This tutorial shows how to rapidly process interior photos for simple and some complex rooms using a flash-ambient variant known as the 50-50 technique. For more information on the books I mention in this video see amzn.to/3mFoznx
Nathan, like many of us, we brag and recommend your tutorials to everyone. I am back 18 months after moving on from the edit struggle. . I went to the other disciplines needed in RE and have come back to flash and learning to edit. I learned something before you started. deliver 10 money shots inside the house and the rest fast flambient.
Thanks, Nathan. At the beginning of my journey into lightroom, it was about as clear as mud. A lot of time spent watching your videos and reading your books has cleared up the view considerably. Watching your videos for the first time is like getting a nice present for the toolbox to simplify it even more. It's better than attending a photography class.
Thumbs at already at 1:43. You may or may not know how much you help people like me. I know we are close in age and dude, if I may, you are amazing. thank you sir.
I’ve been doing this for a few years. I spoke about it in the group awhile back. It is the best way to do things imo. Nice even blend. I haven’t created an action for this. So thank you for that reminder on how to speed things up.
The bit near the end about bringing back in some of the window view details is worth its weight in gold. I've been using the 50/50 type method for a lot of shots recently and been super happy with the results but because i'm far from a photoshop expert, i couldn't figure out how to then paint back in some view (flash) exposure. I was mucking about with layer masks etc but never thought to use the eraser tool. Nathan, I'm sure i speak for many hundreds if not thousands of us but seriously - THANK YOU!
What a great money-saving tip! I recently started sending my work to an editing company (nice to have my nights back!). They’re great with window pulls, fake fireplaces and tv’s... but I felt I was wasting money by having them do bathrooms, foyers, etc etc. tonight I did those using your 50/50... it took NO time and I sent fewer raw images to the editors. THANKS for this... and your great books!
Nathan Cool - you rock! I have all your books now and love watching the RU-vid videos - and I have to say REALLY appreciate that your videos are straight forward, get to the point and don't go on and on about this that and the other thing! All our time is precious and just wanted to say I'd much rather watch your video tutorials than many others because of the excellent content and "not wasting my time on blabbing away" factor. So, thank you!
Thanks so much for this Nathan. I've been using the layer masking method for basically ALL my real estate shots...masking in ambient using the brush and probably taking at least a minute or two per image a lot of the time. Just tried this 50 50 method on some basic shots and it works beautifully. This will save me a lot of time moving forward and I'm extremely and continually grateful to youtubers and educators such as yourself who share this information so freely and helpfully. Much obliged and all the best to you.
Used this today and was pleasantly surprised with how good it worked. A few pictures left a little I would’ve liked to change but like you said for some of the simple rooms it saved time. Thank you!
I wish I could hit the thumbs up more than once. Thank you! Great tutorial! I have your first two books, but I'm old and slow and really having a hard time grasping these concepts, but I'm so done with HDR! I didn't know you had a third book. Ill order it asap. Also didn't know you were in California!! Maybe you'll hold workshop someday. Id love to attend. I'm all the way out in Riverside, but my dad lives in Camarillo. Kill two birds with one stone? Love your photos, your tutorials and your relaxed but thorough style of teaching. Thanks!
Hi Nathan, I have learned a lot with your videos, thanks for sharing them, I would also like to know where I can get your presets, is there a place where I can get them?
Thanks David. I got it on my todo list. I'm thinking of a more complete tutorial showing how to put together videos in PS, which would be the same technique for the fly-overs, but cover other stuff as well. Thanks for reminding me on this...I moved it to the top of my list :)
Hi Nathan, I'm starting to do real estate photography.. and I have learned a lot from your channel. Just wondering if u do workshop sometimes, i live in Los Angeles too. Thank you!
Thanks Paul. I don't have any workshops lined up right now but I do offer remote coaching on a regular basis for photographers around the world...even in our neck of the woods :) You can email me for more info on that at nathan@nathancoolphoto.com
Fantastic! I plan to try this with my next job. The only bit that went over my head was that lightening trick you did with the kitchen interior at the end. Was that a preset you made up or something I've missed in Lightroom? Thanks as always for these great tutorials!
Thanks! Those presets for LR are in my books, the ones you mentioned are in my interiors and advanced editing books www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KPJ5QQ8?ref=series_rw_dp_labf
Nathan, first thank you for all your videos... You have soo many tricks I have picked up on from your videos! thank you. My question is this, what is the thought process, or your resonong aka the maddness to the method, in the bathroom example as to why you don't fix the white balance first in the ambient shot before applying the luminosity and 50-50 blend? IF in this scenario, where auto white balance missed the mark, why not correct it initially (at least a little) before applying the blend?
