflow is generally as follows:

  • Convert RAWs to DNGs
  • Tweaks in ACR to curves/WB/clarity/vibrance/lens profile and sometimes crops
  • Push sharpness as far as I dare in ACR....sometimes up to 100 or so!
  • Import to photoshop for cleaning/cloning/crop etc.
  • Nik Collection - Dfine 2 for noise reduction which I use the selection brush to mask the subject

The last step might be somewhat contentious!
I tend to spend an awful lot of time painstakingly selecting/masking the insect so that the noise reduction doesn't affect it, and thence it isn't softened.
I have even resorted to zooming in to 400% and using a tiny (pixel or two sized) brush, masking individual hairs!!
It's the only way I know to how achieve the clean(ish) background look I'm after....it's not perfect of course, and I suppose I shouldn't be 'extreme-pixel-peeping'

I've been reasonably happy with the results, and I fully accept and embrace the limitations of my gear viz-a-viz aps-c sensor size/noise etc., but just wondered if someone with much more skill/experience wouldn't mind advising me on anything glaring I'm doing wrong, or a better way to do something with the equipment that I have.

Here is an example image before and after noise reduction - it's a two shot manually stacked image - best viewed on Flickr:

#1 without selective noise reduction


macro damselfly test 1 by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

#2 with selective noise reduction


macro damselfly test 2 by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

Both were shot with 1/3200th - f/8 - ISO800
I know I should have dropped my shutter speed to get the ISO lower, but at the time I was wandering around in quite dense bushes and so was darker - it just so happened that these two damselflies were in open, bright sunlight, and my muscle memory is tuned for shutter speed/aperture adjustments and not ISO!
(I suppose there is a lesson there already!):giggle:

Am I being too fussy?
Is the first (slightly noisier) image acceptable?
Should I just be happy with my results and stop pixel peeping?

Many thanks for looking folks, I look forward to learning from all you good peeps!!:)
(Sorry about the overly wordy nature of this post!):giggle:
 
Last edited:
Why f8? I would put the combination on a tripod and look for a dead insect or some other test subject and change the aperture to see which aperture gives the best results. I doubt it will be f8.
 
davholla said:
Why f8? I would put the combination on a tripod and look for a dead insect or some other test subject and change the aperture to see which aperture gives the best results. I doubt it will be f8.
Click to expand...
Which aperture do you think would be best?
 
Thank you Dave and Robert, appreciate your input.:)

@davholla I agree that I should practice more, that's good advice.(y)
The aperture isn't my primary concern however, aside from affecting noise in low light.
I think f8 has its place, it's usually where I start, sometimes I'll stop down depending on subject/conditions etc.

@Bobsyeruncle thanks Robert, I'll try not to be so fussy in future, and cut down on the pixel peeping!(y)

Once again, thank you both for taking the time to look and comment, I really appreciate it.:)
 
any crop sensor from any manufacturer will produce noisy images ,unfortunately canon are one of the worst . you technique looks fine to me but I do feel that upgrading to photoshop/ Lightroom CC would help there are so many shortcuts etc that have been added that it is really worthwhile having . i.e colour profiles ,one touch layer masking I could go on forever . download a months free trial and see how you get on . plus there are far better noise reduction plug ins now available

to sum up if you want real improvements invest in full frame and upgrade your software system
 
I dropped CC for a stand alone program and i think it is nearly as good.
Re @the black fox, i started out with a crop sensor camera (nikon), when it broke i used my FF camera (nikon) and i didn't like the distance difference it used, i now have another crop sensor camera and i am more than happier with the results.
To the OP, Seems your doing alot of faffing about with all the different programs you have, cut your time and effort down by upgrading.
 
@the black fox and @Graham thanks Jeff and Graham.
I'll be the first to admit that my entire setup is not ageing well!
I've had my money's worth out of it over the years however, but it certainly is getting a bit creaky!
Unfortunately the likelihood of upgrading hardware or software is slim to none at present.
I am enjoying learning about insect macro, and aside from it's aforementioned noise problem, I really love my 7Dmk2

Re. the faffing....I don't mind this at all, providing it's worth it in the end, and I'm reasonably happy with the finished image.
Just wondering if there;s anything more I could be doing noise-wise, with what I already have, since I will be with my 7Dmk2 et al for the foreseeable future.
Being a relative novice with insect macro, I think the main thing I have realised (as with all aspects of photography....and indeed anything) is 'practice makes perfect'.

Thanks to everyone who responded.:)
 
Hi I use a canon 7d2 and 100l macro and have been doing insect macro for a long time
I don’t think that equipment or software is the issue it’s nailing the exposure and getting lucky finding a subject with a lighter background helps
I expose to the right normal one to two thirds
I sometimes go to ISO 800 with my 7 D and that’s perfectly fine but normally use iso 400
I use a wide an aperture as I can get away with normally F7.1 or 8 and focus stack to get more depth of field if needed this helps to keep the shutter speed up and the iso down
I don’t use flash I prefer natural light but most people do use flash and get excellent results as well
 
Thanks for your advice @LCPete :)

I'll try ETTR, and hopefully I'll be luckier with subjects too!

The image I posted above is indeed a stack of two images, which I'm eager to explore more as well as the use of flash.

I really appreciate your advice, and it's comforting to know that with practice and time, decent results are attainable with my current gear, thanks again.(y)
 
No worries mate what I do isn’t nessersalrily the best way to do it but just what works for me
 
Hi Gareth
I don't think there's anything wrong with your macro work.
I nearly always use flash, but it does have it's drawbacks. I'm not a great fan of black backgrounds when photographing insects, which is what you can sometimes get when your subject is a distance away from the background. Even when photographing non moving macro subjects (tabletop, still life) i'll still use flash, in a big softbox.
I'm using a Canon (80d) and as long as the exposure is good the noise isn't too bad. I have images that are taken at ISO 800 that look noisier that some that are taken at ISO 1000, just because I've got a better exposure.
I've just bought a new 27" monitor (coming from a quite measly 19") and don't dare zoom in to an image too much, because the noise will look so much worse in reality, than it really is. When or if I print noise is a lot less noticeable (well unless you print big, I don't print any bigger than A4).
 
@Nostromo thanks Dominic for taking the time to respond, and for the positive crit., most appreciated!(y)

Good advice re. flash....I was out the other day with my 'Heath Robinson' style flash rig, and indeed found it tricky to balance exposure to retain the background whilst providing some fill.
I think I'm getting a feel for it now....just need those pesky butterflies to stay still!

It's hard not to pixel-peep....I can only imagine the will power required with a glorious 27" monitor!
But you're right of course, I must fight the urge!;)
 
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