Over processing (especially magenta/red)

[Greatwhitesean 0]

Hi all,

 

I posted a photo to the Wetpixel Facebook group and had some feedback off an experienced photographer about the 'pinkish' look to the Manta Ray. I had failed to notice at the time of original processing that there was a slight pink look to the Manta which made the shot less realistic to what we actually see. I was hoping I just found the elusive magenta manta ray but unfortunately it was just my mistake. I am still a novice to the underwater photography world and always looking to gain experience and the post processing part is something I am working on. After the feedback I went back to the photo and took the magenta and red down and got much more realistic shots. Check out the 3 shots and where I have corrected.

 

Many Thanks

 

I posted

[thetrickster 326]

First photo is cracking!

[coinee 17]

Hey Sean! With a manta shot from below you have a big area of 'white' available already - in Lightroom you can use method 3 (http://digital-photography-school.com/3-ways-to-change-white-balance-in-lightroom/) to get the white balance right pretty much every time very easily.

 

The first one is definitely the best version.

[Steve Williams 0]

Hi Sean,

Another option with Mantas because they are black and white is to use an adjustment brush in Lightroom or similar program and then lower the saturation of the "painted" or selected area and you can create a more realistic looking image. This is your bottom pink bellied image with that technique applied. It works much better with the Raw file but hopefully you get the idea. As with any adjustment you can overcook it but it's a common technique I use when I'm lucky enough to dive with Mantas.

 

 

Cheers,

Steve

[Greatwhitesean 0]

Many thanks for the replies. I really need to learn Lightroom as I only use photoshop CC but I see a lot of underwater photographers rave about Lightrooms. I have it installed but as I am comfortable with Photoshop I haven't tried to get to grips with it.. I think it's time to get out of my comfort zone and learn. Again thanks for your time and I will take into consideration and try your techniques.

 

Thanks

 

Sean

Edited March 12, 2015 by Greatwhitesean

[TimG 62]

Hi Sean

 

If you are a bit of a ninja with PS I'm not sure you would gain much from LR in terms of image processing.

 

The advantage, I find, of LR is its simplicity for editing - no relatively complex key combinations to remember - and its filing/indexing/selecting and outputting capabilities.

 

For me LR is much more intuitive. I've done a couple of PS courses but if I don't use it for a while, which has been the case over the last couple of years, I can't then remember how to do things. Whereas I always find the LR controls and sliders straightforward and fast. But I guess a lot of that is just down to familiarity.

[JamesR 26]

Is your monitor calibrated? If not, I think it's a worth-while step if you really want colors to be accurate. I've heard a few people grumble about prints not looking right after sending the files off due to a non-calibrated screen. Just something to think about.