Comments on: Does Photoshop Auto Levels Reveal Mars True Colors? http://artsnova.com/blog/2008/02/12/70/ Thoughts on Space Art, Computer Graphics, Digital Photography, and Astronomy Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:38:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Plaxco http://artsnova.com/blog/2008/02/12/70/#comment-2485 Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:23:03 +0000 http://artsnova.com/blog/2008/02/12/70/#comment-2485 Hello Steve, The point is that Auto Levels is not a color correction tool - it's a contrast enhancement tool. As you can see in my image, if you shoot a picture in an environment where red is the predominant color, auto-levels over-compensates in the other channels with the result being that any thing that tends towards white becomes white. From your second paragraph, I take it that you believe Hoagland's claims. I'm sorry to hear that. Having had a life long interest in Mars, and regularly lecturing on the subject, I truly wish that Mars was a more Earth-like planet with a blue sky. For anyone to claim that NASA and company are hiding evidence of an Earthlike Mars is truly ridiculous. It is in NASA's, and the planetary scientist community, self-interest to have an Earth-like Mars. The dollars would really role in if that were the case. The fact that NASA and the planetary scientist community are taking a position that is not in either their financial or bureaucratic self-interest speaks volumes, as opposed to Hoagland's position where it is in his financial and promotional self-interest to claim a big NASA cover up. Thanks for your comments Steve. Jim Hello Steve,

The point is that Auto Levels is not a color correction tool - it’s a contrast enhancement tool. As you can see in my image, if you shoot a picture in an environment where red is the predominant color, auto-levels over-compensates in the other channels with the result being that any thing that tends towards white becomes white.

From your second paragraph, I take it that you believe Hoagland’s claims. I’m sorry to hear that. Having had a life long interest in Mars, and regularly lecturing on the subject, I truly wish that Mars was a more Earth-like planet with a blue sky.

For anyone to claim that NASA and company are hiding evidence of an Earthlike Mars is truly ridiculous. It is in NASA’s, and the planetary scientist community, self-interest to have an Earth-like Mars. The dollars would really role in if that were the case. The fact that NASA and the planetary scientist community are taking a position that is not in either their financial or bureaucratic self-interest speaks volumes, as opposed to Hoagland’s position where it is in his financial and promotional self-interest to claim a big NASA cover up.

Thanks for your comments Steve.

Jim

]]> by: Plaxco http://artsnova.com/blog/2008/02/12/70/#comment-2484 Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:56:13 +0000 http://artsnova.com/blog/2008/02/12/70/#comment-2484 Hello Kent, Do you know if if Daniel posted his MDRS pictures on the net somewhere? Sounds like something that should be on the Mars Society web site. Haven't checked myself. Best of luck to you, Jim Hello Kent,

Do you know if if Daniel posted his MDRS pictures on the net somewhere? Sounds like something that should be on the Mars Society web site. Haven’t checked myself.

Best of luck to you, Jim

]]> by: Kent Nebergall http://artsnova.com/blog/2008/02/12/70/#comment-2483 Tue, 12 Feb 2008 23:06:05 +0000 http://artsnova.com/blog/2008/02/12/70/#comment-2483 Good response. Interestingly, at Mars Desert Research Station the professional photographer (Daniel Bayer) brought a flash with a blue gell filter on it for his outside photos. He then color "corrected" the images on the camera to the red side, so that he Utah area looked that much more mars-like in his pictures. The results were remarkable and very, very well done. Our shots looked a bit like Mars, his were perfectly Martian (except for the sky). Good response.

Interestingly, at Mars Desert Research Station the professional photographer (Daniel Bayer) brought a flash with a blue gell filter on it for his outside photos. He then color “corrected” the images on the camera to the red side, so that he Utah area looked that much more mars-like in his pictures. The results were remarkable and very, very well done. Our shots looked a bit like Mars, his were perfectly Martian (except for the sky).

]]> by: Steve http://artsnova.com/blog/2008/02/12/70/#comment-2482 Tue, 12 Feb 2008 21:01:24 +0000 http://artsnova.com/blog/2008/02/12/70/#comment-2482 However, the auto-levels result are very similar to what you get if you use the flag or the color spots on the rover to adjust your levels. Caling it an evil conspiracy is silly, but the results are how we'd see things if we are on Mars, how the cameras actually see things, and fits the colors of the surface of Mars that we see from the Hubble, as well. On theory is NASA is hyper-sensitive to a "Capricorn One" type conspiracy theory, and Mars looks way too much like Arizona for some people. However, the auto-levels result are very similar to what you get if you use the flag or the color spots on the rover to adjust your levels.

Caling it an evil conspiracy is silly, but the results are how we’d see things if we are on Mars, how the cameras actually see things, and fits the colors of the surface of Mars that we see from the Hubble, as well.

On theory is NASA is hyper-sensitive to a “Capricorn One” type conspiracy theory, and Mars looks way too much like Arizona for some people.

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