Need Help, why do my pics come out so dark

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splinter99

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Dec 31, 2005
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Bunola, PA, USA.
I took this with a light tent set directly under a 100watt light, a twin 500watt halogen on both sides and the two little lights that came with the tent behind it. And still this is how dark it comes out..Is there an adjustment for white level on the camera (Cannon power shot sd500)
The back ground is pure white

octpens005640x480.jpg


I know I can brighten it up some with photo editing software but it should be better then this


Help
 
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splinter99

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Dec 31, 2005
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Bunola, PA, USA.
Ok..I dont even know where the white balance is..I just push the little flower for macro and the lightening bolt to turn off the flash..It used to work.
 

alphageek

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Green Bay, WI, USA.
Thats a great step forward (and the closer crop helps alot too!)...

You can try the "quick custom" white ballance as well...

Plus with a mixture of different kinds of lights, you're probably going to have a tough time getting it perfect. The halogens by themselves should be enough light.

Try that next :) That last picture is pretty darn good though, right out of the camera.
 

aggromere

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Mar 27, 2009
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Tampa, FL
photoscape

Not that my pictures are any great shakes, but I have some free editing software called "photoscape". When I edit the picture I just select adjust white balance click on some white in the picture and it adjusts it. The first picture is before rotating and white balance adjustment. The second picture is rotated, white balanced and cropped. Not the best example but the one I could find.
 

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splinter99

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Dec 31, 2005
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Bunola, PA, USA.
Ok..Set the exposure to+ 2, did the quick custom light balance.
Right from the camera
octpen3001640x480.jpg


After my normal photo editing
octpen3001640x480-1.jpg


Looks better I think
 

toolcrazy

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Dec 23, 2006
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Port Orchard, WA
It is a tad bit over exsposed. You need to reduce the exposure by .5 or .6 (depending on you exposure scale). With your mixed lights, you may want to stick with tungsten WB. Or dump the halogens completely and get daylight florescence. Halogens have a tendency to turn yellow after being used for a while, and they will cast a yellow hue on the pens. And they will mess with your white balance. Even custom WB the camera has trouble discerning the proper colors. DAMHIKT.
 

MatthewZS

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Jul 22, 2010
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Georgetown Texas
Not sure about the white balance, but something else to be sure of is that your sitting the pen far enough back in the light tent. You could have the light from a supernova in that tent, but if the pen is in front of where the light is falling, the camera is gonna see shadow. But in this case that one WB adjustment you made seems to have done worlds:)
 

aggromere

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Tampa, FL
Bright Color, right under the resize tab. Instead of clicking on the button click on the down arrow and you get a menu list. White balance is about 1/2 way down. You just gotta have some white in the picture. you can put a piece of white paper to the side that you can crop out later, and adjust the white balance before you crop the picture. Although the last picture you posted looks better than any of the pictures I have ever taken.
 
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