light or dark BG

[Adalbert]

Hello everybody,

Which background do you like better?


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/524 ... 3ecc_b.jpg



https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/524 ... a8a5_o.jpg

(M6M2, DCR150, MITU10X)

Best,
ADi

[wwheeler48]

I think the black shows more details.

[Sym P. le]

The two images are different sizes so it's difficult to assess the ease with which detail can be drawn out. The larger size gives the advantage to the light BG. I find the brightness of the pale BG around the subject to be distracting so that subtracts from that advantage. Overall, I'm in it for the detail so the light BG wins.

[rjlittlefield]

The two images are different sizes so it's difficult to assess the ease with which detail can be drawn out

The images are different sizes if I follow the Flickr links: 1645x2048 versus 823x1024 in that case.

But as shown here in the forum both images are 823x1024, with apparently identical alignment as shown by layering in Photoshop.

My preference is for the one with lighter body, which shows details better. This also happens to be the one with lighter background, which better shows hairs against the background.

So of these i prefer the light BG, definitely. I do agree that the very light areas of background seem to be distracting, though they also add some "pop" to the image.

--Rik

[Adalbert]

Hello everyone,
Thank you very much for the answers!
I was mainly interested in what your impression is.
Which variant do you find more aesthetic.
Best,
ADi

[Pau]

Which variant do you find more aesthetic.

Well, the pictures are very good, the DF highlights better the periphery while the BF shows better the body internals...although I don't find a tick a very aesthetic animal...there are nicer ones

[dy5]

My take: the excellent images are both appealing, but in quite different ways

The rim light effect makes the tick on the dark background more 3D; looks more natural, but also more dramatic; small details are less obvious; interesting to see how the image would look with the tick lighter.

On the light background, the tick looks more like a specimen (in a good way); small details more evident; it reminds me of a plate from a 19th century naturalist's monograph; the halo effect is a bit distracting as others mentioned.

Cheers, David

[Adalbert]

Hi Pau,

although I don't find a tick a very aesthetic animal...there are nicer ones

Yes, I totally agree .
Best, ADi

[Adalbert]

Hi David,

The rim light effect makes the tick on the dark background more 3D; looks more natural, but also more dramatic

This is also my impression and especially when you look at the image in the higher resolution on the whole screen.
Best, ADi

[Peter M. Macdonald]

If you take the two images into Photoshop and layer them together with the DF image as the top layer, it is possible to play around with the blend mode and the opacity of the top layer.

I found that Pin Light at 66% gives a fairly good compromise between the pseudo 3D look of the DF image and the extra detail of the BF image. The hairs show up well, and the detail also holds up. Much of the pseudo 3D look is preserved.

[Adalbert]

Hi Peter,
Politically correct answer: something in between :-)
Feel free to upload your solution.
I am looking for an interesting way to present a boring object.
Best,
ADi

[Peter M. Macdonald]

Hi ADi,

Here is the version which I was talking about. Rather than a compromise, I was trying to get the best of both worlds. The background is not so pretty as the pure black of the DF, but that is not really the point of a tick illustration.

[Sym P. le]

[iconoclastica]

Here is the version which I was talking about. Rather than a compromise, I was trying to get the best of both worlds. The background is not so pretty as the pure black of the DF, but that is not really the point of a tick illustration.

head up and ever so slight a gradient in the background (bit lighter above)

[Adalbert]

Hi Peter,

Here is the version which I was talking about. Rather than a compromise, I was trying to get the best of both worlds. The background is not so pretty as the pure black of the DF, but that is not really the point of a tick illustration.

very nice version, but how should/may the ticks be presented?
Best, ADi