Painting the Web

Color Match That Group: Optimization in Numbers

When we prepare a photo for printing, we optimize the photo for individual presentation. Publishing photos to the Web, though, can be a different experience because the photo may not be the only image displayed within the same visual space. In fact, the photo may be closely grouped with other related photos, and it's important to make both the individual photo and the group as a whole look good.

Case in point is a group of photos I took at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at the Kennedy Space Center. The subjects differ but are related: rockets, moon rovers, and other space-related equipment of historical interest. The venue was the same: a hangar-like atmosphere with the equipment either hanging from the roof or resting directly on the concrete floor. The lighting, though, differed drastically. Some items were lit with fluorescent, some with incandescent light, and natural light entered the building from hangar doors. Fill lighting usually was not an option because of the size of the displays.

Figure 3-5 shows the four images as they were first opened in the editor, each with its own unique lighting and color challenges. The photos used in this example perfectly demonstrate the concept of "optimization in numbers" with photographs. None of the photos is very strong by itself; all would most likely be rejected as individual pictures because of their flaws. However, as a group, pulled together for editorial purposes and tweaked to complement ...