Transcript
8/12/2019 Tips - Using in-Camera Filters
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not the optical variety that sit on the lens or
drop in front of the sensor, but rather a
collection of in-camera processing effects
that can be applied to pictures withpermanent results. You see, unlike picture
styles and white balance, whose effects can
be adjusted later in Canons Digital Photo
Professional if you shoot Raw files, Creative
Filters cant be changed in software. The
effects can only be applied in-camera, a
the results have to be saved to the mem
card as JPEGs.
Before and afterThere are two ways to work with Creativ
Filters: either during playback on picture
youve already taken or on pictures you
about to shoot using Live View. The first
option is the most widespread and offer
the most flexibility, as any filtered imag
always saved as a separate file. Because
your original image is left untouched, yo
free to save as many different variations
your memory card can take, each with a
With the flexibility that comes
from shooting Raw and the
power and boundless
sibilities offered by Photoshop, it
ht seem a strange choice to add
tal effects to your pictures in-camera.
theres a lot to be said for saving
rself some time sat in front of a
mputer, as well as the enjoyment that
mes from trying a new way of shooting.
Digital filters have taken the world of
artphone photography to new hipster
ghts, and theyre making a bit of
urgence on D-SLRs too. Canons
ative Filters have been a fixture on EOS
meras since the 60D arrived almost a
e over three years ago. You wont findm on pro-grade bodies like the 5D Mark
r the 1D X, but theyre available as an
ing option in the playback menu of the
ority of other D-SLRs. These filters are
Using Creative Filters duringive View enables you to
preview the effect in real time
ive your pictures a digitalakeover without going near aomputer heres how to gethe most from Creative Filters
How do usemy in-cameraCreative Filters?
CreativeFiltecanbeapplieanyshootinmode-fro
fullyautomatomanua
8/12/2019 Tips - Using in-Camera Filters
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EPBYSTEP
nter Live ViewPress the Live View button
and then either tap the Q
ton or press INFO repeatedly
il the menus appear on the
een. The Creative Filter icon
s the two overlapping circles.
e Live View on the latest Canon D-SLRs to see a Creative Filter effect before you shoot
How to preview a Creative Filter
ent strength of filter effect or
bination of effects Creative Filters can
mulatively applied to a single image.
hen youre reviewing images on the rear
n, tap the Q button to access the editing
ay. Its here that youll find the Creative
s option. Alternatively, select Creative
s in the cameras blue playback menus
croll through your images until youve
d a suitable picture. Its then a matter ofting the effect, adjusting its strength
hen saving the worked-up version as a
new file on the memory card. You can apply
Creative Filters to both Raw files and JPEGs,
although you will be unable to do so on an
image that youve previously cropped.
Using Creative Filters during Live View
brings the advantage of being able to preview
the effect in real time. This enables you to
compose a picture to make the most of the
filter such as finding the perfect angle for
the model village look when using theMiniature Effect rather than having to make
do after the event. The downside of this is
that you have to shoot JPEGs in orde
access the Creative Filter option on th
View screen, and that means the effe
filter is embedded in the picture file w
press the shutter release. Theres no
back if you dont like what you see. St
brings back some of the edge-of-you
immediacy to taking pictures!
Not all cameras offer this Live View
preview, and if you happen to use a CD-SLR that predates the 60D then yo
have any onboard Creative Filters at a
Use the right formatYou wont be able to apply
the effect in the Raw or
Raw+JPEG format. If you shoot
Raw, you can save a separate
JPEG with the effect applied
once youve taken the shot.
Select a filterShooting JPEG, you can
freely select a Creative
Filter. Scroll through the options
using the arrow keys or Quick
Control dial, then tap SET to
select your preferred filter.
Preview the effePressing INFO enabl
to change the positio
strength of the effect, dep
on which Creative Filter yo
although it can take a little
for the screen to update.
anons Creative Filter camera controlsinking of adding a filter effect? Here are the key settings you need to use
Live Viewthis to preview a filter effect
ore you take a picture. Not all EOS
LRs enable you to do this.
5. AdjustmentsDuring playback, highlight a
and then tap the SET button
able to tweak the strength o
position of the effect. When
using Live View, pressing th
button has the same effect.
White iconCreative Filters menu icon
ds to be white in order to apply
ffect a greyed out symbolans that the image is
ompatible.6.Q/SET buttonUse this to bring up the Crea
Filters option in Live View, a
select a filter option.Image previewcan preview the effect
ore deciding to save it.
Filter flavoursamount of filters available is
endent on the camera model.
Canon 100D shown here offers
en effects, along with the option
witch them off.
7. Play buttonPress this to review your im
and then tap the Q button to
choose a Creative Filter.
8/12/2019 Tips - Using in-Camera Filters
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he latest crop of Canon cameras (100D, 700D, 70D) have
even Creative Filters, each of which can be increased or
ecreased in strength (over three steps) or adjusted in
osition. Weve suggested subjects that each of the filters
orks particularly well with, but experiment to find an effect
r combination of effects that works for you.
BEFORE
BEFORE
AFTER
AFTER
AFTER
Fish-eye effectIts no substitute for a
good quality fish-eye
lens, but at least its
free. The Fish-eye filter produces
a super-distorted view of the
world, causing straight horizontal
and vertical lines to distort and
bulge outwards. Its an effectthats best used in moderation
but in all honesty its an effect
that youll tire of quickly.
