Colour Temp, match colours, skin

Bend The Light

Hi all,

I did a shoot in my little studio last night. The model is not actually a model, and it wasn't a paid shoot, just a learning shoot.

My question:

I have issues with making consistent colours, temperature, etc across a group of images. I should have set custom WB in the studio to help, but i didn't (:huh).

So how would I get these two images looking consistent using CS5? make the first match the second, basically, as i am happy with the second. I just don't know the best tool to use, or if it is possible to do effectively. I am colour blind, which doesn't help...I can match colours to some extent, but would probably miss a colour cast or something if it wasn't so obvious.

Next time I WILL remember Custom WB!!


Hannah v2 colour temp by http://bendthelight.me.uk, on Flickr


Hannah v1 by http://bendthelight.me.uk, on Flickr

Bend The Light

Is this more like it?


Hannah v2 by http://bendthelight.me.uk, on Flickr

Richard

Are you shooting raw? If so, you can just copy the tint and temp from 2 to 1 in ACR. If you have many images, use the ACR synchronize function.

Bend The Light

Richard wrote: »

Are you shooting raw? If so, you can just copy the tint and temp from 2 to 1 in ACR. If you have many images, use the ACR synchronize function.

Yes. I did that with the reworked one above. I put the new RAW file in ACR with the completed JPG from the previous one...then synchronised. The second image looked a little bland, so did a little in PS to sort it. not sure I've matched it all, though.

I suppose I need to do global adjustments like that in ACR at the start...

Richard

Bend The Light wrote: »

Is this more like it?

The rework is better, but it still looks redder than the one you like. If you are color blind, measurement is probably a good idea. The Dan Margulis guideline is that for Caucasians the A and B channels should both be positive and B should be somewhat greater than A. Both #2 and #3 are showing A greater than B in most of the skin areas, but the difference is greater in #3 than #2, which corresponds to my subjective impression.

basflt

open both pics
-windows > arrange > tile
select the "wrong" one
-Image > adjustments > match color
-in source pane , select the other pic
- now , play along with the various settings

save statistics for use on multiple images in a series

Bend The Light

Richard wrote: »

Are you shooting raw? If so, you can just copy the tint and temp from 2 to 1 in ACR. If you have many images, use the ACR synchronize function.

basflt wrote: »

open both pics
-windows > arrange > tile
select the "wrong" one
-Image > adjustments > match color
-in source pane , select the other pic
- now , play along with the various settings

save statistics for use on multiple images in a series

Yeah, I had another go at that...got a little better. I definitely need to be more consisten at the time of the shoot, though. Cheers

Sam

I might be missing something here but if your shooting with strobes the temp should be consistent. You can use a custom WB and / or take the first shot with a gray card in the frame and white balance off that in post.

Sam

Bend The Light

Sam wrote: »

I might be missing something here but if your shooting with strobes the temp should be consistent. You can use a custom WB and / or take the first shot with a gray card in the frame and white balance off that in post.

Sam

Yes, that is what should be the case...but for somereason it isn't. Both shots above are taken in the same session, but with AWB in the camera, they came out different. I need to use Custom WB so the camera isn't adjusting all the time.

pathfinder

Was her dress black?

Can you use the eye dropper on her dress for a true neutral, or was it a dark blue?

Bend The Light

Sam wrote: »

I might be missing something here but if your shooting with strobes the temp should be consistent. You can use a custom WB and / or take the first shot with a gray card in the frame and white balance off that in post.

Sam

pathfinder wrote: »

Was her dress black?

Can you use the eye dropper on her dress for a true neutral, or was it a dark blue?

It was black. So, in curves, use the black dropper? Worth a try...

...I ahve managed to work things out using ACR, and think I am getting consostent now. But always good to know what can be done after that stage.

Cheers

Bend The Light

I did some more processing, used the copy/paste settings in ACR and bridge to make them all the same to start with. Then tried to do the same processing with each in PS. Here are a few just to compare. I think they look quite close...what do you think?


Hannah v5 by http://bendthelight.me.uk, on Flickr


Hannah v8 by http://bendthelight.me.uk, on Flickr


Hannah v10 by http://bendthelight.me.uk, on Flickr


Hannah v13 by http://bendthelight.me.uk, on Flickr

Thanks