Infrared filters for ghost photography can make all the difference in spotting some serious ectoplasm in your images. Sure, some people capture clusters of spectral energy without even trying, but if you’re not one of them, comfort yourself with the fact that most “orbs” are dust anyhow.
Perhaps the most cost-effective way to pursue otherworldly spirits via photos is simply to apply an infrared filter to your images after your ghost hunting adventures.
So what programs should you use? There are lots of choices out there, and if you have one you already love, go with that software. Personally, depending on my image editing needs, I toggle between Adobe Photoshop Elements and Corel Paint Shop Pro. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, but for now, I’m just going to focus on their infrared filters. Neither program netted me a ghost, however, which means I’m going to try to remain objective and not blame the software for breaking my little ghost hunter heart.
Let’s start with Corel. To convert an image to infrared, go to the Effects tab on the top menu and from the drop-down menu, select Photo Effects and click Infrared Film. You’ll get a window just like this one:
The higher you set the strength, the darker the blues will be and the brighter the greens (and vice versa for lower settings). If you set the strength to zero, the image will be grayscale. For flare, you can control the halos, so the higher you set the flare setting, the softer the edges will be. I like this effect since it lends an ethereal look to the photos. But maybe that’s just because that’s the closest I got to ghosts for today’s post. Grain simply controls graininess; the higher the setting, the grainier the image.
Next up is Photoshop Elements. For the infrared filter, go to the Enhance tab on the top menu and from the drop-down menu, select Convert to Black and White. You’ll get a window just like this one:
Photoshop allows you to adjust the colors and contrast in its infrared filter, but you can’t as easily control grain or halo. As I mentioned above, every program has its trade-offs.
So here are the results. This first image comes courtesy of Corel:
And this image uses Photoshop Elements:
Both filters produce some neat effects, but for me, Corel has the edge–if for nothing else, the cool halos make you sense a ghostly presence even where there isn’t one.
Tomorrow I will continue this discussion of infrared filters for ghost photography with a photo essay featuring more of my results. I’m still sifting through hundreds of images from haunted places I’ve visited, so maybe by then, I’ll have found a ghost. Stop back Thursday to find out!
Happy haunting!