Dan Margulis

Unexpected and Unpleasant Surprises (The MIT 5k dataset 9)

by Dan Margulis September 2, 2019

Previous postings evaluating how the Picture Postcard Workflow did compared to the retouching team on the MIT dataset established the obvious, that neither PPW nor any other workflow is the perfect solution every time. The question is, how do identify when PPW shouldn’t be expected to be better? Sometimes the image simply doesn’t have enough potential for […]

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Copyright: When two photos are too close for comfort

by Dan Margulis April 15, 2019

The college basketball playoffs in the United States have just ended. Basketball sets the theme for the apparent resolution of a longstanding issue involving photography, and by implication many other areas of design. If without permission, you re-use someone else’s photograph, you may be looking at paying for copyright infringement. This is assuming that you […]

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R.W.G. Hunt 1923-2018

by Dan Margulis February 26, 2019

I recently learned of the loss of an outstanding contributor to the practical side of color science. Robert W.G. Hunt died in October at age 95. He was a prolific writer, but he is best known for his massive text The Reproduction of Colour, now in its sixth edition. Most of it is quite geeky, […]

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Image Distribution Surprises (The MIT 5k dataset 8)

by Dan Margulis December 7, 2018

The MIT study offers a unique opportunity to study the distribution of images. Most of the images that I and other authors collect for our own purposes test or prove a certain point. The MIT dataset, on the other hand, simply gathers together images that might be worked on professionally, whether dull or interesting, without […]

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Introducing the PPW Tools Panel, version 5

by Dan Margulis June 2, 2018

The Picture Postcard Workflow is more than a decade old, but it never really caught fire until the time of Photoshop CS5, when an imaginative Adobe product called Configurator allowed us to store actions in the form of a panel for easier use. Even in those prehistoric times, PPW was highly automated, so assembling its […]

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When Is There No PPW Advantage? (The MIT 5k dataset 7)

by Dan Margulis March 27, 2018

The arsenal of weapons that we can deploy against recalcitrant images is powerful and impressive. When used prudently, that is. Assuming that because you have them you are guaranteed to create stunning imagery tempts you to try too hard to make it so. When this happens, as we’re about to see, the weapons, including PPW, […]

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How Often is PPW Superior? (The MIT 5k dataset 6)

by Dan Margulis February 12, 2018

Almost any method of correcting images works some of the time. For those interested in PPW, or in taking a four-day class on how it works, the question has to be how much of the time. The MIT study we’ve been looking at offers a unique opportunity to answer that question. It shows the real-world […]

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2018 Applied Color Theory Class Dates Announced

by Dan Margulis January 18, 2018

For those wishing to take color skills to the ultimate level, here are the two dates for Applied Color Theory classes in 2018. • ATLANTA, Wednesday, May 16, through Saturday, May 19. • SAN DIEGO, Wednesday, August 22, through Saturday, August 25. These classes—four long days, limited to eight persons—have changed the lives of many […]

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White Point, Dark Point, Auto Tone: The Simplest Move of All (The MIT 5k Dataset 5)

by Dan Margulis December 10, 2017

“And yet,” I wrote in my first book 25 years ago, “most color correction could be handled by monkeys…a numerical, curve-based approach calling for little artistic judgment…all the advanced techniques are inevitably based on these surpassingly simple ones. The by-the-numbers rules can be stated in a single sentence: Use the full range of available tones […]

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The MIT 5k Dataset 4: More on Averaging

by Dan Margulis November 28, 2017

The previous entry described giving each of five independently corrected versions 20% weight to create a new, “par” version. This can be called a “stupid” blend, in that no notice is taken of the merits of any of the five. Nevertheless, it appears that this average is better than all five of its parents in […]

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