Pictures darker when uploaded

browner01

browner01

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Mike
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i tried searching for this but it kept bringing up a problem with the server.

why is it that pictures look great on a camera but when you upload them they are very dark, is there any way to fix this or tips to judging what is going to turn out ok?

thanks
 
It is probably the brightness of the screen on your camera, you can either turn down the brightness or get use to the difference.

It is amazing how often the image looks perfect on a 2.5" screen, but rubbish on my 26" monitor :(
 
The screen on your camera may be displaying images too bright. See if you can adjust the settings on the camera.

Then we have the problem that you monitor may not be calibrated correctly.
 
i have tried that but still looks the same, its like there are two different exposures.

is this just one of those things that most people have, but have learned to compensate it? :shrug:
 
Do you have an exposure compensation button on your camera, if so make sure its set to 0, it could be set to a stop under.
 
Danny said:
Do you have an exposure compensation button on your camera, if so make sure its set to 0, it could be set to a stop under.
Click to expand...

That wouldnt make any difference Danny, the photo is being looked at after capture. :)

A couple of points need ironing out here:

Uploading- do you mean that the photos are dark after importing to you computer or uploading to a photo sharing site?

Are you performing any PP on the pics?

What type of camera do you have & what is the screen brightness set to?

Take some photos and look at the histogram rather than the preview- what does it show?

What method of metering/exposure are you using ( Danny has a point here- why are your photos underexposed?)


Fill in some of the details or this is just going to be a wild goose chase!
 
ok im a beginner at this so bare with me please.

they are under exposed when i import them to my computer.

i have a nikon d7000, brand new

i have been going off what the lcd screen looks like while i figure everything out. i thought the images would appear the same, obviously not lol
 
It sounds like the screen on the camera is showing underexposed photos as correct.Then when they are loaded to a computer the truth is revealed(that they are under exposed).
You cannot go by the screen on the back of the camera! Put the camera in manual mode and use the exposure meter to take a photograph correctly exposed.That should look correct on your computer(like all the other photos you view from the net,Flickr ect). Then set the brightness control on the D7000 so that the photograph looks correct on the screen on the camera.If the photo is not correct on your computer then it is the computer and not the camera.:thumbs:
 
It's generally unwise to rely on the image displayed by the camera in order to judge exposure. The screen brightness (and probably everything else about it) is uncalibrated and the range of ambient light levels in which you view the screen could range widely, leading to a very misleading impression for your eyes. This can be a problem especially when shooting in dim light levels like indoors, in woodland or at night. You should use the histogram and highlight alert warnings to aid in judging exposure accuracy.

That said, if you shoot in controlled conditions such as a studio then maybe you can set the camera up to give a fair impression of the exposure, but for shooting in all kinds of lighting conditions probably not.

Of course, monitors can be poorly adjusted too, and can also be affected (or your eyes can) by the ambient light levels within the room you use to view. I recently upgraded my laptop because after six years of very heavy use the backlight was far too weak and of dubious colour accuracy and it was time to call it a day. You should make sure your monitor is set up as well as possible, but at the end of the day the histogram tells no lies and that can be relied upon to give a fair impression of the exposure.

If you want an opinion on your pictures then please feel free to post an unedited example on the forum and perhaps members here can comment on exposure accuracy.
 
thanks for the help guys, now i know not to trust the lcd screen, i can practice using the histogram.

shame, the pics looked great on the lcd lol. ahh well :)
 
browner01 said:
thanks for the help guys, now i know not to trust the lcd screen, i can practice using the histogram.

shame, the pics looked great on the lcd lol. ahh well :)
Click to expand...

To be fair, if the pictures looked 'great' on the back of the camera, they'll probably process to produce good photo's. It's highly unlikely for the screen to be that far over.

I suspect that the lcd is a bit bright (as others have said, it's no measure - use the histogram) and the computer screen needs calibrating too, it's probably miles out.

I'll bet if you get the screen calibrated it'll not take much to get the pictures right.:thumbs:
 
browner01 said:
thanks for the help guys, now i know not to trust the lcd screen, i can practice using the histogram.

shame, the pics looked great on the lcd lol. ahh well :)
Click to expand...

There is no need to practice using the histogram just use the exposure meter that's what it is for.How would you manage with a film camera!:bang:Digital cameras WTF!!!:bonk:
 
kestral said:
There is no need to practice using the histogram just use the exposure meter that's what it is for.How would you manage with a film camera!:bang:Digital cameras WTF!!!:bonk:
Click to expand...

Because he's obviously getting the exposure wrong at the moment. What's wrong with using the tools provided rather than acting like a dinosaur?
 
haha thanks guys, the pictures did come out nice after editing, i was just looking for an answer of how to get consistent results... and i got it.

thanks again
 
Just a thought, but is it the whole picture that's darker, or just the shadow areas?

I'm not sure if Nikons have any auto dynamic range optimiser for jpgs. If they do, you may well see a difference in shadow detail between the camera screen and a PC monitor, if you're shooting RAW. The reason is, even when you shoot RAW only, the camera shows you an embedded, low res, jpg. This embedded jpg will inherit any default or custom settings, including any DR optimisation. When you open the RAW you won't see those settings.

It wouldn't explain a significant shift in the overall exposure, but subtle changes are to be expected.
 
Never, ever trust the display on the camera's lcd screen to be an accurate representation of the image.
It's really only there to use as a guide.
The only real way to tell by using the camera is to learn to read and understand the histogram.
Also, when viewing on your computer, yo need to make sure it is correctly calibrated, otherwise that can lead to all sorts of problems.

Edit... that will teach me not to read all of the pposts in a thread.
Looks like a few beat me to the punch.
 
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What are you shooting in Jpeg or Raw?
 
it is deffinately what has been explained above and not the lcd brightness.

i checked the histogram on the images i had taken before i started this thread and sure enough all of the pixels were on the dark side.
 
My d5100 is the same, just get used to checking the histogram.
 
browner01 said:
it is deffinately what has been explained above and not the lcd brightness.

i checked the histogram on the images i had taken before i started this thread and sure enough all of the pixels were on the dark side.
Click to expand...

Well actually, it is the lcd brightness..it is fooling you to think it is exposed brighter.
 
browner01 said:
i lowered the lcd brightness and the exposure still looks fine
Click to expand...

But if the histogram shows an underexposed image & when viewing on a monitor, they are underexposed, then it must be the lcd that is making them 'look fine'
 
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