Need Help With Flat Colours

wainism · 9th March 2005

hi guys,

am a newbie using D70. i realised my colours tend to be kinda flat.

is there anyway i can have rich/saturated colours without going thru post processing?

or is there some probs with the way i shoot or something that i still dun know abt

some sample pics here
http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthrea...55#post1139755

thanks

TMC · 9th March 2005

try set your D70 for vivid colors.

espn · 9th March 2005

Colors look ok to me... got flat meh?

jnet6 · 9th March 2005

Originally Posted by espn

Colors look ok to me... got flat meh?

as wat espn says, colours looks ok.
maybe try the custom curve to bring out more "live" or highlights
meter at right spot.

wainism · 9th March 2005

custom curve?

heard that there is this function in D70, but how do i utilise it correctly?

espn : but someone commented that its flat leh. heehee, anyway, i oso dun really noe how to judge when its flat or too saturated

could it be monitor calibration prob?

using PS CS, so shd have the adobe gamma calibrating thingy rite?

Goldmember · 9th March 2005

my monitor is calibrated. The color is not flat but rather dull (unsaturated).

wainism · 9th March 2005

hi,could u educate me on wats the diff btw flat and unsaturated?(all along i thought it meant the same)

Rurouni · 9th March 2005

Originally Posted by wainism

hi guys,

am a newbie using D70. i realised my colours tend to be kinda flat.

is there anyway i can have rich/saturated colours without going thru post processing?

or is there some probs with the way i shoot or something that i still dun know abt

some sample pics here
http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthrea...55#post1139755

thanks

I think the metering you got from your cam is quite good actually! A few shots are under, but since the D70 tends to underexpose shots to preserve highlights you can just brighten it up post-processing, or like the other pple are saying use a custom curve or the vivid setting.

I noticed you have an A80, so probably you're more used to the colours that the powershot gives, which is richly saturated and bright. If you like that kinda output you can also prob tweak the d70 to do likewise

I don't own the d70 but I've been playing with my friend's one and his appears tweaked for more saturation.

icebooke · 9th March 2005

I went through your pics, I think the problem lies in two steps:
First the exposure is not ideal for each scene. You cannot expect the camera to know what you are shooting. Most of the scenes you showed were those that required understanding of how to get a proper exposure.
Second, you NEED post-processing. Going to digital, the first thing you should realise is that when you used to shoot film, the post-processing was a tedious task done by a lab technician. Now, you are your own digital lab technician.
That said, the D70 is more than capable of shooting out of the camera jpegs with good saturation and minimum fuss.

Here's a few things you should practice, practice and practice with;

1. Exposure. Get it right. Use A or M mode. Tell the camera what you want, not the other way around.
2. White balance: the correct white balance is important (Not easy to master. Try to use preset white balance, learn how it works)
3. Medium or medium high sharpening
4. normal saturation.
5. Practice a lot!

When I switched to digital, the biggest pain was post-processing skills.
Now, I hardly worry, having mastered the camera, and the requisite skills in photoshop.
Capturing the image is only half the job done.
I just sold a 80x120 print to a client for 1500 euros.
From a measly 4mpix camera.

I hope this helps.
If you need more advice, you can ask here, or also look around at robgalbraith.com forums, digital processing.

J

espn · 9th March 2005

Originally Posted by wainism

custom curve?

heard that there is this function in D70, but how do i utilise it correctly?

Read the manual and do a search on CS

Originally Posted by wainism

espn : but someone commented that its flat leh. heehee, anyway, i oso dun really noe how to judge when its flat or too saturated

You need to train yourself, think of the moment when you shot the scene, is it exactly duplicatied?

Originally Posted by wainism

could it be monitor calibration prob?

Might be.

Originally Posted by wainism

using PS CS, so shd have the adobe gamma calibrating thingy rite?

This only adjusts your exposures and brightness IIRC. It helps to an extend.

seankyh · 9th March 2005

Hi,

I recently learned the value of using spot metering instead of matrix. Depending on the situation, particularly in intense contrast between light, I find that matrix often gets it wrong on my D70. Learning to use spot metering did the trick nicely. Also, changing your color space to sRGB and setting tone to medium or high gives you better colors. Experiment and see if it works for you too.

If all else fails, esp when you want to minimize post processing, use custom curve. I'm using the fotogenic custome curve and that works great for skin tones.

wainism · 9th March 2005

thanks guys...

time to hit the manual again...will try and post if i still cant get the proper colours!

jnet6 · 9th March 2005

Originally Posted by icebooke

I went through your pics, I think the problem lies in two steps:
First the exposure is not ideal for each scene. You cannot expect the camera to know what you are shooting. Most of the scenes you showed were those that required understanding of how to get a proper exposure.
Second, you NEED post-processing. Going to digital, the first thing you should realise is that when you used to shoot film, the post-processing was a tedious task done by a lab technician. Now, you are your own digital lab technician.
That said, the D70 is more than capable of shooting out of the camera jpegs with good saturation and minimum fuss.

