Actually, who's monitor is calibrated? Those folks should speak up.
Else we go on and on and on and end up confusing TS.
The saving grace is that if you do indeed print your pics, theres an additional layer of safeguard.
Skin tone too yellowish
- Thread starter Akira Fudou
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Actually, who's monitor is calibrated? Those folks should speak up.
Else we go on and on and on and end up confusing TS.
The saving grace is that if you do indeed print your pics, theres an additional layer of safeguard.
eosandy
New Member
Aim for accurate WB when shooting. Avoid all the PP malarkey.
Colour accuracy is subjective so posting a stream of tweaked pics is pointless. Will it actually add anything productive to TS PP workflow when all the better/worse comments are finished? Can the tweaks be replicated for future work?
If serious about printed results, a calibrated monitor is a great tool and compared to the cost of the hobby its quite a cost-effective investment.
nottipiglet
New Member
Altered the colour balance by eye. My monitor is calibrated:
Basically, you took the pictures under fluorescent lights. This will tend to introduce a green hue. Using a magenta filter, or pushing the green/magenta hue slider in RAW will help. I also notice that the skin tone's cyan reading is exceptionally low. So I pushed it up a little. It's a quick job, and not perfect, but I think it's an improvement already.
Basically, you took the pictures under fluorescent lights. This will tend to introduce a green hue. Using a magenta filter, or pushing the green/magenta hue slider in RAW will help. I also notice that the skin tone's cyan reading is exceptionally low. So I pushed it up a little. It's a quick job, and not perfect, but I think it's an improvement already.
nottipiglet
New Member
Actually, colour accuracy is not subjective. If you place a colour chart, including white point and grey point in the frame and shoot, colour accuracy will reproduce the chart closely when viewed though a properly calibrated monitor.
However, what we like to see is subjective. For example, Asian women like to look a bit paler than than they are. Asian includes Indian, Chinese and Malay. Somehow, whiter is the ideal for everyone. That's why skin whitening products sell so well.
Caucasians tend to prefer a little bit more tan because the average Caucasian tend to look a bit too pale compared to the TV/Movie ideal.
Can the values be replicated? Yes it can. You have to watch out for the RGB or CMYK values of the skin tone. You can tweak the colour balance to achieve whatever skin tone you or your subjects like.
As for aiming for accurate WB when shooting... unless you are in daylight, most of the other lighting like tungsten and fluorescent differ so much that the camera will inevitably get it wrong, whether you change the on-camera WB setting or not. Getting it exactly right on-camera is like hitting jackpot. So, it is advisable to shoot RAW, and get the exposure right so that the RAW file is rich in information... the go to post processing to get the WB right. It's really just a couple of slider away. Easy peasy.
... and it is very important to get your monitor calibrated.
nottipiglet
New Member
Just to add... if anyone is interested in getting more in-depth knowledge on this subject, try reading 'Skin' by Lee Varis. It's a very good book on skin tone. I think it's very important for anyone who is serious about people photography to get the skin tone right.
yap, a little on the warm side, easy to fix. Just use yr processing software and enhance a little on the reds and blues.
But then again, these 2 girls may be suffering from weak liver, from the perspective of TCM, which explains their yellowish tinge on their faces- imho.
(Not enuff vegetables).
But then again, these 2 girls may be suffering from weak liver, from the perspective of TCM, which explains their yellowish tinge on their faces- imho.
(Not enuff vegetables).
eosandy
New Member
Actually, colour accuracy is not subjective. If you place a colour chart, including white point and grey point in the frame and shoot, colour accuracy will reproduce the chart closely when viewed though a properly calibrated monitor.
However, what we like to see is subjective. For example, Asian women like to look a bit paler than than they are. Asian includes Indian, Chinese and Malay. Somehow, whiter is the ideal for everyone. That's why skin whitening products sell so well.
Caucasians tend to prefer a little bit more tan because the average Caucasian tend to look a bit too pale compared to the TV/Movie ideal.
Can the values be replicated? Yes it can. You have to watch out for the RGB or CMYK values of the skin tone. You can tweak the colour balance to achieve whatever skin tone you or your subjects like.
As for aiming for accurate WB when shooting... unless you are in daylight, most of the other lighting like tungsten and fluorescent differ so much that the camera will inevitably get it wrong, whether you change the on-camera WB setting or not. Getting it exactly right on-camera is like hitting jackpot. So, it is advisable to shoot RAW, and get the exposure right so that the RAW file is rich in information... the go to post processing to get the WB right. It's really just a couple of slider away. Easy peasy.
... and it is very important to get your monitor calibrated.
Point being, colour accuracy is subjective as not everyone has a calibrated monitor.
nottipiglet
New Member
Care to explain what that means?
I don't think it is subjective, regardless of whether you have a calibrated monitor. However, I would like to hear the reasoning behind your statement before I offer my view.
