sodium lighting correction

[gshybrid]

Shooting at night in european cities can be a color correction challenge. Most shots are hopelessly yellow like the first two shots.
Sometimes it does make for some interesting stage-like lighting as in the latter pictures.

 

[Rob-F]

I wouldn't call these "hopelessly yellow." They strike me as closer to "la vie en rose." Not unpleasant!

 

[Jason Sprenger]

Where there's life there's hope

Where there's life there's hope

When I encounter such issues and things seem hopeless to me, I feel no qualms about making it right in Photoshop. In sodium lights, the spectrum can be so narrow that there may not be enough color information to balance.

In such a case, if I desire a color image, I'd take certain picture elements down to black & white and "paint" some color back into a color blending layer. Basically, what in the old days would have been called "tinting".

With apologies, I quickly applied this technique to the first photo. Of course, whether it is effective or even remains a "true" photograph is a matter for debate.

 

[gshybrid]

When I encounter such issues and things seem hopeless to me, I feel no qualms about making it right in Photoshop. In sodium lights, the spectrum can be so narrow that there may not be enough color information to balance.

In such a case, if I desire a color image, I'd take certain picture elements down to black & white and "paint" some color back into a color blending layer. Basically, what in the old days would have been called "tinting".

With apologies, I quickly applied this technique to the first photo. Of course, whether it is effective or even remains a "true" photograph is a matter for debate.

Interesting try... it would probably work better on the original raw file. One problem is the different light sources for the foreground and background. I might try to select the background and balance it separately, but in camera raw I was unable to get my wife's face to look natural under any combination of levels.

 

[Pablito]

In my experience, it is impossible to correct color with sodium vapor lamps.

 

[anabasis]

It's not full spectrum lighting, so there will always be a color cast. I am sure that you saw the same cast when you took the photograph. Besides adding color in PP, there isn't much you can do. In this kind of light, I always shoot B&W or convert to B&W in post.

 

[jaapv]

The only thing I did was run easy filter (PS plugin) over it:

 

[jaapv]

And for this one I used LAB, applied some strong corrections in the curves of A and B channels, desaturated some red in RGB and applied a black and grey point in levels, reduced midtone contrast. But as others mentioned, there will always be some cast left.

 

[gshybrid]

The only thing I did was run easy filter (PS plugin) over it:

Thanks Jaap... I 'm going to give that plugin a try.

 

[Damaso]

The first photo looks fine to me....

 

[jaapv]

Not to me, the site seems to have eaten my attachment... I think the skin tone in original shot looks like undercooked cookie dough.

 

[ampguy]

odd thing - I could never get proper WB under sodium lighting with the RD1, but can with the M8 (with a custom setting and piece of white paper) - same gym, same lighting.

 

[jaapv]

odd thing - I could never get proper WB under sodium lighting with the RD1, but can with the M8 (with a custom setting and piece of white paper) - same gym, same lighting.

Not so odd - Given that the RD1 is a Nikon D70 in drag, and that Leica wrote very elaborate white balance algorithms for the M8, it would be surprising if this were not the case.

 

[ampguy]

jaapv

jaapv

aren't they basically temp settings in kelvin? The M8 still doesn't auto detect it right, need to use a custom setting.

Not so odd - Given that the RD1 is a Nikon D70 in drag, and that Leica wrote very elaborate white balance algorithms for the M8, it would be surprising if this were not the case.

 

[jaapv]

Not just the Kelvin setting - which translates as yellow-blue, but there is the red-green balance as well, and the magenta... It seems to be one of the hardest things to get right, especially under this kind of artificial discontinuous light, so it is indeed a matter of interpretation by the software writers.

 

[gshybrid]

I usually just use Camera Raw for color balance. Here I balanced the background separately from the foreground in Photoshop and the results are a lot better. I used a fuzzy edged selection in the middle of my wife's hair. With careful edge control I think I can make it acceptable.

 

[jaapv]

The background was indeed still bothering me - but I was to lazy to do a layer mask I would desaturate it a bit I think. The face color in mine is a bit orange - but yours is a bit blue I would say. It is indeed very difficult light.