[ashurbanipal]

Plus one for that.
A bit of a question about the Base curve and the Tone curve. I am doing some tricky night scenes with highlights and it involves doing some very intricate work on the left hand side of the tone curve to get some light in the shadows. I have discovered a trick whereas I default the base curve to a straight line and use it in conjunction with the Tone curve -- ie working two curves tools like I think you can do in RT. It makes the adjustments needed a lot less intricate.
Is this a valid approach to using the two curves?

If you're doing a lot of work on the shadow/left side of the curve, have you tried switching the scale option of the base curve module to logarithmic instead of linear? I don't do it often, but for darker scenes it's quite useful.

--Steve

[GUB]

If you're doing a lot of work on the shadow/left side of the curve, have you tried switching the scale option of the base curve module to logarithmic instead of linear? I don't do it often, but for darker scenes it's quite useful.

--Steve

Thanks for that I will give it a try. This years "lite up your bike" parade was tonight and the shots are downloading now. A very dificult environment - hopefully I have something.

[GUB]

Thanks Steve - Using that logarithmic mode in the base curve module worked a treat. Had the Base curve in log and the tone curve in lineal.

This shot needed the background lightened by over 6 stops.

The logarithmic mode made it easy to achieve.

I have cut and pasted the basecurve into the screenshot. EV in exposure was at +3.
Settings for the night was 1/20 f1.8 iso100 with an old 85mm on the K1.
Yes I could have increased the Iso and the PPing would be easier but I would lose a lot of colours in the Highlights.
I couldn't get a major bonus from using the masks but that is likely because I hav'nt got the hang of them.

[GUB]

Another question - in this situation being able to move the black point very subtly is important. ie +2 can be great but +5 is way over. It is hard to make such tiny movements with the slider - is there a way to input the number?

[GUB]

Ahh went back into DT to concentrate on this issue -- found it -- right click on the cursor.

[ChristianRock]

Also, if you use the right and left arrow, it will move the values of the last parameter you were editing up and down by 1.

[GUB]

Also, if you use the right and left arrow, it will move the values of the last parameter you were editing up and down by 1.

Thanks for that but it seems to be 10 units for the black point?

[ChristianRock]

Thanks for that but it seems to be 10 units for the black point?

Are you talking about the Raw Black/White Point module? Mine goes by one unit. I'm on the latest version of Darktable for Windows.

[jbinpg]

If you right click on the number of whatever input value you are seeking, a "whisker" menu should pop up. Then you can drag the dark line in the graphic left or right to adjust the value. This allows fine control.

[GUB]

Are you talking about the Raw Black/White Point module? Mine goes by one unit. I'm on the latest version of Darktable for Windows.

No the black point on the basic exposure module. I will check out your one.

[ChristianRock]

No the black point on the basic exposure module. I will check out your one.

Ah you are right, I was looking at the wrong module. If you use the basic black point there, you do have to right click to get some fine control. I wonder why they did the arrows there like that.

[Riggomatic]

I just use the mouse scroll wheel on the sliders (example black level correction moves by .001). Hover the mouse over the one you want to adjust and scroll up/down. Hold down the CTRL key and use the mouse wheel on the sliders for a finer control (example black level correction moves by .0001)

reset the control by double clicking (left mouse button) on the slider (anywhere).

I noticed this works on the tone curve too, once you add a point. Holding down the CTRL key and scrolling with the mouse wheel takes forever BTW.

[GUB]

I just use the mouse scroll wheel on the sliders (example black level correction moves by .001). Hover the mouse over the one you want to adjust and scroll up/down. Hold down the CTRL key and use the mouse wheel on the sliders for a finer control (example black level correction moves by .0001)

reset the control by double clicking (left mouse button) on the slider (anywhere).

I noticed this works on the tone curve too, once you add a point. Holding down the CTRL key and scrolling with the mouse wheel takes forever BTW.

Thanks - using the ctlr achieves what I want - that single unit movement is needed with an exetremely underexposed image pulled up with the curves. Thanks but I will run with that drop down whisker box now I know it is there.

OK next thing -- I just opened DT now to experiment and for some strange reason the Tone curve, Base curve and the basic exposure modules were all open together! Never seen that before! How on earth can you make that happen - it is so convenient! I suppose I should be reading basic instructions somewhere - but then I am a male!

[GUB]

Answering myself again - read the manual a bit
I must have touched the shift key to open a module without closing the last. But even better there is a box to untick in the preferences that does this.
So if I set it up right I am thinking I can set up the module groups and it will lay out similar to Rawtherapee. That is tonights work!

[ashurbanipal]

Answering myself again - read the manual a bit
I must have touched the shift key to open a module without closing the last. But even better there is a box to untick in the preferences that does this.
So if I set it up right I am thinking I can set up the module groups and it will lay out similar to Rawtherapee. That is tonights work!

Don't overlook the ability to set your most-used modules as favorites; that way you can do most of your work in the first module group.

--Steve