Does background really make that much of a difference?

I'm the least tech savvy person in the world. I still think Windows 7 is the greatest thing ever, and getting a smart phone to do half it's intended stuff is the pinnacle of electronic prowess I shall ever achieve. However, I decided to try my hands at photoscape today...hoping it wouldn't be to painful, and after some playing around here is the new background on my Alexander III tetradrachm.

Does it really make that much difference? Do you prefer original or this black background I managed to shop up together after laboring for an hour to figure out what I was even supposed to be doing, then proceeding to pull half my hairs out in frustration attempting to do this.

Warning: I'll be the first to admit my amateur attempt is far from great.

ORIGINAL


ALTERED BACKGROUND

 

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In this case, I like the original.

 

The black one still has some slight imperfections where some areas need to be shaded in more, but I can fix that later. Any particular reasons why you prefer my Ivory colored paper background?

 

I use black backgrounds because, at least to my eyes, black sucks up any ambient screen color around the coin and presents its true colors to the viewer. This of course assumes that you've taken a picture of the coin that represents its true colors - that's a more complicated matter.

 

In this case, it was because of the excess objects in the background as if the coins were sitting on black glass. Those objects were distracting to me and caused me to look at those instead of focusing on the coin. Perhaps if it were stark black, I'd have a different opinion.

 

The problems with the photos extend far past the backgrounds. I would suggest shooting on what you want to end up on rather than trying to change the color later. White backgrounds tend to reflect flare into the camera making it a little harder to get a full range of tones so I prefer black nut getting the lighting so there is not offensive glare, exposure or focus problems outranks backgrounds, IMHO.

 

I prefer the black background, I think it displays the coin better. If the coin is black, you have to lighten the coin a touch. I hate patterned backgrounds, I think they are too distracting.

 

Take on board anything that dougsmit says.

 

I am not a fan of black backgrounds ... although I understand why most peple do it and I think it can look amazing if it's done well.

I am a fan of zero-background (white) ... for example, my favourite coin shots are usually from CNG auctions:




... I find that the black background blends-in to any dark areas on the coins circumference, whereas the zero/white background gives you a great indication of the coin's edge (hey, but that's just me => oh, and I don't take very good photos!!)

 

I prefer the black over your original, as long as you finish the job on it.

 

Focus, lighting, hot spots, glare, color correction aside, the background is up to you and your design sensibilities. A problem with the "original" is that the obverse and reverse show a difference and a hard split between the two. You see the tone differs on the surface you shot the coin against. That is distracting from us just looking at your coin image. The black, even though just quickly painted in, should be flat back. For this issue, simply learning enough steps to crop your coin image out from the background you shoot against is imperative. It really matters not what you decide to shoot against, flat black or neutral gray or flat white, though you should be cognizant of the effect reflected light has on your lens and on the surfaces of the coin itself when shooting. The same is true of anything around the shooting environment which can 'influence' the color and light of the shots. You will find that even the clothing you wear and your skin tone can be picked up in reflections on a coins surface.

That aside, you offered us "original" and "altered" (black) backgrounds, but didn't offer pure white. For black and white, I suggest not trying to find something to shoot against that are these colors, though they work best for reasons stated above, but to put the effort into editing your digital files, such that you work in layers: obverse, reverse and background. Once all cropping, color correction and scaling matters are settled, you simply merge the layers of a digital file for a finished jpeg optimized for use on the web.

In a few simple steps, I used your "original" image and cropped, adjusted (color saturation and contrast)*, and created image files on both pure white and black backgrounds. How much space you allow round each side of the coin and the proportions of the image file, will all be things you would also decide upon according to your specific likes. There's no 'right' way to lay out your file, but doing so thoroughly and consistently and in a manner that allows the audience to focus on the coin is a most important factor.

*Perhaps you can see the difference in the two on white backgrounds have had these adjustments, one is your original.

 

Your original image is quite nice. What was bothering me the most is your reverse is about 10% smaller than your obverse. Using @krispy 's great image, I further scaled the coin and I think the finished product is much nicer than the original. MHO.

 

I like the pure black background better, it kind of makes the coin pop and showcases the coin. The white backgrounds blend into the cointalk forum background and distract from the coin.

 

True indeed! For this a wire frame border device may also be considered if white backgrounds appeal.

 

@Sallent The coin is quite a lovely example of an Alexander III Tet, and the photo is not a bad one for the challenges of beginners shooting high relief coins. A tip for reducing hot spots, especially problematic on bright examples like this, would be to shoot with lights pointed at, and bouncing off sheets of paper around the coin (rather than lights trained on the coin itself), and/or, to wrap your lamps with tissue paper or tracing paper, for more diffuse lighting. This will provide a much softer, flatter type of light. You will most likely need to adjust your aperture and shutter speeds to accommodate the light, and due to this, be sure you are shooting with the camera mounted to a copy stand or tripod, even if these are of a construction of your own design.

 

to cut the coins out faster you need to use magic wand, then lasso tool (shift and alt + mouse) to fix it. Also use Ctrl+"+" and "-" to zoom in and out.

 

Great progress is being made here but it still might be easier to start over using krispy's suggestion of softer light. While you are at it, why did you direct the light so the obverse face was in the shadows and the lion's mane bright? I'd prefer the light from a higher angle so both sides were illuminated. The reverse seems better in this regard but, being lower in relief, it will not show the difference as strongly. I would prefer it in softer light. I agree with krispy's post including the part that this is not a bad first attempt for a coin like this. If you reshoot it a hundred times, access the results and show us only the best one, we will think you are the greatest of all photographers.

 

I recognize no picture will ever be perfect, especially given the fact that I am just an amateur collector trying to do my best, and not a professional. I just need them to be good enough to convey a somewhat decent representation of the coin. With that in mind, here is another attempt at re-shooting a coin . The first picture suffered from the coin faces being at an angle and somewhat blurry. The second still has some excess glare, but with the limited equipment I have (a cell phone camera), I think this is as good as I'll get barring some serious expenditure on equipment.

Before:

After

 

I think the second pic is definitely a huge improvement. I would play around with the lighting a bit to reduce the glare, particularly in the reverse fields. Something as simple as a bit of tissue paper taped over a lamp can diffuse the light enough to allow you to control it better.

 

Yes, in the future I could improve my technique with those tips. However, I think it will be a while before I rephotograph this coin. I feel like the new image, despite any faults one could point at, is decent enough to represent the coin.

I will keep refining my technique my re-shooting all the other coins in my collection. Eventually somewhere down the line I may go back and rephotograph the Alexander III and Trajan one more time using all the refinements and tips I've learned along the way.

Let's just say this is a work in progress.