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Thread: Specular highlights

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    Default Specular highlights

    I would like to be understand better what specular highlights are. Could someone enlighten?
    thanks
    is there a way to deal w specular highlights in NX2?

    Thanks Ray:)

  2. #2
    Robert Amoruso
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    Ray,

    A specular highlight is the bright spot of light that appears on shiny objects when illuminated (for example, see image at right). Specular highlights are important in 3D computer graphics, as they provide a strong visual cue for the shape of an object and its location with respect to light sources in the scene. (From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specular_highlight).

    In bird photography they are normally visible on the beak and feet when the bird has been in the water. Water splashing in the air will have them.

    From an exposure perspective, they is not really much you can do about it if they are present as exposing for them will leave the rest of the scene grossly underexposed. In most instances, the highlight is so bright they contain no detail anyway. A circular polarizer can help in many instances to tame reflective surfaces and especially helpful when shooting scenes with water or in the forest to tame the reflective surfaces of the foliage. Also changing your angle to the scene can help to reduce specular highlights.

    My solution with birds is to clone them out.

    Some links to look at.

    http://www.luminous-landscape.com/fo...hp/t19339.html

    http://www.jeffwignall.com/tutorials...ighlights.html

    http://books.google.com/books?id=0XZ...age&q=&f=false

    http://forensicphotoshop.blogspot.co...ighlights.html
    Last edited by Robert Amoruso; 10-02-2009 at 08:11 AM.

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    Thanks Ray

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    BPN Viewer Charles Glatzer's Avatar
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    The term "Specular highlight" is most often used to reference a reflection of the light source off an element within the frame... such as the sun off water, chrome bumper, piece of glass, quartz rock, etc. It is best not to expose for this highlight - to do so will severely under expose the rest of the image.

    Best,

    Chas

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    Ray,
    Here is some more on types of light:

    http://www.clarkvision.com/photoinfo...sition.subject

    Roger

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    Thanks Roger

    Ray

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    This sometimes helps:

    Specular highlights occur when light is directly reflected off smooth surfaces such as glass, chrome, and water. If you check the RGB values, they will be (and should be) 255.255.255. Specular highlights have no image data.

    Diffuse highlighs are reflected off uneven or granular surfaces. Their RGB values will be (or should be, if properly exposed) less than 255.255.255. Diffuse highlights contain (or should contain) some image data.
    Last edited by David Thomasson; 10-03-2009 at 08:02 PM.

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