Bluish Tinge using flash

[RonH]

I recently purchased Nikon D3000 with which I am very pleased.
Experimenting now with the built in flash at night indoors where the background lighting in the room is normal incandescent light bulbs.
Pics taken are great but I seem to get a bluish tinge on for example the light colour walls in the background. Is this due to the strength of the flash verses the background incandescent lighting ... If I increase the flash strength it seems to help to correct the colour cast but then the flash is too powerful.
I have tried all the various settings including the flash settings specific to the type of lighting but on Auto seems to give the best result. I have also tried the camera on full auto and on 'P'. In post production with PSE8 I think that I will be able to overcome this tinge.
I am using jpeg and have yet to try the RAW settings where I guess I will be able to control this at photo stage.
I can only conclude its 'lighting combination' but what is the usual solution? Would appreciate your advice as to the best way to solve this irritation.
Ron

[Jim B.]

If you shoot in RAW you can deal with the colour cast easily in post.You can also get CTO(colour temp orange) gels to put on your flash that will get you close to matching the incandescent lights.Do a search for "CTO gels for flash".You'll get some better information.

[Colin Southern]

What is the usual solution? Would appreciate your advice as to the best way to solve this irritation.

Hi Ron,

It's due to mixed temperature lighting, and the solution is to use "gels" over the flash: CTB for flourescent lighting (Colour Temperature Blue) and CTO for tungsten lighting (Colour Temperature Orange).

Basically a gel is just a "fancy" word for "coloured cellophane" (sp?) - I'm a Canon shooter, but I understand that (at least) some Nikon flashes have a built-in gel holder.

Hope this helps

PS: The other option is to use something like a Lightsphere to diffuse the flash light and just over-power the room lighting - not a very elegant solution, but works to a degree ("depending").

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Ron,

You're correct it is the mixture of light sources (being different colour temperatures) that is the cause of the problem - and since you cannot have one or the other predominant, a simple colour temp correction in PP won't fix it either. I suppose if you mask areas and treat on a different layer, you may be able to selectively apply it in just the flash lit areas, how practical that is depends on the subject(s) and/or background.

The CTO gels idea from Jim is the way to go, but won't be an instant fix if you have to mail order it.

Here's an idea; for a flash head as small as the D3000's built in flash, I'd be tempted to experiment with suitably coloured materials around the home, sweet wrappers come to mind, if you can find a pale orange transparent one. If you have some that are too pale, double the thickness. It won't be right and it may not look pretty, but it may go some considerable way to be acceptable, at least for now.

Cheers,

[Colin Southern]

The CTO gels idea from Jim is the way to go, but won't be an instant fix if you have to mail order it.

Ironically, I get mine from England! Dirt cheap too by the way (and they take credit cards) - easiest just to set a set of 1/4, 1/2, and full CTO and CTB.

[RonH]

Gosh ... I got something right for a change!
Thanks guys for all your inputs; great idea the lolly wrapper!

Can I also say that I have looked at quite a few 'photo' web sites/forums and I reckon that Cambridge is the best. keep up the good work for us novices ... I hope you don't mind if this 'learner' asks some dumb questions at times!
Ron

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Ron,

You're welcome

There's no such thing as a dumb question, and often it's the 'simple' ones that challenge us the most.
I find although I might think I know an answer, when I start writing, I often find I need to do more research to ensure I explain it correctly and in that process, I learn to, so we all win.

Of course we're the best!

Cheers,

[RonH]

I'm still looking to find a supplier in Norway of diffusers that fit over the built-in flash on my Nikon D3000 to rid the 'blue tinge' caused by competing lighting ... or satisfactory 'sweet paper'! Might have to go down the track of eBay and import the items.
As a temporary solution, I have up'd the flash output to +0.7 which I find helps quite a bit ... +1.0 is over exposing.
Just wondering if any other D3000 users have found this to be a problem and have come up with alternative solutions?

[Colin Southern]

I'm still looking to find a supplier in Norway of diffusers that fit over the built-in flash on my Nikon D3000 to rid the 'blue tinge' caused by competing lighting ... or satisfactory 'sweet paper'! Might have to go down the track of eBay and import the items.
As a temporary solution, I have up'd the flash output to +0.7 which I find helps quite a bit ... +1.0 is over exposing.
Just wondering if any other D3000 users have found this to be a problem and have come up with alternative solutions?

Hi Ron,

Mixed temperature lighting is always a potential problem. If you're not considering an external flash (which you'd also have to gel if you're just using it for fill flash), have you thought about something like a Gary Fong Puffer, with an appropriate gel?

Or plan B, get an external flash + a lightsphere, and just over-power most of the room lighting.

[john w revie]

Ron
Another way around the problem of mixed lighting (if your printer can print on old type overhead transparencies) photograph the room under the same condition you will use for the final photo open this file in photoshop invert the colour and print to the transparency. You now have the correct colour gel for those conditions.
john

[RonH]

Hi Ron,

Mixed temperature lighting is always a potential problem. ...have you thought about something like a Gary Fong Puffer,

Thanks for this input Colin. Overnight, I have done some more web searches and come up with
http://www.premier-ink.co.uk/photogr...es-p-2318.html
which looks very similar to Gary Fong's but is much cheaper and has 3 filters. Will negotiate with them to 'export' to Norway or get someone in the UK to buy it for me. Looks to be a really good and cheap solution and it fits most DSLR's.
At present, I do not have a real use for an external flash ... but one day

[RonH]

Ron
Another way around the problem of mixed lighting (if your printer can print on old type overhead transparencies) photograph the room under the same condition you will use for the final photo open this file in photoshop invert the colour and print to the transparency. You now have the correct colour gel for those conditions.
john

Thanks for this John ... clever way of getting an exact colour!

[Colin Southern]

Thanks for this input Colin. Overnight, I have done some more web searches and come up with
http://www.premier-ink.co.uk/photogr...es-p-2318.html
which looks very similar to Gary Fong's but is much cheaper)

Yep - Imitation will always be cheaper than innovation I'll bet Gary Fong sleeps better at night though

[RonH]

Yep - Imitation will always be cheaper than innovation I'll bet Gary Fong sleeps better at night though

He sure will ... but the cheap one has THREE diffusers . Probably did the usual 'under the counter' deal with the plastic mount manufacturer ... being the most expensive component eg mold costs don't come cheap and you need 'oooos squashed out of it to get a reasonable unit price.

[Colin Southern]

Probably did the usual 'under the counter' deal with the plastic mount manufacturer ... being the most expensive component eg mold costs don't come cheap and you need 'oooos squashed out of it to get a reasonable unit price.

Probably designing the original molds would be quite expensive, but don't forget that these are counterfeight, and simply based on a sampled copy of the Fong product. I read Gary's book a few months ago (good read too - I've got a lot of respect for what he's achieved) - and I wouldn't mind betting that some of these counterfeiters will end up handing over a big portion of the proceeds in a lawsuit.

[RonH]

... and I wouldn't mind betting that some of these counterfeiters will end up handing over a big portion of the proceeds in a lawsuit.

Spot on Colin ... I had personal experience of 'mold stealing' many years ago (communications industry - lots of plastics) but in this case it occurred at the plastics manufacturer, 'on-selling'. In those days design was also costly but the actual mold manufacture cost heaps. Happens a lot ... hope Gary has his mold under lock and key.

Book sound good ... will try to pin down a copy.