I need help with GIMP to fix sunlight rays

[Jim Olson]

I have been flying quadcopters for a few years now but I got a new one for my birthday & want to post some shots but I'm not sure if I can fix the sunlight rays.
I have GIMP and tried dodge but that not doesn't look good. And my little drone is only 720P and jpg format.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Do you have crepuscular light to bring out or are you trying to simply trying to pull back the bright sky on the left?

Is this movie footage?

I can fix a picture for you in Photoshop. But send me your address and I will try to dig up a Gimp book! Will be a few years old!

Asher

 

[Jim Olson]

Do you have crepuscular light to bring out or are you trying to simply pull back the bright sky on the left?

Is this movie footage?

I can fix a picture for you in Photoshop. But send me your address and I will try to dig up a Gimp book! Will be a few years old!

Asher

I was just trying to brighten the sky and not make the sun rays so bright.
The shot I posted here is a jpg but I do have the video. I can take pictures as I'm videoing.
And I would love to have a GIMP book in my hands... Also if you mail it media rate with USPS it is really inexpensive to send.
I just got back home from a spot a little bit closer to the mountains, but the sun was still a problem.

 

[Peter Dexter]

More drone photos Jim, looks like fun.

 

[nicolas claris]

There's an easy way and you won't need any trick: don't shoot backlight!
If you need that precise angle of view, shoot it earlier or later when the sun is not facing you, this is also a photographer's contraint: control the light…

Another way would be to add a lens hood, but that might be difficult on a drone…

Also, those cameras are usually set to shoot wide open (with such wide angles and shooting distance, that is not a problem for the depth of field) if that's possible, try to stop down (light is not missing there) it may diminish the bad effect…

@Asher Kelman: Post your methodology, I'd love to see how you can fix that…

 

[Asher Kelman]

There's an easy way and you won't need any trick: don't shoot backlight!
If you need that precise angle of view, shoot it earlier or later when the sun is not facing you, this is also a photographer's contraint: control the light…

Another way would be to add a lens hood, but that might be difficult on a drone…

Also, those cameras are usually set to shoot wide open (with such wide angles and shooting distance, that is not a problem for the depth of field) if that's possible, try to stop down (light is not missing there) it may diminish the bad effect…

@Asher Kelman: Post your methodology, I'd love to see how you can fix that…

I have been asked to propose sculptures for a bluff facing the Pacific Ocean. So I asked the City to allow me to first build a 3D model, for which I need a drone to get me a set of overlapping stills for photoprogrammetry!

I have engaged a company who will provide the drone and an experienced pilot. I have no expertise here and the software, Agisoft Metashape or Pix4D needs perfectly focused sharp, high contrast, overlapping pictures.

I was surprised when they couldn’t tell me the exact time of the planned shoot, off hand, without going back to his computer and calling me again!

It was explained that they need to first look up the sun angles, so as to set set the time of day exactly when the sun is closest to being high above the location, so there will be no long shadows.

.....and also, don’t expect “artsy drama”, as they never fly into the sun for the pictures I need!

I thought I could also have dramatic pictures of the coast line, at dawn or at sunset, so was so disappointed!

I was told bluntly, “Choose: do you want your well-exposed high contrast detail-rich pictures

....... or you want “art”?”

So you are totally correct, as expected.

The set of pictures technically perfect, I need, cannot easily include “flying towards the sun”, low in the sky.

So for that, he would provide, (at several times the cost), a larger drone with a medium format camera or a “Red”, with extra wide dynamic range, but couldn’t even then guarantee I’d be satisfied.

Knowing this, I, personally am not at all qualified to take charge of a drone for what I need, LOL!

But I did, nevertheless, try my hardest to correct the O.P. image, above and failed!

Asher

 

[Jim Olson]

There's an easy way and you won't need any trick: don't shoot backlight!
If you need that precise angle of view, shoot it earlier or later when the sun is not facing you, this is also a photographer's contraint: control the light…

Another way would be to add a lens hood, but that might be difficult on a drone…

Also, those cameras are usually set to shoot wide open (with such wide angles and shooting distance, that is not a problem for the depth of field) if that's possible, try to stop down (light is not missing there) it may diminish the bad effect…

@Asher Kelman: Post your methodology, I'd love to see how you can fix that…

Will Thompson & I did talk about trying to put a hood on my drone, but this is the smallest of my 4 drones and it only weights 96 grams. I can't legally fly the other ones because of there size and because there is multiple airports in the town of Sequim (where I live) and there is FAA restrictions on the size that I can fly here. I have been fly drones for yrs and I do have one that will fly my GoPro at 55 MPH but it not registered because I bought it before the FAA past the ruling about flying.

 

[nicolas claris]

@Jim Olson : I understand totally (we do own drones and have a certified pilot for it And we do too respect the legislation which is the same here…
However if you can fly your tiny drone, my initial advice:

don't shoot backlight!
If you need that precise angle of view, shoot it earlier or later when the sun is not facing you, this is also a photographer's contraint: control the light…

remains a good rule… Zenithal light (as suggested to Asher) is a good solution, but your image might look a bit "flat"