Car paint. I know they are horrible. I need advice.

[jsatek]

The goal with these shots is to display a high level of minute detail to show the swirls. If someone knows a way to show detail on solid black and NOT have the light head in the picture, let me know. They were shot with a Fuji F30 set to AUTO.

[jsatek]

I'd like to show reflection and detail. The lighing is halogen.

[rylan]

try shooting outside on an overcast day

[Bigcity]

Looks like outside would be better. You have a lot of that purple/green distortion that I get in low light.

[jsatek]

They are work-in-progrss photos to show the level of damage that is in the paint and then corrected. I cant move the car once we start. The "afters" I can take outdoors.

[SmartWombat]

>> to show the level of damage that is in the paint and then corrected.
>> I cant move the car once we start
Then you need to work on the lighting, I think.
To show the before and after, you're going to have to have the same lighting each time.

The only ones which show the damage obviously to me are 5, 6, and 8.

Does the colour matter?
You'll also need to control the white balance, to make sure the colour is the same.

If you're just concerned with surface texture, then you have to work out where the lights need to be to show up the imperfections.
And measure where they are so that the light is in the same spot on the before and after.

You should be able to do it with the proper exposure and bright lights.
Flash might be better than hot halogen lights, but some paint colours will look odd as they fluoresce and show a different colour with flash.
Typically you want to avoid the camera at the same angle as the light. You don't want to see the light when you pick the camera position, so if the light is 45 degrees off the body, you want to be anywhere but 45 degrees the other side of where the light hits the car.

What will make the scratches show up is the difference in the reflected light.
You need to get the light at an angle where the sides of the scratch show up, but the body isn't reflecting back to the camera.


Are you looking just at paint surface scratches and chips, or at bodywork dents too?
One thing that will show up dents well is a regular grid reflected in the bodywork.
Either white or black depending on paint colour, the size of the square mesh depends on how far away it is.
Dents will show up as distortions of the grid.

[jsatek]

Good repsonse. The diagram you drew is exactly how I decsribe my work to my customers. I take the rough, irregular reflecting surface and make it smooth again so the light is reflected perfectly.

I only need to show surface scratches.

I have tried to position the light at a 45 degree angle 3 feet from the surface to demonstrate damage. Then I position the camera facing the light at a 45 degree angle to pick up the shadows. I think the angle I shoot at will make all of the difference. In section 3 of the diagram, where should I be shooting from, behind or in front of the light?

I picked up a D40 with an 18-55 and a circular polarizing filter today. Im going to give it a go.

[jsatek]

these are the end results. I need the harsh lighting to demonstrate that I actually did something....

[Frog]

I'm definitly not the expert but I think you need to get a large backdrop and maybe two so you can use one to block reflections off the surroundings while not losing the light.

[SmartWombat]

[QUOTE=jsatekI think the angle I shoot at will make all of the difference. In section 3 of the diagram, where should I be shooting from, behind or in front of the light?[/QUOTE]
It all depends on the shape of the scratch !
From my diagram, you would want to be at 90 degrees to the body.
So the camera would be on top, there that reflected light from the scratch is going.
But it all depends on the damage to the paint, or to the surface lacquer coat if there is one.

Your example images show scratches around the light's reflection, so it seems to be scattering very little along a fairly narrow cone from the plain reflection of the light.

Maybe with different lighting angles you can show up different scratch patterns ?

[jsatek]

I got the new camera I dont know if the pics are any better out of the box. Some tweaking of the angels and settings will prove.

[jsatek]

[jsatek]

I think the pics with the F30 are better out of the box.....

The Nikon seems to over expose, am I correct"