Adjustable option: you get the
familiar Standard, Low and High
settings here. The higher the
setting, the more of the available
mage you lose around the edge
of the frame.
rainy B/WThis filter takes a hammer
to the more subtle results
that can be achieved
rough the Monochrome picture
yle. However, the punchy-but-gritty
ok works well for street photography
nd architecture. Whether you can
ccept the dappling it adds to areas of
ean pale tone is another thing.
djustable option: the level of
ontrast can be increased or
ecreased from the Standard setting.
ghlights and brighter areas arekely to burn out at the highest
etting that is, theyll be so bright
ey wont hold any detail.
Water painting effect
Turn your photos intoworks of art; or at least,
reduce the details in your
otos to black outlines with subtle
lours that bleed beyond these
ges. Pick a scene or subject with
ong edges to make the most of this
er landscapes, city scenes and
her views youd normally associate
th watercolour paintings lead to the
ost convincing overall effect.
justable option: the colour density
n be set to Standard, Light or Deep.
oid the Deep setting if people
ature in the frame.
Art bold effectThis strong dose of saturation
produces vivid, hyper-real
colours. Images that arecolourful to begin with benefit most
with this filter, but scenes that feature a
single colourful focal point such as red
poppy in a field can look good. Just
avoid shots of people with this filter
Adjustable option: if youre looking for
a bold effect, youre unlikely to use the
Low setting, so stick with Standard. The
High option inflates the warmth of reds
and oranges to nuclear dawn levels.
Soft focusDoes exactly what it says
on the tin, giving a hazy
look to pictures. Portraits
are a natural fit for this filter (even
the icon shows a glowing figure), but
still life work and landscapes can
benefit from the dreamy quality it
gives to pictures.Adjustable option: as with most of
the other filters, the strength of the
effect has three settings Standard,
Low or High. And, as with the others,
you need to be wary of the highest
setting as it can end up looking as
though you failed to focus properly.
Toy camera effectIf youre looking for
a colour shift typical
of old film and dark
corners that youd get from a
cheap plastic lens, this is for you.
Alongside the Miniature filter, we
feel this is one of the most successful options available, producing an effec
that suits a wide range of subjects, from portraits to cars to fruity still lifesAdjustable option: you can alter the tone of the colour cast across the
image, from Standard (slightly warm) to Cool or Warm (a bit sickly yellow,
really). Standard offers the most natural looking results.
Filters in action
Miniature effectThis mimics the toytownlook that can be created
when a tilt-shift lens is used
incorrectly and a wafer-thin depth
of field is created. Its most effective
if you can find a subject that could
conceivably be a model and shoot it
from a raised position. Warning: this
filter can be addictive.
Adjustable option: youre unable to
adjust the strength of the Miniature
effect, but you change the position of
the sharp area in the picture.
BEFORE
BEFORE
BEFORE
BEFORE
BEFORE
AFTER
AF
AFTE
AF
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2
Superzoom lensesEvery month we highlight an EOS camera
or type of lens and provide priceless
advice to get more from your gear
5hintsandtipsfor
1 Zoom creepyoure looking to buy a
ew superzoom, choosene with a Zoom Lock
witch. This will prevent the
ens from zooming out
owards its telephoto end
when youre carrying the
amera over your shoulder.
3ImageStabilizationA stabilised lens improvesyour chances of getting
sharp shots at longer focal
lengths. Switch this
function off when you shoot
from a tripod though, as the
results tend to be crisper.
5Using filtersA clear UV filter can he
protect the lenss frontelement, however keep
eye out for vignetting
dark corners in the pic
when youre using m
than one filter and sho
at the wide end of the l2ISO settingSuperzooms have slow
maximum apertures, so
youll need a faster shutter
speed to combat camera
shake. Use your cameras
Auto ISO setting to
automatically take care of
this by increasing the ISO.
4Better focusingThe narrow maximum
aperture can cause issues
for your cameras autofocus
system, and it may hunt
for something to lock onto.
Try using manual focus in
conjunction with Live Views
magnification function.
he 60D introduced four in-camera filters,
ith the 600D taking that total to five:
sh-eye, Grainy B/W, Soft focus, Toy
amera effect and Miniature effect. Later
odies, like the 100D, added the painterly
rt bold and Watercolour effects to the mix.
sing them is straightforward, but getting
he best out of them is another matter.
aturally, some filters are more suited to
ertain scenes than others. For instance, far
wer subjects can take the overcookedolours of the Art bold effect than those that
suit the more subdued and classier Toy
camera effect. Most of the Creative Filters
have three levels of adjustment Low,
Standard and High but the default
Standard setting generally gives the most
pleasing result. We find that some of the
more extreme effects, such as Fish-eye and
Soft focus, benefit from being dropped to
the lowest setting for a more subtle result,
but its ultimately a matter of taste.
Talking of taste, these types of D-SLRdigital filters often get a hard time for being
amateurish. While theres no denying
one or two are garish, we think its a g
idea to have them available as a creat
option after all, you dont have to us
if you dont want to. With some white
balance adjustments and picture sty
tweaks they can produce some surpr
effective results, perfect for quickly s
online, and theyre also
a great way for kids to
have fun with digitalphotography. n
If the strongest setting for a filter isnt extreme enough for you,
you can double the impact by applying it more than once. This
works well with the Miniature effect, allowing you to really
intensify the degree of blur. However, you have to build up the
effect in stages, saving the image after applying a filter, then
opening up that image and applying it again. Carrying out this
process many times can reduce the overall quality of the picture.
When you select the Creative
Filters option in the playback
menu, only the files that are
compatible will be accessible.
After cranking up the Grainy
B/W filter to its maximum
level, we save a new version of
the image by pressing SET.
Scroll through the images to
find the previously filtered one
in order to add another effect
(Toy Camera here).
Repeating the same proce
we finish off with the Minia
effect, positioning the are
sharpness near the clock f
Multiple filters
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