Daytona4me Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 Ok, I must first point out that this is the 1st dial that I have ever done and anyone who has done this understands that there is a lot of practice involved. You have to develop the correct consistency of lume on the bottom dial in order for it not to be discolored. I have not figured this out yet but I plan to practice many more times before doing any of my watches. I want to learn to do it myself so I can control how good or bad it looks. But with that said... the purpose of this thread is to teach people how deceiving "Lume Shots" can be if the photo is taken with a really long exposure time. I do not know enough about cameras to give you the exposure specs on each shot... but you should be able to see what I am talking about in the photos below. I also want to add that my dial twisted (I am not gluing it down because I'm still practicing) and it is not the case where I simply forgot to lume certain areas. What you should be able to spot is the inconsistent depths of the lume when applied to the bottom plate. This is one of the hardest things to master (and I'm only on dial one... ) lol.. On quick glance the first one does not look that bad... (dont bust my ass over it guys... I'm trying to prove a point).. but as you can see... what looks really bright and semi consistent .. really isnt. So be careful with fly by night modders who have 1 dial experience in luming... stick with the experts... I hope this helps someone. Better, Not so Good, Reality, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carlsbadrolex Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 Very nice pics... thanks for the information! I think even the well known lume pro's are guilty of this occasionally. I have seen pics provided to me by someone of my watch before shipment, and then when I received the watch it was rather disappointing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 Good point to raise. I've always thought this to be an issue. To get a real comparison, all the lume shots need to be done with similar lighting (or lack of lighting), MANUAL exposure settings being the same for ALL lume shots, and with the SAME ISO/ASA setting. Auto exposure will only screw things up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pix Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 To make sure there was an improvement with reluming, the modder could for example shoot several reps together. The modded one should glow more than the others. With lume or whatever else, the one who wants to cheat you will manage it without problem : Photoshop can completely transform your watch, independantly from your camera settings. At the end, only the reputation of the member can help you. Don't believe all what you see, and of course not all what you're being told. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 The other part of that discussion, is the daylight (or lack of) shot. You can lume a dial with a shovel, take a "glow" shot, and it will look nice. Daylight shows the quality of the work. Exposure can be your friend for lume shots though, I have brought this up before, here is some further info I had posted along the lines of your discovery a while back. Lume and exposure time It can be very deceiving, the simple answer is, if the background is BLACK, your being deceived...if you can see around the watch, it's more like reality. RG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pix Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 I think it's the first time I have to make an objection on your opinion The Zigmeister Take a lumeshot with a long exposure (15 seconds for instance), open the door or the light for a short time : you have a glowing dial and daylight... (actually that's what I'm doing) It is very difficult to rely on such shots. Confidence, faith and reputation are the only ways I'm afraid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slai Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 Take a lumeshot with a long exposure (15 seconds for instance), open the door or the light for a short time : you have a glowing dial and daylight... (actually that's what I'm doing) I guess you'll have to trust me that I haven't hacked the movement, or let the watch run down but I think these shots indicate some fantastic lume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pix Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 Excellent idea ! Unless you're able not to move during 15 seconds, taking a lumeshot on your wrist is a good way... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gianton Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 Thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 I think it's the first time I have to make an obkjection on your opinion Ziggy Take a lumeshot with a long exposure (15 seconds for instance), open the door or the light for a short time : you have a glowing dial and daylight... (actually that's what I'm doing) It is very difficult to rely on such shots. Condidence, faith and reputation are the only ways I'm afraid. See, that's where my honest brain comes in...I never would have thought of doing that... I guess some didn't think of it either since their photo's are always black. Now look what you have done, given them idea's... I guess with photoshop, you can do anything anyway. The only real way to know about a lumed dial, is to have one in your hand to inspect and play with, that way you will know how it looks in person. RG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slai Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 Excellent idea ! Unless you're able not to move during 15 seconds, taking a lumeshot on your wrist is a good way... My hands are as steady as jackhammer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pix Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 @The Zigmeister Shame, shame on me ! We know who we trust... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreww Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 I've never put any stock in Lume shots. I could make my worst watch glow like a torch if needed. I love to look at them, but really gain no information from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daytona4me Posted March 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 Well, since I started this thread showing my first lume attempt I might as well post my 2nd lume attempt. And I did not over expose the shots! Each taken over a couple minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 This is why I always look at the EXIF data on lume shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pix Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 Sure Pugwash. But this can also be modified if you really want to cheat. Users experiences (good AND bad) are necessary. People often forget the latter... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HauteHippie Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 Good thread chalk full of info. Indeed EXIF can be removed or changed and shots can be enhanced with or without photoshop. Thankfully we have a lume artist on this very forum whose work is second to none and from whom you know what you're getting each and every time. We are very lucky! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
By-Tor Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 It's a piece of cake to "fake" or exaggerate a lume shot. I once did this photo using 2 layers in Photoshop. Took me about 15 minutes. The lume on the photo isn't fake (it can be faked very easily though) but adding a bit of contrast here and there makes a lot of difference. This watch had aftermarket hands and pearl. The default Noobmariner lume on those areas is crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 or take the shot under UV light, im sure a photo shop wiz could sort the color out again. I bought the UV on sat to make these glow, one point to not is that the fiddy and the sterile sub have lume as good as my seiko war watch! BTW these were again taken with my phone with no chance of over exposing it. Just using the auto setting on a K800I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 this is a lume shot i did when i got my fiddy.. no special settings.. prob a 2 sec exposure time, not sure. Just macro mode with no flash on a self timer. The lume on this watch is great but it doesnt last very long at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 Mine is from Andrew and fitted with DSN hands and glows all night, it realy is that good, no relume i just got lucky, the hands are a bit brighter than the dial but only a bit. Where is yours from L Dizzle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suchecracks Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 If its a lume shot of a watch, not just a dial, you can tell the "lie" from the moving seconds hand. I allways look for "one" second-hand...not 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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