# windows 7 wallpapers



## rich-hill (May 13, 2008)

I visited a friends house the other day and they had windows 7 running a big monitor, I noticed the landscape photography that was rotating through the desktops was amazing. I asked about them and he said it was the default thing that just rotates through.

Images such as





































http://www.wallpaperweb.org/wallpaper/nature/ice-lightening_1600x1200_17339.htm

here just shows a few,

are these images that have had a lot of PP done to them? Becuase I seem to only be able to dream about getting pictures as good as a lot of those are.


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## bretti_kivi (Apr 22, 2008)

no, I suspect minimal - but significant - PP.

All three are taken with a UWA and with filters to slow the exposure down, probably a graduated ND or two, too. And then the lenses themselves are good, on a hi-res body. I'd personally estimate a 12mm or so and probably a 1d or D3.

The second one is also probably a HDR, believe it or not.



> Becuase I seem to only be able to dream about getting pictures as good as a lot of those are.


that's why those pics are there... and why the people taking them get paid money for them. Why does it seem to be assumed that "I've got a camera, I can take great pics"? It's not true... good pics are probably 50% time and place, 40% skill and 10% equipment. Skill in this context also means understanding what you're taking and how your decisions affect the picture.

Bret


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## rich-hill (May 13, 2008)

I gave a 400D and a 10-20mm sigma lens for my landscapes. I can get good compisition, but never seem to get the the final outcome.

I think sometimes what i take off the camera has hall the right ingrediants, but I'm not very skilled when it comes to the photoshop aspect of the image afterwards.

Im really working on my hyper focal point distances at the moment, trying to get the entire picture as sharp as possible


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## bretti_kivi (Apr 22, 2008)

Personal tip: work on unsharp masking and how different types of sharpening can really affect the pic. 

I'd also strongly suggest working with the lens and camera on a wall and experimenting with the optimal apertures, to make sure you have something that's as correct as possible before you start on the PP.

Levels, curves and sharpness are pretty much all you should need if the material you took was good....

Bret


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## rich-hill (May 13, 2008)

what do you mean about using a wall for the apertures?

I'm using light room at the moment, i found it much easier to work with than photoshop. I dont think that has unsharpen mask?!


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## bretti_kivi (Apr 22, 2008)

you need a USM and you need to understand *what* it sharpens and how if you want pictures that appear to be sharp.

Here's a tutorial for GIMP; it doesn't make much difference in the end result which software is used - the concepts are valid.

http://www.gimp.org/tutorials/Smart_Sharpening/

Bret


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