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NightSheep — Post Processing IR Photo's
Published: 2008-06-30 15:03:31 +0000 UTC; Views: 44925; Favourites: 355; Downloads: 1441
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Description
Since I have been telling (about) the same story to other people, I decided to make this very quick tutorial as a quick reference guide of how your photo should look like after each steps.--- edit
I can't believe this Quick & Dirty tutorial receives more hits then any of my other photo's in this gallery. I guess I write better then I take photo's -_-.
Anyway, it made me to decide to expand this tutorial a bit. Let me know how you like the result.
--- 2nd edit
Added the Post Processing Section...
--- Nota bene!!
The example photo's were NOT taken with an IR filter. Instead, I have modified my camera so that I can use lower shutter times. If you are using an IR filter, you need to use longer shutter times up to seconds!!
The colors you get and the post processing steps should be the same though!
Good luck!
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Comments: 148
I have browsed your gallery, and I highly doubt you need this info. But you are ofcourse very welcome
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Thanks, I always like to brush up on my photography knowledge, and learn from anywhere I can. Thanks again.
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This tutotial is very helpful however I can't get the white balance to work properly all changeing it seems to do is change the colour of the tint 
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"White balance" is not the same as changing the tint. It's more like: "Tell me which point should be white, and I will recalculate all colors so it matches the differences between 'white', and the point that should be white". Yes, it is sometimes hard to get it correct due to various reasons.
But like you said, "all it seems to do is the change of the colours of the tint". With other words, you could change the tint of your image to get better results in post processing!
Let's say you find your image too red, then you can simply lower the red's in your photo (by adding a Color Balance layer over your photo).
See if that helps?
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Adding a color balance layer in Photoshop doesn't really help, all I am able to do with it is to change the colour of the tint some more.
[link] this is what changing the white balance did. it didn't seem to make any of the photos anymore white
I was just wondering if there was anyway of editing these images to make them look like other IR images I have seen, like your example, but all I can do with these images is to make them black and white like this [link]
I will keep experimenting with the white balance to see if I can get the photos to comeout how i want, but if it doesnt work I will just have to make do with makeing them black and white
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Ah... i have found that in Photoshop, the correct way to set the white balance is using the "Curve" layer. (Sorry, I have been working with lightroom for a few years now, so I forgot most of the photoshop things already I did).
Anyway, add a "Curves" layer so you can adjust the curve. On the left (Photoshop CS5) you will see 3 color pickers. The last one is the one for setting the so called white point. That is what you need.
Now select this picker and selects in the picture the leave which is the most white. When clicking on it, Photoshop will try to recalculate the curve to make the selected point really white. If you accidentally clicked on something really dark, you will see that your photo will turn over lighted.
To answer your second answer: Yes, I have seen scripts for photoshop and lightroom for this. But I have never used it since I was not really convinced of the result.
Good luck!
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ahh thanks 
Thanks for the help
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Good to hear. Good luck from here!
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Thanx for the tutorial, it helps a lot!
[link]
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thanks heaps for this! just bought my first IR filter, totally wanna learn how to use it. this type of photography is amazing!
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You are very very welcome. Good luck!
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Thank you so much for creating this! I just got an IR filter and was trying to find something online to explain how to use it properly but could find nothing. Thankfully I checked on DA and saw this. IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW. Thank you again for creating this.
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You are very welcome. Glad to hear it makes sense now. Send me a note once you have some wonderful IR to show?
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How did you modify your camera for IR?
and do you have some comparison photos of IR photos taken with the filter and IR photos with modified camera?
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Mr Nightsheep! You've inspired me to do this for my second project on my course! ;D I just need to figure it out etc.. hhaaha!
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Miss Paulie... why are you calling me "Mr"? I feel so old now . . .
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Oh I'm sorryyyy!! It's habit hehe! ^_^
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Your habit is making people feeling old? Wow!
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Noooooo!!! calling people mister
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So... what course are you enrolled to?
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Photography hehe! I'm doing black and white portraits for my first project and then I was thinking about IR landscapes for my second...(coz they look so damn cool!)
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Oooh! Why do you live so far away? I would have loved to join your course!
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Hehe! I'm sure they do them! I chose to do portraits and IR photography
Most are doing emotions or something....
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IR photography is not easy actually. And you need special gear. (IR filter at least).
Teenagers and emotions... that will just result in a lot of emo-styled shots...
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Exactly.. I wanted to push myself
Apart from an IR filter and setting the white balance.. tripod... is there anything else you need?
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patience, niece view and bit of sunlight. A remote would be nice, but not mandatory. You could use the camera timer as well.
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Oooh why remote/camera timer??
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to minimize the chance of movement blur. If you have to touch the camera to activate the shutter, you might move the camera a bit which causes blur.
In my personal opinion, if the exposure time is above 5 seconds (or something like that) it doesn't really matter. The first 5 seconds won't expose the sensor enough to register any movement.
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Oooh makes sense! Good job I have a remote then! ;D
I need to figure it all out... scared of changing my camera settings though! Arghhhhh!
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If it is the custom white balance you are referring to, that can always be discarded by setting it back to auto white balance.
The rest is business as usual.
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Oh okay! I thought it was more??!
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Euhm... the long exposure setting? Manual Focus?
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You will manage.... you know how to ice skate. Someone who knows how to do that knows how to do everything!
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Hahaha!! Aww thanks! But.. this is very untrue
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awesome guide image that bro, now im looking for an IR filter!
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I'm on the slippery road to more IR awe all because of your tutorial. Wouldn't have been able to figure out the post-processing otherwise. Much love!
Test shot:
[link]
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Ha, nice to know that even Flickr people found my tutorial. Unfortunately, your photo was too private to view (at least, that was what flickr told me). But i am sure it looked beautiful
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Thank you very much for this tutorial. I just got my IR filter and now I have the"know how" to use it.
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Now you only need to gain experience. Happy shooting
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I will be working on that.
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thanks for the tutorial, i've got question, when i take a grass picture for the custom WB, do i need to use the filter on, or just take a normal shot? thanks
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You will need to do that WITH the filter on. Because you would want the camera to whitebalance the ir image... not the normal image without the filter.
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thank you
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yep... that's is the reason. And if you are using a regular camera where a regular UV filter is installed IN the camera, you can only do long exposure photography with IR. Because:
1.) Yes, your IR filter let only IR through
2.) But, your UV filter blocks most of the IR.
See the contradiction here?
But if you open the shutter long enough, then your sensor will be exposed enough for a beautiful photo
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thank you so much for the advice
i've taken some shot using the filter today, and the WB works
btw, is it true by using IR filter shot long exposure will damage the sensor?
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Actually, taking long exposure night photo's would "damage" it more then since all light is let through (incl. IR). While when using IR filter, only IR is let through.
I even dare to say that given the same amount of exposure time, when shooting the sun (don't do it... really don't) without IR filter it would fry your sensor and with IR filter your sensor might survive
So it's nonsense -_-
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