Here's a few things you should practice, practice and practice with;

1. Exposure. Get it right. Use A or M mode. Tell the camera what you want, not the other way around.
2. White balance: the correct white balance is important (Not easy to master. Try to use preset white balance, learn how it works)
3. Medium or medium high sharpening
4. normal saturation.
5. Practice a lot!

When I switched to digital, the biggest pain was post-processing skills.
Now, I hardly worry, having mastered the camera, and the requisite skills in photoshop.
Capturing the image is only half the job done.
I just sold a 80x120 print to a client for 1500 euros.
From a measly 4mpix camera.

I hope this helps.
If you need more advice, you can ask here, or also look around at robgalbraith.com forums, digital processing.

J

GD 1......
need to learn more PS power. hahaha

user111 · 9th March 2005

where got flat? the tone is rather natural looking

but some portions of the pixs are underexposed

Goldmember · 9th March 2005

Originally Posted by user111

where got flat? the tone is rather natural looking

but some portions of the pixs are underexposed

The picture got "flat"

wainism · 9th March 2005

erm..what is got flat?

gooseberry · 10th March 2005

Hey mate,

There's nothing wrong with the saturation of your pictures - they don't appear "flat" to me, just a couple of your pictures are underexposed. Some people prefer much more saturated colours, but I prefer more natural looking colours - depends on your own preference.

If you really do want to increase saturation straight out of the camera with no post-processing, try this - increase saturation to "enhanced", use colour mode IIIa for more saturated reds and greens, load a custom curve.

9th March 2005	#1
wainism Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Beeshan Posts: 1,809	Need Help With Flat Colours hi guys, am a newbie using D70. i realised my colours tend to be kinda flat. is there anyway i can have rich/saturated colours without going thru post processing? or is there some probs with the way i shoot or something that i still dun know abt some sample pics here http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthrea...55#post1139755 thanks

9th March 2005	#2
TMC Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Beyond Space-Time Continuum Posts: 5,921	try set your D70 for vivid colors. __________________ Selling: 32GB Thumbdrive - Patriot Xporter XT 120sgd (Price reduced)

9th March 2005	#9
icebooke Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 412	I went through your pics, I think the problem lies in two steps: First the exposure is not ideal for each scene. You cannot expect the camera to know what you are shooting. Most of the scenes you showed were those that required understanding of how to get a proper exposure. Second, you NEED post-processing. Going to digital, the first thing you should realise is that when you used to shoot film, the post-processing was a tedious task done by a lab technician. Now, you are your own digital lab technician. That said, the D70 is more than capable of shooting out of the camera jpegs with good saturation and minimum fuss. Here's a few things you should practice, practice and practice with; 1. Exposure. Get it right. Use A or M mode. Tell the camera what you want, not the other way around. 2. White balance: the correct white balance is important (Not easy to master. Try to use preset white balance, learn how it works) 3. Medium or medium high sharpening 4. normal saturation. 5. Practice a lot! When I switched to digital, the biggest pain was post-processing skills. Now, I hardly worry, having mastered the camera, and the requisite skills in photoshop. Capturing the image is only half the job done. I just sold a 80x120 print to a client for 1500 euros. From a measly 4mpix camera. I hope this helps. If you need more advice, you can ask here, or also look around at robgalbraith.com forums, digital processing. J __________________ http://www.mylaohome.com Your Home Away from Home. Laos.

9th March 2005	#3
espn Deregistered Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Planet Nikon Posts: 22,045	Colors look ok to me... got flat meh?

9th March 2005	#6
Goldmember Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Moon Posts: 376	my monitor is calibrated. The color is not flat but rather dull (unsaturated).

9th March 2005	#11
seankyh Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 790	Hi, I recently learned the value of using spot metering instead of matrix. Depending on the situation, particularly in intense contrast between light, I find that matrix often gets it wrong on my D70. Learning to use spot metering did the trick nicely. Also, changing your color space to sRGB and setting tone to medium or high gives you better colors. Experiment and see if it works for you too. If all else fails, esp when you want to minimize post processing, use custom curve. I'm using the fotogenic custome curve and that works great for skin tones.

9th March 2005	#14
user111 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 4,719	where got flat? the tone is rather natural looking but some portions of the pixs are underexposed

10th March 2005	#17
gooseberry Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Central West Posts: 1,913	Hey mate, There's nothing wrong with the saturation of your pictures - they don't appear "flat" to me, just a couple of your pictures are underexposed. Some people prefer much more saturated colours, but I prefer more natural looking colours - depends on your own preference. If you really do want to increase saturation straight out of the camera with no post-processing, try this - increase saturation to "enhanced", use colour mode IIIa for more saturated reds and greens, load a custom curve.