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I like to seek opinion on whether the skintones are too yellowish. They actually look ok to me. Hope i do not need to calibarate my eyes
QUOTE]
If I'm not wrong, your 1st pic is shot using the 50mm f1.8...If u are shooting portrait that will literally fill up your screen (eg half-body or neck-to-face shoot) and u are using "Single point" or "Dynamic area" on AF-area mode, as well u are using "Normal zone" on "Center focus point" mode, then be careful that your "Center-weighted area" do not set too small (eg. 6mm diameter) else your subject of the four corner will be blur.
To overcome this, set your "Center-weighted area" to 10mm diameter under the "Metering/exposure" control custom setting...this will tell the camera to have a more wider area of center-focus point (vs 6mm diameter where center-focus area is smaller, hence subject of the four corner will be blur).
Are u using pop-up flash with "orange" diffuser?
One way to test your surrounding exposure against human skin-tone is to set your Picture Control to "Neutral", Image quality to "Fine", Active D-Lighting to "Off", Color space to "sRGB", Whilte Balance to "4170 K"(under Choose color temp.).
All these parameters can be set under "Shooting Menu". White Balance "4170 K" will give u the normal lighting skin-tone that we see with our eyes...however, this setting must compliment with rest of the parameters setting mention above.
If u find the surrounding exposure having too much amber lighting, using the White Balance "4170 K" as a bendmark, u can tone down the color by reducing the White Balance "K" to 3700 K or 3570 K,etc. Basically, the lower the value of the White Balance is the cooler the skin-tone will be...subsequently the higher the value of the White Balance the "warmer" or more yellowish/orange the skin-tone will be.
If u are using flashgun or pop-up flash, set your White Balance no less than "5000 K" value.
Hope this help...
Cheers^^
I honestly don't know what you're talking about. TS is concern with white balance and colour and you are going on about blurred corners and stuff. For your information, metering modes don't affect the focusing and corner sharpness.
And lastly, have you heard of custom white balance?
nottipiglet
New Member
the skin tone in this image may not accurate to the real person but it sure looks pleasing to me (viewed on my default MBP screen).
i've noticed quite a few doctors here.
I think you should calibrate your monitor. I have compared the default of Fujitsu, Lenovo and Dell laptops side by side with a calibrated monitor. My friend did it with a MBP. They are all visibly off.
You will never feel that it's off because our eyes adjust to colour cast very quickly. That is why we think that fluorescent is white, when there is actually a rather strong green hue.
oh.. thank u for the pointer, can give brief description as how / what I need to calibrate it?
currently i don't have a printer, so i don't need calibrate? correct or wrong?
nottipiglet
New Member
oh.. thank u for the pointer, can give brief description as how / what I need to calibrate it?
currently i don't have a printer, so i don't need calibrate? correct or wrong?
Calibrating the monitor is not the same as calibrating the printer. I usually send my photos to the photo developing shops, so I don't need to calibrate the printer also.
A calibrated monitor shows the colour and contrast as what you should actually see (or close). There are many brands of devices that can help you calibrate the monitor. I use the Colorvision Spyder3 Pro. There are others like X-rite EyeOne.
sgfreestyler
Senior Member
I like to seek opinion on whether the skintones are too yellowish. They actually look ok to me. Hope i do not need to calibarate my eyes
QUOTE]
If I'm not wrong, your 1st pic is shot using the 50mm f1.8...If u are shooting portrait that will literally fill up your screen (eg half-body or neck-to-face shoot) and u are using "Single point" or "Dynamic area" on AF-area mode, as well u are using "Normal zone" on "Center focus point" mode, then be careful that your "Center-weighted area" do not set too small (eg. 6mm diameter) else your subject of the four corner will be blur.
To overcome this, set your "Center-weighted area" to 10mm diameter under the "Metering/exposure" control custom setting...this will tell the camera to have a more wider area of center-focus point (vs 6mm diameter where center-focus area is smaller, hence subject of the four corner will be blur).
Are u using pop-up flash with "orange" diffuser?
One way to test your surrounding exposure against human skin-tone is to set your Picture Control to "Neutral", Image quality to "Fine", Active D-Lighting to "Off", Color space to "sRGB", Whilte Balance to "4170 K"(under Choose color temp.).
All these parameters can be set under "Shooting Menu". White Balance "4170 K" will give u the normal lighting skin-tone that we see with our eyes...however, this setting must compliment with rest of the parameters setting mention above.
If u find the surrounding exposure having too much amber lighting, using the White Balance "4170 K" as a bendmark, u can tone down the color by reducing the White Balance "K" to 3700 K or 3570 K,etc. Basically, the lower the value of the White Balance is the cooler the skin-tone will be...subsequently the higher the value of the White Balance the "warmer" or more yellowish/orange the skin-tone will be.
If u are using flashgun or pop-up flash, set your White Balance no less than "5000 K" value.
Hope this help...
Cheers^^
wow... thanks for sharing ...
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