{"id":2188,"date":"2014-07-22T09:00:40","date_gmt":"2014-07-22T16:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/freshcup.com\/?p=2188"},"modified":"2014-09-29T14:20:46","modified_gmt":"2014-09-29T21:20:46","slug":"better-latte-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/better-latte-photography\/","title":{"rendered":"Better Latte Photography"},"content":{"rendered":"

[E]very photo of a perfect rosetta or unctuously thick crema can be improved by a quick run through photo editing software. While slapping on an Instagram filter can make your photos pop, they\u2019ll end up looking like all the thousands of other photos enhanced with the \u201cMayfair\u201d or \u201ctoaster\u201d filter. Your Instagram and Flickr portfolios will have that much more of your personal touch when you\u2019ve edited the photos yourself. Most well-framed, well-lit photos (and we\u2019re talking about cell phone photos here) just need one or two adjustments that take less time to apply than it takes the app to open.<\/p>\n

(If you don\u2019t have a photo-editing app on your phone, there are plenty of free programs that do a fine job. I recommend Photoshop Express and Snapseed, two robust and free apps.)<\/p>\n

Boost the Contrast<\/h5>\n

Without a clear difference between dark and light surfaces, the master illusion of photography (that it\u2019s 3D) fades and your eye becomes aware that you\u2019re really looking at a 2D screen. With contrast, especially darker shadows, a photo feels like you could step into it.<\/p>\n

Find the contrast tool in the adjustment menu in your app (the menu will include items like \u201cexposure,\u201d \u201ctint,\u201d \u201cshadows,\u201d etc.). Play with the contrast, blasting out the highlights and then overdoing the darks. Often you\u2019ll end up making a small adjustment, otherwise the whites will blowout.<\/p>\n

More than contrast, I find that adjusting the shadows (called \u201cblacks\u201d in some tools) does the trick. Most cell cameras capture decent highlights, which makes boosting the shadows a very effective way increasing contrast.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the difference between adjusting the contrast only and then\u00a0and the shadows only.<\/p>\n

\"The
The photo as shot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Contrast\"
Contrast.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Shadows\"
Shadows.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Find the Right Temperature<\/h5>\n

In photography, temperature refers to the length of the waves of light hitting the camera\u2019s sensor. Back in film days, film designed for sunlight would turn your shot sickly yellow-orange under tungsten lights and puke blue-green under fluorescents. That was bad enough when taking a photo of a person. The wrong temperature can render foam a fungal-green. Even junky phone cameras are smart enough to adjust to a decent temperature, so this family-photo-ruining problem happens rarely. But I\u2019ve found that caf\u00e9s can fool the sensor, especially at the bar.<\/p>\n

A shot of a white cup lit by a large window in the background and fluorescent lights behind the photographer can result in a beautiful background and a greenish cup, or a white cup and a Martian caf\u00e9. Even worse is when the sensor glitches and the whole thing goes purple or red. Usually the camera splits the difference, giving an oddly garish look.<\/p>\n

In your app, find the temperature tool (often called \u201cwarmth\u201d) and slide up and down the scale. It\u2019s a psychedelic bit of fun. Usually the adjustment will be small, but the result can be huge. For instance, in this photo I thought it was a little blue, giving it a harsh tone to what should be rich wood. So I made the photo “warmer.” Then I bumped up the contrast.<\/p>\n

\"The
The photo as shot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A “warmer” photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Warmer
Warmer and increased contrast.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Playing with the temperature of your photos will also teach you a great deal about what light does to your photos and what spots in the caf\u00e9 produce the best images.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve played around with contrast and temperature, try other adjustments in the app. Some you\u2019ll try once and forget while others will award you with fine control and a unique look. Without relying on a hackneyed filter for a \u201cboost,\u201d the result is a natural but striking image.<\/p>\n

\u2014Cory Eldridge is the editor of\u00a0<\/em>Fresh Cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two editing tricks to make crema and foam pop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2194,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"limit_modified_date":"","last_modified_date":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}},"beyondwords_generate_audio":"","beyondwords_project_id":"","beyondwords_content_id":"","beyondwords_player_style":"","beyondwords_language_id":"","beyondwords_title_voice_id":"","beyondwords_body_voice_id":"","beyondwords_summary_voice_id":"","beyondwords_error_message":"","beyondwords_disabled":"","beyondwords_podcast_id":"","beyondwords_hash":"","publish_post_to_speechkit":"","speechkit_hash":"","speechkit_generate_audio":"","speechkit_project_id":"","speechkit_podcast_id":"","speechkit_error_message":"","speechkit_disabled":"","speechkit_access_key":"","speechkit_error":"","speechkit_info":"","speechkit_response":"","speechkit_retries":"","speechkit_updated_at":"","_speechkit_link":"","_speechkit_text":""},"categories":[26,18],"tags":[261,198],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBetter Latte Photography - 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