Help Me Take Better Pictures 3 3

[Math Teacher]

As many of you know, I post a lot of pictures of books that I own or have purchased. Try as I might, they always end up looking like this:

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can avoid taking pictures that are crooked?

[grendelbo]

If your phone has ability to scan the pictures, that's what I would do. Although you do have to be a little careful with raw books as the scan may want to trim the edges and corners too much. If you're taking pictures of slabs it wouldn't be a big deal.

Sometimes I scan my books with that phone feature. Other times I'll take a straight up picture and crop it. Oftentimes you can edit your picture and adjust the horizontal and vertical axis in order to get a perfectly aligned picture of your book. 

I'm using a Samsung Galaxy phone. What are you using?

[grendelbo]

[Lightning55]

I just make sure the bottom edge of the preview screen on the camera is as close to parallel as possible with the bottom edge of the slab. Then do everything in your power to hold it rock steady during the click, and even a moment afterward. The shutter and camera need a moment to work together. Also, maybe don't bring the subject so close to the photo edge, which really highlights misalignment. Leave a border.

You can also set up a stand or shelf to photo the comic vertically. Then put a tripod in front, camera or phone locked in the right position. Test shoot, and when happy with the alignment, fire away, just repositioning the subject between shots. You'll have a home photo studio. Closeups might require bringing the slab toward the fixed position camera, or vice versa.

And finally, your photo looked fine to me. Close enough. 

[Tnexus]

Check out Microsoft Lens. Works wonders for straightening out an object you're taking a picture of.

[ADAMANTIUM]

Just use Microsoft office lense or google lense as an app found in your Play store on any device?

You'll be able to take the picture and then it will bring up the pic for you to crop where you want the border. I do it perpendicular and flat against a surface taking the pic, then crop and save, all at one time takes thirty seconds.

You can take a picture at an angle then crop a normal rectangle or whatever dimensions, and then it will format it, just if at an angle it might not format to an angle from a angle to a rectangle clear enough.

I'm going into too much detail here, but get one of those apps and try? As oppose to just taking a pic with your phone and cropping and saving, which would work but not have all the options mentioned

@Math Teacher

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 6/27/2024 at 2:43 PM, Tnexus said:

Check out Microsoft Lens. Works wonders for straightening out an object you're taking a picture of.

Mine was too long winded but one mind one accord

[Darwination]

The background is important.  If you're worried that a pure white backer or whatnot will make the aged white of a comic standout, go against an offwhite.  A pure white can give a better indication of the comic's true colors, though.  Natural light versus artificial light can really affect the colors in a comic, too.  I'm not a slabber, but the reflectiveness of those must be a big obstacle.

Hint: cardboard/graph paper/USPS materials/comic pressing workdesk sorts of backgrounds can look a bit jank. ;)

 

 

[SpineTic]

 

[Chaz G.]

As the video states, natural light from a window always works well for me.

[Cman429]

All my pictures are crooked, apple lets you straighten them on the phone. I don’t know what other brands edit function is like bc I won’t buy inferior technology but that’s all you have to do. 

[alexgross.com]

go outside, in the shade but near where it's light so you have good reflected light all around you. this is the key. never in direct light or you will get glare. 

 

[comicartfan]

I use indirect sunlight as to not get the glare. I pull the shades down and still have a soft light versus the hard light that is direct. 
 

Then I edit the photo on my phone with straightening first. I bring down the highlights to bring out some of the contrast in colors, bring up the shadows and then use a little brightness slider, small contrast and then the sharpen tool. Not too much or it will look fake. 

It sounds like a lot, but I spend about 20 seconds on it 

[Math Teacher]

On 6/27/2024 at 1:09 PM, grendelbo said:

If your phone has ability to scan the pictures, that's what I would do. Although you do have to be a little careful with raw books as the scan may want to trim the edges and corners too much. If you're taking pictures of slabs it wouldn't be a big deal.

Sometimes I scan my books with that phone feature. Other times I'll take a straight up picture and crop it. Oftentimes you can edit your picture and adjust the horizontal and vertical axis in order to get a perfectly aligned picture of your book. 

I'm using a Samsung Galaxy phone. What are you using?

I don't know if I can scan pictures with my phone. I have a Google Pixel 6.

[Chip Cataldo]

On 6/27/2024 at 5:55 PM, Cman429 said:

All my pictures are crooked, apple lets you straighten them on the phone. I don’t know what other brands edit function is like bc I won’t buy inferior technology but that’s all you have to do. 

My avatar is the opposite of your avatar. Lol.

[southern cross]

I use a pixel 8 phone.

I take pics during the day with no direct sunlight and no artificial light to cause a glare.

Tricky with the slabs as they reflect light off the case.

Then when I take pics on my pixel 8 phone of raw books during the day with no direct sunlight or artificial light.

It's....

All I do is crop the photo and add to my folder on my phone to later upload to forums.

To show off my books that have so much gloss you can use them as a slip-n-slide and corners so sharp you need safety glasses to read them... 

 

Edited June 28 by southern cross

[southern cross]

More pics...

And the TTA ped slabs were taken over a year ago with a pixel 6 phone.

[namisgr]

As both a buyer and a seller, I strongly prefer scanned images.  I think it shows up defects and the state of cover color preservation more reliably than most photos.  Many times after looking carefully at a photo of a slab graded 9.0 or lower or a raw book VF/NM or lower, I'm left wondering where the defects are that account for the assigned grade.

But I understand others feel differently.  Some of you have mastered the art of slabbed comic photography, while others find it much easier, faster, and/or cheaper than scanning and computer-based image processing.

An example of what I like about scans.  You can see the slight rounding of the upper right corner and the teensy nick near in the top edge near the left corner that account for this book not being graded 9.8.  And the cover whites and colors are as brilliant in the scan as they looked in person.

 

[jimjum12]

On 6/27/2024 at 2:09 PM, grendelbo said:

Oftentimes you can edit your picture and adjust the horizontal and vertical axis in order to get a perfectly aligned picture of your book. 

This. 

Your PC should have editing features in the image software also. It is often present with the "crop" function.  GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[Heronext]

I save all pictures and scans on a computer and use SnagIt to crop and straighten if necessary.