Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Leadfoot, post: 206310, member: 2972&quot;]Not to be a stickler,&nbsp; but...</p><p><br /></p><p>I would respectfully suggest that the difference between the two photos in the auction you linked are not differences in <i>white balance</i>, but rather differences in <i>exposure</i> or, more commonly described as, <i>brightness</i>.&nbsp; <i>White balance</i>, said simply, is a &quot;skewing&quot; of the Red, Green, and Blue channels generally used to remove color casts from lighting, whereas <i>brightness</i> or <i>exposure</i> will increase the &quot;lightness&quot; or &quot;brightness&quot; of the photo.&nbsp; The photos you linked did not have a white balance adjustment made, but rather a exposure/brightness adjustment.</p><p><br /></p><p>That said, here&#039;s another way that photos can be enhanced -- through the use of contrast and saturation.&nbsp; Consider the following photographs.&nbsp; The first are unretouched, the second have been manipulated:</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://www.pbase.com/miker/image/54496760/medium.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /><img src="http://www.pbase.com/miker/image/54497452/medium.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://www.pbase.com/miker/image/54555504/medium.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /><img src="http://www.pbase.com/miker/image/55010575/medium.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>The first photos are completely unretouched.&nbsp; The second have had the contrast bumped up and the colors enhanced (specifically through the use of &quot;color booster&quot; in Nikon Capture -- a type of saturation adjustment).</p><p><br /></p><p>In reality, both pictures are fairly accurate, as the colors of the second photo can be seen with the coin held against a light &quot;just right&quot;, but the slab the coin is in makes capturing the colors practically impossible.&nbsp; &nbsp; However, the point of showing these photos are to point out that these tools in the hands of an unscrupulous seller could be quite powerful, and one should be wary of trusting any seller&#039;s pictures and always insist on a return policy for all coins purchased/chosen through photos.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Hope this helps...Mike</p><p><br /></p><p>p.s. I see the above-illustrated contrast/saturation technique used very often on toned Morgan dollars -- beware!!!</p><p><br /></p><p>[edited to correct typos][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in