picture altering

[J-Dog]

Does anyone know if some of these websites doctor their coral pictures? Don't get me wrong, lots of these corals are amazingly beautiful, but some people have told me that guys can alter the appearance of frags in there pictures. Better pictures mean better sales, correct? I'm not sure if this is really being done, but I thought I'd ask to see what u guys think.

 

[apicturepaints]

Yes. There are definitely websites that alter their pictures. That being said, I appreciate a vendor that not only does not alter their pictures, but lists the lights in which the picture of their corals were taken under. LEDS/actinics, albeit gorgeous for display, are deceptive to buyers.

 

[soccerbag]

There have been many threads about this. A lot of vendors (and hobbysists) will take pictures in a RAW format and then post process in Photoshop (or equivalent) to white balance the photos. There are times that is taken a bit far which alters the look of a corals. There are vendors that take very realistic pics of their corals and others that go overboard (and I'm not referring to any sponsor here). The best thing to do is do your research on vendors you want to buy from. Check their feedback here and on the internet. If you like what you see, place an order.

Also keep in mind that many vendors take pictures "top-down" which will likely look different from a "through the glass" view. All of these things are important to keep in mind. There are a lot of very reputable vendors out there. I personally buy from a few of them. You will find your "go-to" guys who come through with killer pieces that are well represented in photos. Hope that helps!

 

[m and m]

There have been many threads about this. A lot of vendors (and hobbysists) will take pictures in a RAW format and then post process in Photoshop (or equivalent) to white balance the photos. There are times that is taken a bit far which alters the look of a corals. There are vendors that take very realistic pics of their corals and others that go overboard (and I'm not referring to any sponsor here). The best thing to do is do your research on vendors you want to buy from. Check their feedback here and on the internet. If you like what you see, place an order.

Also keep in mind that many vendors take pictures "top-down" which will likely look different from a "through the glass" view. All of these things are important to keep in mind. There are a lot of very reputable vendors out there. I personally buy from a few of them. You will find your "go-to" guys who come through with killer pieces that are well represented in photos. Hope that helps!

Very good point on the top down Craig there is going to be some key give aways like IMO the biggest when coralline glows,egg crate is purple/blue or even when the colors start to bleed and mesh together. Always look in the picture for key things to tell color. Live rock, Eggcrate, frag disks and Coraline you know what it looks like it if looks different in the picture then in real life there is a possibility there is some editing done.

 

[pumarjr]

For better or worse I post as real world as I can. I do make sure my tank look's it's best, but never to embellish the actual views, Sure, in PS, it's quite easy to completely recolor a coral/colony and make it look absolutely spectacular. Buy corals from online vendors that are not afraid to show you some 14k shots without the Actinic's on full blast and no creative editing.

 

[Poseidon]

Egg crate is a great indicator, if it is PURPLE, then you can be sure the coral is not really that color. (Whatever color that is.)

Top down shots give the best color in the coral no question, but how many people have the ability to view a coral from top down in your home tank?

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

I like to see the corals under real blue light because that's what they will be under in my tank. Over-saturated is another story.

 

[Eggs]

Egg crate is a great indicator, if it is PURPLE, then you can be sure the coral is not really that color. (Whatever color that is.)

I also always look at the egg crate color.