Managing colour

This exercise involves looking at photos with a significant colour cast and “correcting it”.  My usual preferred software is Photoshop for JPEG images and Digital Photo Professional for RAW. I decided to process the images using this known software.

Image 1

This photo was taken on a misty morning where I had left the white balance set to daylight giving the image a blue tinge.

Original
1/125 F3.5 ISO200 18mm partial metering daylight white balance
partial metering– sky cropped (x1.6 crop factor)

JPEG
JPEG blacks set on histogram - grey dropper tool in curves
touched on mudguard –  sky cropped 

 

RAW
RAW blacks set on histogram – white balance altered
 to cloudy – sky cropped



By warming up the colour, the blue of the rucksack became slightly yellower in colour. The T shirt reverted back to brown instead of looking black. There is not much difference between the jpeg and RAW. If anything, the RAW looks more natural.

Image 2

This has a significant green tinge to it.

Original

1/15 F4.5 ISO100 24mm (x1.6 crop factor) 

daylight white balance evaluative metering 

JPEG

The JPEG image was altered using the grey dropper tool. I did not expect to find any grey, but clicking on various rocks on the path changed the colour.




RAW

To alter the RAW image, the white balance tool did not help at all because the colour was already warm. Using the RGB tone assist on my RAW software, I was able to select the individual colours and increase or decrease them. Blue – increased, Green – decreased, Red – decreased.

I prefer the RAW image colours as they are warmer and I had more control over the image.

Image 3

This was a location shot  (JPEG only)for reference for a previous assignment. The sky was heavy with snow so I had taken a smaller camera out to record the location.

1/800 F4 ISO400 evaluative metering, auto white balance

By sliding the black and white parameters inwards as it is a low contrast image and using the grey dropper tool on the grey foreground snow, the colours have changed from a grey tinge on the snow to white snow.

In summary, I realised how colour cast can easily be managed. I  found that a few images which I had left on my computer unedited because I wasn't quite sure what to do with, could be improved quite easily. The process for editing a JPEG and a RAW image was simple, and with patience, I am sure my images could both look more similar. My feeling is that it is still better to get it right in camera where possible.