In this video, I’ll describe how to deal with the top pitfalls when shooting and editing infrared photography; hot spots, focus, diffraction, white balance, and post processing. At the end of this video, I’ll share why it’s worth it for you to overcome these pitfalls.
590nm-converted Fujifilm X-T20, XF 23mm f/2
Nikon Nikkor-N Auto 24mm f/2.8, adapted to 590nm-converted FujiFilm X-T20
Pixelmator Pro is a raw image editor for the Mac with good support for editing infrared Photography. Here is the process for editing a 590nm infrared image with Pixelmator Pro. In a previous video, I covered Pixelmator Photo for the iPad, which has a similar feature set, but without layers.
In this video, I’ll recap the best raw infrared photo editors. This covers the best free open source software, best low cost editor, easiest to use editor, and best ecosystem for editing in infrared.
When I started shooting in infrared, I noticed a lack of sharpness when using apertures that I had associated with sharpness in visible light photography. I started using lower f-stop values when shooting in infrared, but wanted to determine the cause. That cause was diffraction.
Canon new FD 24mm f/2.8 adapted to 590nm-converted Fujifilm X-T20
590nm Infrared image with hot spot corrected
Bixby Creek Bridge, Fujifilm X-T20, 14mm, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/600 second, vertical panorama
Fujinon 23mm f/2 R WR
Comparison of infrared images before and after using subtractive color
Canon AE-1, 24mm f/2.8, Rollei Infrared film, Hoya R72 filter, f/11, 1/8 second
FujiFilm X-T20, XF 23mm f/2, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/180 second, Neewer 850nm external filter
Fujifilm X-T20, 23mm f/2, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/1100 sec
Here are some considerations and recommendations for selecting a camera to convert to infrared (IR) or full-spectrum. When selecting a camera to convert, you have all of the normal factors involved in selecting a camera, the permanent modification of the camera, and the limitations of infrared photography. This can be challenging, especially if you’ve never converted a camera before or if you obsess over such decisions like I do. I’ve converted two cameras to infrared and purchased an already converted camera. Here is what I’ve learned.
This video compares the LUT-based profile and the Local Hue Adjustment in Lightroom. These are fast ways to color swap infrared images in Lightroom, without a round-trip to Photoshop. Both methods work in Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and Lightroom mobile for the iPad.
While exploring ways to simplify the infrared workflow in Lightroom, I considered writing a Lightroom plug-in. This plug-in would replace the round-trip to Photoshop, by performing a red/blue color swap, and then returning the output to Lightroom.
Kolari Pocket with IR Chrome filter
Lightroom’s white balance temperature slider doesn’t offer enough range to effectively set a white balance on raw color infrared images. The same issue exists in Adobe Camera Raw in Photoshop, which uses the same raw processing engine. In order to set a good white balance for color infrared images, it’s helpful to create a custom color profile. The guide below will step through the process. This video also covers the process.