Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/06/01
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hans Pahlen <hans@komvux.skola.mark.se> wrote: > I tried to adjust the curves to lighten up the midtones, and like you > say, the image looks washed out. I just replaced this picture with > the original scan. What I mean is that the image is slightly soft, and > with a low contrast. Compare with the picture below, where black > is black and not greyish. A picture with the Summilux 35asph would > have been produced a sharp picture of the woman, provided that > the focus was correct, of course. > > http://www.geocities.com/hanspahlen/brussels.htm Hans, to me it looks like your scan is tilted toward the upper end of the tonal range. The highlights are a bit blown out while at the lower end you've got muddy tones rather than nice dark greys. The older 35 Summilux does lose some contrast at full aperture but in my experience not to this extent. For a quick enhancement I would adjust the image's black point up 15-20%. This will expand the lower end of the tonal range down into the darker greys without throwing away shadow detail. - -Dave-