(Scott) here's my test pic.....

[acmegirl]

Finally able to post this.....I used to be able to go into levels and use the "set white point with the eye dropper method".....that lightened up the background quick.....My pics weren't the best in the world...but were okay enough for the time I had to play around... Then I used the "slide the arrows to eliminate the flat areas of the "mountain" image" in the levels tutorial...and that made them even better.....but....here's my new problem....somehow the box in the tool window on the left side has a color in it....I don't know how it appeared or what I did to make it show up....it's like an eyedropper, it picks up what ever color I touch on the photo. My "set white point" eyedropper makes things WAAAAY to white now.....Ugh! I just want perfect pictures right away, is that too much to ask?
the second picture is what my screen looks like....
#-o #-o 5642556426

[Kevan]

See the little black/white thing just under the orange box there on the left?
See the two boxes one orange and one white and the little black square under the orange box and left of the white? Click on that and it will make the orange box go back to black. Then click on the little arrow on the other side. That will switch the black/ white box. Then do the levels thing with the dropper.

[Kevan]

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[Tanner Studios]

Hi Beth, What Kevan is talking about is, how to set the colors on you pallet. And will change your situation ( it's not a problem ) And it won't have any thing to do with levels. Other then show you the color you have clicked on. Don't use the eye droppers in levels. Sometimes they work. But they are just not accurate. When you photos is that far off.

Your problem is the color balance at your Light source. It looks like your shooting in deep shade i.e. very soft window light. Or your camera is set for the wrong type of light. i.e. Tungsten and using day light balanced lights.

Tell me what type of lighting your using and and check your cameras setting. I can give you some steps to correct it.
Scott

[acmegirl]

Thanks Kevan and Scott......
Scott you're absolutely right....I used window light to shoot this pic. In the past I've used a huge photo tent (just sold it in the garage sale) I purchased a smaller one in order to fit in the space I had allocated for picture shooting, but those pictures are coming out REALLY dark, sometimes with brown tones. I'll need to get better bulbs, what do you recommend? My camera is a E510 Fujifilm Finepix with 5.2 mega pixels... Guess I should pull out the old manual....I thought I screwed something up with photoshop because I don't remember ever seeing those boxes in the tool menu change color before....what would make what I was doing with the eyedropper before change it so dramatically to super-bright white.....I appreciate your help!
beth

[Kevan]

The dropper makes it super bright white because the picture is so dark. If you use the dropper on a place where the picture is the lightest it won't do that.

Here are 3 views of the same picture. 1st one is untouched. The second is using the eyedropper by clicking on the right side of the picture, which is lighter and then the 3 is by using it on the darker left side of the picutre.

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You need more light to begin with. There is only so much your manipulation program is going to be able to do.

[Tanner Studios]

Ok Beth, We have a long way to go. So Hang in there.

First off. If your using window light don't mix it other light source. unless you can filter the lights to match. I'll thinking the brown spots you were talking about are coming from mixing day light with tungsten light. ( not in the shot shown). Are the room light on?
Look at my levels tut again. I think on the first page some where. I talked a lot about filters. You would need a 81C filter over your lens for the deep soft blue day light. Or heavy over casted sky.

Now lets look at you photo to answer your question about eye droppers.
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Notice the high light in the middle of the circle. Thats the white point. Now look at the background, its a lot darker. By clicking on the background with the eye dropper your throwing away a ton of information that was needed in the bead. Thats why it went so bright white. Just for fun try this. Make three copies of this image. In levels use the white point dropper on that high light and see what happens. On the second image click on the background at the top of the frame. On the third click on the background below the bead. This won't help your photo. But you will see how the eye droppers throw information away based on the tone you click it on. And thats why I say don't you them.

I played with your photo and that the best I could do. But had to cut the background out. could not save that at all.

So lets get your photography closer. Work on getting your lighting consistent and balance. and your exposure correct.
Scott