Lightroom tip to achieve this colour tone?

[blacksheep]

Hi,
I have been wondering for a while, what kind of filter/colour preset to achieve this kind of tone in the example photos here.
It's taken on a very sunny day but the harsh light is nicely toned down.
Does anyone have an idea??

Cheers,
Mari

[nimitzbenedicto]

HI,

Have you tried the "Whites" and/or "Highlights" shifters?

[DanK]

Mari,

What you are asking about is often called "tonal adjustments" or "tonality adjustments," but a better term might be "luminosity adjustments." You are changing how bright or dark the image is, but not the entire image. For example, you might want to darken the entire image, or to darken the brightest areas but not the darker ones. This is really not a problem for presets. For the best results, you need to decide what you want to change and then learn how to make the change.

The lightroom tonality adjustments are explained in a lot of places, but a good place to start might be here:
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/te...htroom_4.shtml. This explains adjustments that affect all areas in the entire image that have similar brightness. for example, the whites and highlights sliders Victor mentioned will adjust the brightest areas in the entire image. The other approach is to lighten or darken specific areas. This is called "dodging" or "burning," which is a reference to the old days of using enlargers. In Lightroom, you would do this with the adjustment brush.

[pnodrog]

One approach could be to slightly under expose (-0.7 or 1 stop maybe a bit more) and then boost shadows in PP to recover detail in both shadow and mid-tones.

[chauncey]

what kind of filter/colour preset to achieve this kind of tone in the example photos here.

I gotta ask Mari, are those your images...you should know how they were processed

One approach could be to slightly under expose (-0.7 or 1 stop maybe a bit more)

I was under the impression that proper exposure results in less noise introduced by PP...you're much
better off starting with that proper exposure and dialing down the darks when needed.

[blacksheep]

HI,

Have you tried the "Whites" and/or "Highlights" shifters?

Yes, but I still could not reach the result like these I wanted.

[blacksheep]

Mari,

What you are asking about is often called "tonal adjustments" or "tonality adjustments," but a better term might be "luminosity adjustments." You are changing how bright or dark the image is, but not the entire image. For example, you might want to darken the entire image, or to darken the brightest areas but not the darker ones. This is really not a problem for presets. For the best results, you need to decide what you want to change and then learn how to make the change.

The lightroom tonality adjustments are explained in a lot of places, but a good place to start might be here:
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/te...htroom_4.shtml. This explains adjustments that affect all areas in the entire image that have similar brightness. for example, the whites and highlights sliders Victor mentioned will adjust the brightest areas in the entire image. The other approach is to lighten or darken specific areas. This is called "dodging" or "burning," which is a reference to the old days of using enlargers. In Lightroom, you would do this with the adjustment brush.

"dodging" or "burning"! I remember that! I used to do that in a darkroom. I do try a lot of things (probably too much) on Lightroom with the brush and gradation filter, but it's still hard to reach this kind of colour... I wonder why?

[blacksheep]

One approach could be to slightly under expose (-0.7 or 1 stop maybe a bit more) and then boost shadows in PP to recover detail in both shadow and mid-tones.

I see! That I've never tried.. I will try that next time.

[blacksheep]

I gotta ask Mari, are those your images...you should know how they were processed

I was under the impression that proper exposure results in less noise introduced by PP...you're much
better off starting with that proper exposure and dialing down the darks when needed.

No, these are not my images of course

I notice that everyone answers about the light, but do you all think it is only about it? I feel the colour tone in these images are...kind of "outdated"? but not in a retrospective sense. Or am I wrong??

[chauncey]

No, these are not my images of course

Then you should be providing a link to them as opposed to displaying them yourself, its etiquette.

[pnodrog]

I was under the impression that proper exposure results in less noise introduced by PP...you're much
better off starting with that proper exposure and dialing down the darks when needed.

I was just suggesting a way of mimicking the sample photographs. Most noise that I have had to deal with is not introduced by PP but is produced by the sensor/amplifier particularly at high ISO settings. Excessive shadow recovery in PP merely makes it more obvious. The conditions being discussed do not require high ISO but rather a method of compressing the dynamic range without using HDR techniques. The sample photographs look a bit flat to me and I was just suggesting a relatively easy and conservative approach that may produce a similar effect. Certainly risking a bit of ETTR and pulling the highlights down is an alternative approach but light skin tones and white clothing will have a greater risk of blowing out.

The best exposure is the one that gets the results you want and is not necessarily what your camera assumes is the "proper exposure". If a camera knew the proper exposure it would not need to have exposure compensation available...

[nimitzbenedicto]

The best exposure is the one that gets the results you want and is not necessarily what your camera assumes is the "proper exposure". If a camera knew the proper exposure it would not need to have exposure compensation available...

Zakly! I like the way you simplified it. Cool!

[Black Pearl]

You really need to edit your post so you are linking to these shot - if the photographer were to come across you using them they would be within their rights to send you an invoice....a big one at that.

[Mike Buckley]

taken on a very sunny day but the harsh light is nicely toned down.

I disagree, Mari. The sky is heavily cloudy, which explains why the light on the subjects is rather diffused. Perhaps most important, I think the post-processing, if not inadequate, at least shouldn't be anything most people would want to emulate.

[Glenn NK]

I disagree, Mari. The sky is heavily cloudy, which explains why the light on the subjects is rather diffused. Perhaps most important, I think the post-processing, if not inadequate, at least shouldn't be anything most people would want to emulate.

Mike, you pretty well took the words out of my mouth - I don't see anything particularly good about any aspect of these images, particularly the colours - in fact if they were mine, they'd have been deleted very soon after looking at them in Lightroom.

They look to me like the product of a not very good cell phone, or a RAW SOOC.

Sorry, but that's how I see them.

Glenn

[blacksheep]

Then you should be providing a link to them as opposed to displaying them yourself, its etiquette.

! I should have known that, sorry. Hm....I took them from internet as reference. Not sure what link I got them from anymore.

[blacksheep]

Oh! I found it!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...4639704&type=1

[blacksheep]

You really need to edit your post so you are linking to these shot - if the photographer were to come across you using them they would be within their rights to send you an invoice....a big one at that.

Yes, I am sorry. I now found where they come from :
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...4639704&type=1

[blacksheep]

I disagree, Mari. The sky is heavily cloudy, which explains why the light on the subjects is rather diffused. Perhaps most important, I think the post-processing, if not inadequate, at least shouldn't be anything most people would want to emulate.

I thought it was sunny because I was there at the event.... but now I look at the first photograph and indeed I see a cloudy sky.
How do you mean by your last line?

[Mike Buckley]

The reasons I don't like them:

The first two images are so flat (lacking mid-tone contrast) that they almost appear as if I am looking through a thin layer of gauze. In the third image, the skin tones are unnaturally red and the dark tones lack detail even though they aren't very dark.

Notice that those issues pertain only to color. That's because you praised the color. I have many other issues not worth mentioning pertaining to other characteristics.