Glare Issues!

LukeDurdin

Hey everyone!
I'm having some trouble with Glare getting on my color checker.
so here's how my studio is set up.

I have my shadow box 4 feet away from me
I have fabric blocking glare from the light source on my Shadowbox
I set my light up at 35 degree's from my canvas to get no glare on my Canvas. 
I have black fabric behind my light as seen in the attached pictures as well as a darkly painted room so I get no glare from behind me.
so my light and studio is set up perfectly where there is no glare on my canvas.

Unfortunately I'm,getting a real nasty glare on my color checker.
Watching Draw Mix Paint's videos he mentions that glare on a color checker comes from what's above and beyond the Color checker.
I've held up cardboard. hung black fabric from the ceiling and I cant seems to get rid of the Glare on the color checker.
As seen in the attached pictures I get rid of the Glare on the color checker by tilting it away from the light towards the wall.

so my question is how can I get rid of the glare on my color checker and still have a perfect studio lighting for my canvas?

GTO

Is it coming from the lights that are lighting up the still life?

LukeDurdin

unfortunately no, the glare is still there when the still life is turned off.

dencal

LukeDurdin

Welcome to the Forum.

Great setup and great photography of the problem.

This is not glare. The reflection off the black paint on the colour checker could be described as specular highlights. This is natural and expected from a well lit, glossy but uneven surface.

Suggestions:

* Attend to the side spill from the ceiling light units reflecting off the white ceiling paint. ( Why are these diffusers so unevenly illuminated? Are these LEDs?).
* Use a lower viscosity paint i.e. thinner paint so it levels out.
* The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. As you discovered by tilting the checker to the side. Anything you can do to adjust the colour sample arm angle eg bend slightly up or down will help.
* Try colour checking from a position closer to the still life, then from a point further away than usual.

Denis

LukeDurdin

dencal said:

LukeDurdin

Welcome to the Forum.

Great setup and great photography of the problem.

This is not glare. The reflection off the black paint on the colour checker could be described as specular highlights. This is natural and expected from a well lit, glossy but uneven surface.

Suggestions:

* Attend to the side spill from the ceiling light units reflecting off the white ceiling paint. ( Why are these diffusers so unevenly illuminated? Are these LEDs?).
* Use a lower viscosity paint i.e. thinner paint so it levels out.
* The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. As you discovered by tilting the checker to the side. Anything you can do to adjust the colour sample arm angle eg bend slightly up or down will help.
* Try colour checking from a position closer to the still life, then from a point further away than usual.

Denis



Thanks for the reply Denis!
Amazing I was not away of specular highlights!
I believe my light is a cheap 5000k temperature led with 2 bulbs. It is quite bright on it's own and I was experimenting with diffusers to see if I could eliminate the glare that's why is looks so unprofessional.
I'll try tonight to get rid of the spill from the light.

Question about tilting the color checker...
If I made a handle to hold my color checker at that angle everytime with accuracy would this be an accurate way to color check or will my pallet be mixed inaccurately?

Also what do you guys use for lighting I'm open to changing my lighting option.

Thanks

dencal

LukeDurdin

Also what do you guys use for lighting I'm open to changing my lighting option.

Three, four or five 50 watt LEDs, 6000 lumen each at 5000k. Workshop / industrial 1.2m diffused tubes.

Denis

dencal

LukeDurdin

If I made a handle to hold my color checker at that angle everytime with accuracy would this be an accurate way to color check or will my pallet be mixed inaccurately?

The object and sample value needs to align with the sighting ring and your eye so no handle is going to change the reflection angle.

A degree or two change in the sample value arm may be enough.

Denis

BOB73

From a different perspective (mine) I think the sight ring may be a little too big and or the sample shelf too small. the ring painted flat black helps cut the glare to your eye the sample shelf needs to be completely covered with the color you are checking and as Denis said needs to be uniform or leveled.

LukeDurdin

BOB73 said:

From a different perspective (mine) I think the sight ring may be a little too big and or the sample shelf too small. the ring painted flat black helps cut the glare to your eye the sample shelf needs to be completely covered with the color you are checking and as Denis said needs to be uniform or leveled

This is just a distortion from the camera I used to zoom in on the glare on my sample shelf. I made my color checker to the exact same dimensions and specifications and in "Draw Mix Paints" video.
Me sitting holding my arm out straight the sample shelf aligns right in the middle of the ring. Thank for for the tip on applying more paint to the sample shelf that should help!

LukeDurdin

dencal said:

LukeDurdin

Also what do you guys use for lighting I'm open to changing my lighting option.

Three, four or five 50 watt LEDs, 6000 lumen each at 5000k. Workshop / industrial 1.2m diffused tubes.

Denis

By anychance would you be able to share a photo or a link to how you have your studio light setup?

dencal

LukeDurdin

Have a look at this setup as an example. Three or four bright LEDs shoud be enough.

Denis

dencal

 LukeDurdin

Good CRI and temperature, but low lumens. You will need 8 or ten tubes. Should be some brighter ones available. All the reviews are from artists saying how much their art has improved.

Denis

LukeDurdin

dencal said:

 LukeDurdin

Good CRI and temperature, but low lumens. You will need 8 or ten tubes. Should be some brighter ones available. All the reviews are from artists saying how much their art has improved.

Denis

Denis your the best thanks for all the info!

TedB

Why not just tape a sunshade to the loop of your color checker?  It's just a reflection from your overhead lamp.  Piece of cardstock or an old indexcard bent over the top into a partial tube...

Don't over-think it.

dencal

TedB

Good thought, but a light shade will just introduce dissimilar light between the shadow box, colour checker, palette and canvas. The aim is to be able to read, mix, adjust and match hue and value so that the subject is replicated on the canvas.

Denis

gar3thjon3s

I bought these after seeing another artist recommend them and they are excellent:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7WYZQX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_KuOBEb52ERSNM

you can adjust the temperature and brightness via remote control to get it exactly as you like, and reposition them easily as they are on stands. CRI is 95+

MichaelD

@gar3thjon3s, they look good. 
I might replace mine as they are bulb with the big cumbersome hood/shade and take up too much of the little space i have.

ASCooperband

I use a pair of Hyperikon floodlights (8000 lumens combined, 5000 K, 120 degree spread, $59.80 from Amazon) that are mounted on a 24" aluminum T-bar that is hung from the end of a 48" shelf standard (with a counterweight on the other end) mounted at its middle on a photographic light stand, allowing me to rotate the shelf standard and T-bar independently to position the floodlights where I want them.  The light stand is on a table so it can reach the ceiling.

dencal

ASCooperband

Assuming 5 foot to your easel these light units will deliver around 320 lumens on the canvas.
That is about one third of the recommended detail and fine discrimination light levels.
Below that expected of a decent desk lamp.
Six of these units will do the trick.

Denis

ASCooperband

dencal

Thanks for your response.  You appear to have used the inverse square law of light by dividing 8000 lumens by 25 square feet to get 320 lumens/square foot at a distance of 5 feet.  But the inverse square law of light is used to compare illumination levels at two different distances (ratio of light intensities = ratio of squares of distances), and since the 8000 lumens is what the light source radiates, the reference distance would be zero.  Dividing by zero is a no-no.

I'm using floodlights with a 120 degree spread and concentration in the middle (look at the light cast on the ceiling).  Subjectively, the result is like being outdoors in open shade on a sunny day.

dencal

ASCooperband

If the law doesn’t apply in this case you could use a light meter.

Denis

rickflick

The glare on the color checker can be reduced by painting the sample with vertical strokes rather than horizontal.