Waterbug Variations- Don't click if you hate bugs

JeffryZ · 28th September 2008

As part of my continuing effort to try infrared on things not normally considered IR subjects, I tried it on a waterbug I found at my place. They are often confused with cockroaches but are bigger. The body is probably a couple of inches long (about 5-6cm). I have an infrared converted Fuji point and shoot camera. P&S cameras do pretty good at marco and it certainly helped here. I did crop a bit to get even closer and for composition. I used flash which is where the hot spot on the background came from. Here is the original- just some levels and resizing plus sharpening.

Number two is a more standard color edit. No channel swap. I used both the hue/ saturation and selective color in Photoshop to adjust the colors. Some dodging and burning.

JeffryZ · 28th September 2008

So now what can I do? How far can I go with color? I pushed around the sliders in hue/ saturation to make it bold. I actually started out with a red/ green channel swap instead of the standard red/ blue swap and played with some of the other sliders in there. I also added some gausian blur on the background. When you push the colors too far you get posterization and there is definately some of that here. It is certainly bold.

OK- now something else different. Photoshop CS3 has a preset for "color negative" in the "curves" option. I started with that and did some minor color adjustments along with burning some of the background. I thought it looked better flipped so I did that too. It looks like the bug is floating in space and now we are seeing the bottom of it- even though it is the top. I like the colors I got on all of these. Just keep trying different things and see what comes out.

blackdrakes · 28th September 2008

cool stuff.
Good job!

ark19 · 29th September 2008

Very "CSI" like.
Nice one

DemonicAngelz · 4th October 2008

Lol. I shouldn't have clicked. haha

kcuf2 · 4th October 2008

this is not a cockroach???????????????????

JeffryZ · 5th October 2008

It is related- like a big brother. A BIG brother!

parampita · 9th October 2008

Very cool processing! But I hate 小强, and that looks like a very big 小强.

28th September 2008	#1
JeffryZ Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 347	Waterbug Variations- Don't click if you hate bugs As part of my continuing effort to try infrared on things not normally considered IR subjects, I tried it on a waterbug I found at my place. They are often confused with cockroaches but are bigger. The body is probably a couple of inches long (about 5-6cm). I have an infrared converted Fuji point and shoot camera. P&S cameras do pretty good at marco and it certainly helped here. I did crop a bit to get even closer and for composition. I used flash which is where the hot spot on the background came from. Here is the original- just some levels and resizing plus sharpening. Number two is a more standard color edit. No channel swap. I used both the hue/ saturation and selective color in Photoshop to adjust the colors. Some dodging and burning. __________________ IR- Not Just For Landscapes Anymore Converted Fuji F31fd P&S www.pbase.com/jeffryz/galleries

28th September 2008	#2
JeffryZ Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 347	Re: Waterbug Variations- Don't click if you hate bugs So now what can I do? How far can I go with color? I pushed around the sliders in hue/ saturation to make it bold. I actually started out with a red/ green channel swap instead of the standard red/ blue swap and played with some of the other sliders in there. I also added some gausian blur on the background. When you push the colors too far you get posterization and there is definately some of that here. It is certainly bold. OK- now something else different. Photoshop CS3 has a preset for "color negative" in the "curves" option. I started with that and did some minor color adjustments along with burning some of the background. I thought it looked better flipped so I did that too. It looks like the bug is floating in space and now we are seeing the bottom of it- even though it is the top. I like the colors I got on all of these. Just keep trying different things and see what comes out. __________________ IR- Not Just For Landscapes Anymore Converted Fuji F31fd P&S www.pbase.com/jeffryz/galleries Last edited by JeffryZ; 28th September 2008 at 06:46 PM.

28th September 2008	#3
blackdrakes Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 754	Re: Waterbug Variations- Don't click if you hate bugs cool stuff. Good job! __________________ http://photobuok.wordpress.com/

29th September 2008	#4
ark19 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: ark19.multiply.com Posts: 3,080	Re: Waterbug Variations- Don't click if you hate bugs Very "CSI" like. Nice one

4th October 2008	#5
DemonicAngelz Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Singapore Posts: 464	Re: Waterbug Variations- Don't click if you hate bugs Lol. I shouldn't have clicked. haha

4th October 2008	#6
kcuf2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: KFC Posts: 1,621	Re: Waterbug Variations- Don't click if you hate bugs this is not a cockroach??????????????????? __________________ 09 Oct 09 officially marks the date I become a canon convert.

5th October 2008	#7
JeffryZ Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 347	Re: Waterbug Variations- Don't click if you hate bugs It is related- like a big brother. A BIG brother! __________________ IR- Not Just For Landscapes Anymore Converted Fuji F31fd P&S www.pbase.com/jeffryz/galleries

9th October 2008	#8
parampita Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: 昭南島 Posts: 2,032	Re: Waterbug Variations- Don't click if you hate bugs Very cool processing! But I hate 小强, and that looks like a very big 小强. __________________ \| Canong 480D mk II \| EF 18-55mm LV mk XOXO marco + Bougainvillea-shaped hood \|