raw + white balance + Kelvin + lr5

[Derrel]

Sometimes I am happy with my WB work and other times I just can't seem to get it to look "right" to me no matter what I do it seems. I wish I had more time right this second to post examples but I will have to come back later with them to show what I mean. The #1 thing I get "negative" feedback on in my critiques is WB it seems.

Some people (a LOT it seems to me) seem to insist that WB bead dead-on neutral...sort of retentive, by-the-numbers, kind of people...they are the eyedropper brigade, always checking, always looking for the precise R-G-B values on things like caucasian skin tones, yadda yadda yadda...they can usually be counted on to voice objections if WB is determined to be off in any way. So, you will definitely see cases of those kind of users making negative comments if WB is off in their opinion. Those kinds of people seem to have very little tolerance for "artistic" WB decisions, or color tints, and so on.

On the other hand, there are also people who just can NOT seem to see obvious, very strong color casts and major,major WB issues, and are basically unable to come to grips with the issues, as for example when somebody will say, "I think the skin tones here are excessively green," and the OP will reply with something like, "WUT? Whaddaya' mean, too green? Skin tone looks good on my monitor."

I am not saying you're in the last category, but it CAN take a good, long time for people to develop their "eye" for color correction and so on. I think it took me at least five years before I could look at an image and say, immediately where there were specific color issues. What I think helped me was using Photoshop's Selective Color menu, and going around to the various colors and adjusting the sliders, and literally SEEING what excessive cyan, or excessive magenta, actually looked like, as well as learning how to conceptualize a photo as separate parts, like "the yellows", and "the reds" and "the neutrals" and "the whites"; for me, using the Selective Color tools in PS is what helped me learn to "see the problems" related to color and white balance issues. At one time, I was kind of mystified by what people meant when they said things like, "The highlights could use about 15 units more magenta," and so on.

 

[Ysarex]

Thanks all! My monitors are not calibrated. Well.. our 4k TV is supposedly so maybe I need to edit on that. Lol

I have tried a number of things to kinda sorta calibrate my monitors but I think the problem lies in knowing what exactly correct wb should look like. I have taken those how you view colors tests online with near perfect results so I believe I do SEE colors reasonably well but when I have done the gray card..like have my model hold in hand the web dropper gives me seemingly very green and yellow tints. My monitor cannot be that far off to display that crazily. I'm going to try to dig out my gray card today and take it with me ob a shoot tonight and will share my results!

Yes your monitor can be that far off. Get it calibrated and use a colorimeter to do the job, like this: Amazon.com : X-Rite CMUNSML ColorMunki Smile : Computer Mice : Camera & Photo

 

[Ysarex]

Sometimes I am happy with my WB work and other times I just can't seem to get it to look "right" to me no matter what I do it seems. I wish I had more time right this second to post examples but I will have to come back later with them to show what I mean. The #1 thing I get "negative" feedback on in my critiques is WB it seems.

Some people (a LOT it seems to me) seem to insist that WB bead dead-on neutral...sort of retentive, by-the-numbers, kind of people...they are the eyedropper brigade, always checking, always looking for the precise R-G-B values on things like caucasian skin tones, yadda yadda yadda...they can usually be counted on to voice objections if WB is determined to be off in any way. So, you will definitely see cases of those kind of users making negative comments if WB is off in their opinion. Those kinds of people seem to have very little tolerance for "artistic" WB decisions, or color tints, and so on.

On the other hand, there are also people who just can NOT seem to see obvious, very strong color casts and major,major WB issues, and are basically unable to come to grips with the issues, as for example when somebody will say, "I think the skin tones here are excessively green," and the OP will reply with something like, "WUT? Whaddaya' mean, too green? Skin tone looks good on my monitor."

I am not saying you're in the last category, but it CAN take a good, long time for people to develop their "eye" for color correction and so on. I think it took me at least five years before I could look at an image and say, immediately where there were specific color issues. What I think helped me was using Photoshop's Selective Color menu, and going around to the various colors and adjusting the sliders, and literally SEEING what excessive cyan, or excessive magenta, actually looked like, as well as learning how to conceptualize a photo as separate parts, like "the yellows", and "the reds" and "the neutrals" and "the whites"; for me, using the Selective Color tools in PS is what helped me learn to "see the problems" related to color and white balance issues. At one time, I was kind of mystified by what people meant when they said things like, "The highlights could use about 15 units more magenta," and so on.

Yeah, I'm one of those retentive people. I like to see the color in my photos be the same color as the thing I photographed. Within the limits of the technology I prefer accurate color. I love the world in color and I generally love the color it is. However I don't object to artistic license and I think it's fine if someone wants to shift the color for effect. In that case I just want to know it's deliberate and under control. What drives me nuts is lack of control. When I see a set of portraits for example of the same person in the same clothes taken on the same day and in no two of the photos are the clothes or the person the same color I start to suspect I'm not looking at artistic license. Express creative use of color -- great. Flail around like a fish out of water -- not great. I see a lot of flailing.

Joe

 

[frommrstomommy]

Well I did a bit of playing this evening and used some manual kelvin wb's and used my gray card every time we changed locations. I think it worked out well! I plan to post in the people gallery some from the session for CC and I'll post a couple here when I get them loaded to flickr. I did some very quick edits.. mainly trying to play with the wb's.

 

[frommrstomommy]

shared images are here: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/people-photography/360428-cloud-museum.html

 

[Big Mike]

Thanks all! My monitors are not calibrated. Well.. our 4k TV is supposedly so maybe I need to edit on that. Lol

OK....stop right there. Anything you do, in terms of trying to see accurate tones or colors is all but pointless unless your monitor is properly calibrated. This requires a calibration device and the related software. It is not something that you do by eye.

Spyder Colorimeters For Monitor Display Calibration and Software - Datacolor Imaging Solutions
X-Rite Display Solutions - Marcus Bell

 

[The_Traveler]

What Big Mike says is so right on.

Forget playing with anything else until you get at least one well calibrated monitor.

 

[table1349]

Even if you are not printing yourself read this from beginning to end. You will learn a lot. Making fine prints in your digital darkroom: Getting started

 

[KmH]

Tutorials on Color Management & Printing