Thanks! Luminosity mode discards color, so color in ambient shots won't matter. I talk about this in greater detail with step by step instructions in my ebook on interior real estate photography, here's a link if you'd like to check that out: amzn.to/3JIyHoU
Hi Stach, I have, but I also provide remote, one-on-one training, which I do for photographers not just in the U.S. but internationally as well. If you're interested, you can email me for more info at nathan@nathancoolphoto.com
Hi Nathan, Love watching your very informative videos, they help a lot!. Just wondering... I have been shooting real-estate for a year and a half and use a yongnuo 565 EX II on top of my camera at present... I really want to go to the bigger off camera flash units and still use the yongnuo off to another side.. where I'm kind of stuck is.. how do you set the new set up, up and how would i learn what flash settings to use for the flambient shots to get a better more even coverage? Really want to take my photography in this field to the next level, always looking for ways to improve and so any help would be appreciated greatly. I have watched your video using the larger flash unit and your other flash but there's still something i feel like I'm not quite getting... I also wonder about getting evenly lit larger areas in the home with lower ceilings... without getting blown out hot spots in the roof. At present I usually take between an hour to two and a half hours on my shoots. Thanks Nathan :) Stach.
Hi Stanislaw, I think you'd benefit from my interiors book, which explains the gear, lighting, exposing with light, the blending, etc., all in one place. I recommend the e-book format so you can zoom into the screen shots and other instructional material: www.amazon.com/dp/B0755KXSL4
Hey Nathan great video and very helpful as always. Im have an issue that I’m running into and I’m hoping you may have an answer. After doing auto alignment in Photoshop and doing luminosity mode and doing the 50-50 technique, I’m seeing that my photos are not in alignment on either the left or right side. I didn’t realize at first why my photos were coming out fuzzy. I’ve tried doing just a lense correction edit before bringing in it into Photoshop just to test that alone and it still is not aligning it properly. For reference I have a Sony7III and a tamron lens 17mm-28ish(can’t remember this exact moment) F2.8. I can’t do it in post because it doesn’t have my lens data anymore to fix the lens correction. I just got your advanced editing book. If you have any insight into this I’d greatly appreciate as I am lost at where to go next. For now I’m blending manually but would like to have the option for 50/50 as it speeds things up for some shots. Thanks for your time.
Thanks! I need to do a video on the issue you're having. If auto-align doesn't work, then more than likely you have corrections turned on in your camera, which is causing a conflict with automatic profile corrections in Lightroom. Most modern cameras have lens correction, diffraction compensation, vignetting adjustments, and more, automatically applied in the camera. These should all be disabled in the camera unless you are going to use OEM software (in your case, Sony's Imaging Edge software). Try disabling all of those settings in the camera and try some test shots in Lightroom. The next step would be to book a private, remote Zoom session with me so that I can assess what's going on, you can email me for more info on that at Nathan@NathanCoolPhoto.com
@@NathanCoolPhoto Yes I saw you recommended to use the original software programs made specifically for our brand. I'll definitely look into both scenarios and if I can't figure it out, I'll contact you directly. Thank-you for your time, again!!!
For me using the action doesn't work. I recorded it like you, but when i try to use it always says "The command "select" is not currently available". Any workaround? I am already checking the forums but I gotta get this job done.
This typically happens if you don't have the layer selected that you are trying to apply the action to. You must first select the ambient layer, and then apply the action. Also, make sure that after creating the action you close the document...important step in this tutorial. If you've never made PS actions before, I can suggest my advanced editing book, which has much more info and steps on that: www.amazon.com/dp/B0779PCVWC
Hello, first let me thank you for all the knowledge you share , it’s been a huge help. I have a question though, when photographing interiors using the 2 stop rule, I’m having a hard time combating shadows cast by ceiling fans, any tips?
Thanks! Two things to help: 1. Here's my tutorial on that: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-SyVGasvcl8E.html 2. I cover it in detail in the advanced editing book as well: www.amazon.com/dp/B0779PCVWC
I watched the video and tried it but forgot that you said to use Luminosity mode. I used normal mode and it worked well. What is the advantage of using luminosity mode?
Normal mode on an ambient shot/layer will only work sometimes since the WB will vary, but flash is more consistent. Luminosity mode throws away color. I describe this more in depth in the interiors book, which shows examples of the whys and hows: www.amazon.com/dp/B0755KXSL4
How are you determining the power of the flash for each room? Do you take multiple different flash photos at different levels and just use the one that looks best for blending?
Hi Phil, I have a tutorial on that at ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tK5FQdTr-fA.html and I explain it further in e-book #1 at www.amazon.com/dp/B0755KXSL4
hi do you have any suggestions for beginners about flashes bc right now i doing HDR but i went to step in to flash but there expensive so do u have any options for less than $200 for Realestate photography. thank you
I do have recommendations along with explanations in my interiors book, which explains in detail not just what to get, but why and how to apply it: www.amazon.com/dp/B0755KXSL4
ALT-PEOO = The single biggest reason for Real Estate shooters to choose Lightroom over Capture One. Flambient workflow with Capture One is a lot slower, unfortunately.
I don't see the sense...it defeats the purpose of using flash ;) If dynamic range is an issue, then I think it best to research a better camera body with a better dynamic range...for instance, you can always increase shadows and decrease highlights in each shot before sending it to PS for flash-ambient blending...something more reliable, consistent, and time-saving compared to introducing HDR into the mix.
