Image Colours

[andyitr]

I'm having a bit of trouble getting colours to stand out in photos.

How are people getting really vivid skies and colours to really stand out?

Is this all done in Photoshop, is it a lens / Camera problem or do lens help produce this results.

ill post up a example in a mo.

Thanks

Andy

 

[andyitr]

This one to me seems really flat....

This one is better but not as colourful as i'd like.

Thanks

Andy

 

[pxl8]

The first shot looks a little over exposed which doesn't help with colour saturation but you can do some work in photoshop/etc. to pop the colours. Generally with landscapes you need to split the image into layers for sky/ground and maybe others as well for foreground elements, etc. Here's a 5min job processing sky/ground separately.

For the sky I simple ran autolevels to bring some darker shades back in and for the ground I used curves to darken the mid-tones a bit.

 

[gwocni]

Hi Andy
Being a Nikonite I'm not sure about your settings on-board the camera. (I'm also sure the Canon guys will have lots of info for you here) I have settings on my camera that let me "dial in" more vividness or less for that matter, as required. I'm sure there is something similar on yours.

The shots posted seem to be over/under exposed slightly to me so I wonder if you took your exposure off the right area in the shot i.e. in the second taking the exposure off the lighter background area would cause the foreground, in this case the tower, to be under exposed and darker than you may like.

I suppose that these were taken in Jpeg format and are straight from the camera. There is an argument that shooting in RAW is better so as there is more control over post processing..... I don't do it, (RAW) so can't advise but again there are many helpful people here who will be more knowledgeable than myself.

I watch with interest...

David.

 

[andyitr]

Cheers for the info chaps.

I've got image both in RAW and JPeg.

Do you have any tips for getting a correctly exposed picture?

Thanks

Andy

 

[rich_eason]

Futher to what gwocni has already mentioned about the Vivid Settings on the Nikon, you can also try using a polarising filter. Here in the UK we tend not to get to many "bright sunny days" and get that cruddy grey/white "haze". I've messed about with filters and tend to find that they help reduce haze and ups the colour and definition of the sky.

Post Processing can also help.

 

[andyitr]

Futher to what gwocni has already mentioned about the Vivid Settings on the Nikon, you can also try using a polarising filter. Here in the UK we tend not to get to many "bright sunny days" and get that cruddy grey/white "haze". I've messed about with filters and tend to find that they help reduce haze and ups the colour and definition of the sky.

Post Processing can also help.

I'm using a Canon 400D

Yea i've been thinking about getting a polarising filter but i've never had any good results with them.

Thanks

Andy

 

[FranchiseJuan]

A couple of things that might help you is going to luminus landscape (www.luminus-landscape.com) and have a look at the tutorials for local contrast enhancement, and masking by numbers.

Washed out colours comes from the lack of shadows and bright areas. A photo which is mostly well exposed and well lit with many bright areas will naturally look a bit washed out.

 

[andyitr]

A couple of things that might help you is going to luminus landscape (www.luminus-landscape.com) and have a look at the tutorials for local contrast enhancement, and masking by numbers.

Washed out colours comes from the lack of shadows and bright areas. A photo which is mostly well exposed and well lit with many bright areas will naturally look a bit washed out.

Thanks thats some top advice.

I'm trying to do as much as possable with the camera rather then using PS to bring the image to life.

Andy

 

[FranchiseJuan]

I'm trying to do as much as possable with the camera rather then using PS to bring the image to life.

That is comendable, and I too try to do as much as possible in the camera to get the image right, especially if I am on a job, but there are situations where you just can do that.

I think more and more photographers in the digital age need to be as good in the darkroom (computer) as they are with a camera in their hand.

One other thing to remember is that almost anything can be setup as an action in photoshop, and assigned to keys so that you can do common post processing tasks more quickly.

 

[andyitr]

One other thing to remember is that almost anything can be setup as an action in photoshop, and assigned to keys so that you can do common post processing tasks more quickly.

Oh right, i'm trying to learn PS @ the mo.

Is there any Key guides for CS3?

Thanks

Andy

 

[FranchiseJuan]

Is there any Key guides for CS3?

That is not quite what I mean. When you create an action (like when you record a macro in word or excell), you can assign it a key stroke for quick access.

As an example I do contrast enhancement, shadow masking, and high pass sharpening quite often, and have them assigned to shift+(function key). So when I open a photo, I automatically press three keys, wait for about 3 seconds, and all that is done and I can do my colouring and be done with a photo in about 30 seconds.

 

[Phil T]

Here's my attempt:

I used PS7 & the following:
Open Image
Unsharp Mask (settings 60,20,0)
Auto Levels
Copy Layer - Mode set to Multiply; Opacity 25%
Unsharp Mask (settings 500,0.2,0) - yes this really does work!
Save as...

Hope this helps - there should be loads of PS7 tutorials being available to all members soon.

 

[pxl8]

Thanks thats some top advice.

I'm trying to do as much as possable with the camera rather then using PS to bring the image to life.

Do you mean image settings in camera such as colour tone/contrast/sharpness?

 

[andyitr]

Do you mean image settings in camera such as colour tone/contrast/sharpness?

No, as far as i was aware. I didn't know you could adjusted these in the camera.

Would a ND grad filters do the trick with the sky?

I'm really after better colours in the pictures and the whole lot to bit a more colourful rather then look flat as in the above image.

Cheers

Andy

 

[pxl8]

One thing you need to consider is how much effort you want to put into getting your shots as close as possible in camera and how much work you want to do in photoshop/etc. You can use the camera setup to boost saturation and contrast which will add some pop to your shots and getting the exposure right will make a big difference.

Shooting raw and spending some time working on them in photoshop/etc. will give you the most control over the results to get the best from your shots. The obvious examples are when you shoot in bright sunlight and need to get some detail back in the shadows or when you're in shade so you're lacking contrast and need some punch, like this:

The left hand version is out of the camera, the right is after some basic work on the raw file.

ND grads will help with the sky but watch out for tall buildings/trees/etc. looking under exposed as a result so you might end up having to do some work to fix that instead.

My advice for learning the editing side of things is to learn what the tools do and then figure out how you can apply them to a particular problem. There are plenty of tutorials that will teach you the steps to do one thing but to really get the most out of the s/w you need to know the "why" and not just the "how".

 

[andyitr]

Excellent reply, thank you.

ill have a read up on the how to guides then.

Thank you for all you help guys

Andy