Is there a way to turn an overcast day into a sunny one?

haringharing Registered Users Posts: 281 Major grins
edited September 23, 2014 in Finishing School
How do you turn an overcast day into a sunny day?
I have tried to adjust white balance and pulled up the yellows but I am just not totally happy with the results. The photos are warmer but it lacks the happy sunny glow. Is there a way to adjust/edit the the image so it looks like the photo was taken in a sunny day?

Thanks!

Comments

  • pathfinderpathfinder Super Moderators Posts: 14,694 moderator
    edited September 6, 2014
    I think you are asking how to change a shot captured on a hazy overcast day to look like it was shot on a sunny day by editing in Photoshop, maybe?

    (This was in the Technique thread which is about how to shoot a camera and light an image, specifically not about image processing, which is discussed in Finishing School the other forum in this area. )

    I will move this to Finishing School and you may get your answer there

    My personal thought is that even if you can balance the color to match a sunny day, the soft light of an overcast day does not resemble the hard light and shadows of a sunny day in any way...But maybe there are folks who know an editing secret I don't.

    The other way to deal with soft, flat, blue overcast light is to add some warmed flash to add the pop you are looking for at the time of shooting.
    Pathfinder - www.pathfinder.smugmug.com

    Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 23,764 moderator
    edited September 6, 2014
    Pathfinder is absolutely correct, which should come as no surprise. thumb.gif Shadows, and lack of shadows, will always give away sunny and overcast images to their light source.

    If you wish to make overcast images more similar to bright sunshine images, it helps to understand the key differences:
    White Balance
    Black Balance
    Color Balance (including hue and tint)
    Color Saturation
    Dynamic Range
    Vibrance

    Aside from adding flash, which may be required for either light situation and subject orientation, one can use Photoshop and an add-in to assist in some of the heavy work. To this end, the add-in I choose is iCorrect Portrait.

    After basic white balance processing, I open iCorrect Portrait and process brightness, contrast, white color balance (subtly different from white balance) as well as black color balance and memory color (generally flesh tones). This is generally just a few mouse clicks and iCorrect Portrait makes the process pretty straight forward.

    After closing iCorrect Portrait, final tweak the image using a second image simultaneously showing one of your typical bright sunshine images. You may have to adjust saturation and vibrance, for instance. After you are finished with the process, the two images should compare favorably.

    Here is a video showing how iCorrect Portrait works:
    http://youtu.be/lVELa-rbB4Q

    A page showing the relationship between saturation and vibrance:
    http://digital-photography-school.com/vibrance-vs-saturation-in-plain-english/
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • PeanoPeano Registered Users Posts: 268 Major grins
    edited September 10, 2014
    haring wrote: »
    How do you turn an overcast day into a sunny day?
    I have tried to adjust white balance and pulled up the yellows but I am just not totally happy with the results. The photos are warmer but it lacks the happy sunny glow. Is there a way to adjust/edit the the image so it looks like the photo was taken in a sunny day?

    Thanks!

    It depends on the image. Can you post it?

    For example . . .

    BEFORE:
    NYC-1_zps57021f6e.jpg

    AFTER:
    NYC-2_zps2d106fb5.jpg
  • pathfinderpathfinder Super Moderators Posts: 14,694 moderator
    edited September 20, 2014
    Oh come on, Peano, you didn't tell the OP HOW to do it. lol3.gif

    You just demonstrated that YOU can do it, sort of.... :lurk

    We can't see that shadows in this image but it looks pretty good, I will grant you. thumb.gif
    Pathfinder - www.pathfinder.smugmug.com

    Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
  • PeanoPeano Registered Users Posts: 268 Major grins
    edited September 20, 2014
    pathfinder wrote: »
    Oh come on, Peano, you didn't tell the OP HOW to do it. lol3.gif

    A couple of points.

    1. It would take a very long time to explain how I did this image. To give you some idea, here's what the layer stack looks like:

    layers.jpg

    2. Even if I explained all the steps that I used here, they can't be simply transferred to a different image -- and I have no idea what sort of image the OP is working with. What worked for my image might totally wreck his image. That's why I asked if he could post it.
  • pathfinderpathfinder Super Moderators Posts: 14,694 moderator
    edited September 20, 2014
    My point exactly - I think the OP was looking for a recipe that will transform any shot on an overcast, grey day to a nice sunny image.

    As you demonstrated, it can be done to an extent for a specific image, but as you said "they can't simply be transferred to a different image"


    I think you did a good job of converting the grey image you posted to a sunny day, better than I would have thought likely.
    Pathfinder - www.pathfinder.smugmug.com

    Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
  • haringharing Registered Users Posts: 281 Major grins
    edited September 21, 2014
    Peano wrote: »
    It depends on the image. Can you post it?

    For example . . .

    BEFORE:
    NYC-1_zps57021f6e.jpg

    AFTER:
    NYC-2_zps2d106fb5.jpg
    WOW!!!!
    You are a magician!!!
  • PeanoPeano Registered Users Posts: 268 Major grins
    edited September 22, 2014
    haring wrote: »
    WOW!!!!
    You are a magician!!!

    Not really ... but thanks!
  • pathfinderpathfinder Super Moderators Posts: 14,694 moderator
    edited September 22, 2014
    But pretty close!
    Pathfinder - www.pathfinder.smugmug.com

    Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 23,764 moderator
    edited September 22, 2014
    haring wrote: »
    WOW!!!!
    You are a magician!!!
    Peano wrote: »
    Not really ... but thanks!

    Arthur C. Clarke's third Law:

    3) Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • PeanoPeano Registered Users Posts: 268 Major grins
    edited September 23, 2014
    ziggy53 wrote: »
    Arthur C. Clarke's third Law:

    3) Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

    That rings true. A few months ago I had arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. To me it is just magic that they can go in with no incision and make such intricate repairs.
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