Thread: washed out photos always having to colour correct

Take a selection of your 'average' pics, - like Fido here - to a Quality printer and get some larger prints made. Expect to pay lots of dollars for each one.
Then, a day or so later, take your enhanced versions down to the same place for the same-sze prints. Compare. Ask for their comments.

You may find that your monitor needs adjustment or replacement.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news !

On my $300 ACER LCD monitor, the original dog looks more realistic, the brightened one looks like a refugee from "National Geographic" magazine. (Over the top brightness and artificially black shadow areas, suitable for the American taste...)
Cheers

James

What are your settings in the camera, vivid?
Which software are you using to PP the nef files?
Have your D80 Image enhancement options like the D200?
If yes, is in auto?
Have it Tone compensation like the D200?
If yes, is in auto?

Here's your washed out pic of your hound, run through "Auto levels" in Photoshop.
- I would'nt want to see it any brighter or saturated than this (on my monitor and for my tastes...)

What do you think ?

Olden-Days James...

That still looks very washed out just not as flatt as my original. on my computer

perhaps it is my monitor that needs calibrating.

Chucaro

My D80

Optimized image = normal
image quality = Raw
White balance = auto
iso = 100
tone = auto
Sharpness = auto
colour/hue = mode1a, 0 what ever the hell that means

Picture taken in Aperture priority

processed by lightroom3 64x


to look at the picture on the camera itself it looks fine...but when I get it on comp it looks washed out.

this laptop is 12months old so hopefully if it is the screen it just needs adjusting.

and even on the histogram all the RGB's are through the central collumns and looks like it should be a well balanced photo in terms of colour etc.

The photo was taken at f4 at 200mm and 1/200sec so again this should of been ok I think.

Maybe I need to purchase capture NX or something like that to see if there is a difference. I'm still waiting on my new computer arrival so will have to save up to get a monitor calibrator as well I guess

how weird

I just relooked back at this thread and I totally agree with you superquag!!!

the top picture does look far more natural and doesn't appear that washed out either now!!

I can't really explain it other than I'm now looking at my laptop in the lounge room under incandescent lighting rather than in my kitchen earlier in bright natural lighting...

could it be the way my screen is its got that kind of shiney reflective type look to it (if that makes sense)? why would those pictures look so different to me at different times of the day????

Still I have solved the picture problem is the short term I took the colour out

to me the picture works better in black and white anyway

Dullbird, post processing your images in a laptop is a no-no
You do not need to invest in a top monitor my suggestion is to get a Samsung to plug in your LT.
I have a cheap Samsung SyncMaster 940n and my images need very little adjustment on the Pro monitors before printing.
The only adjustment is that some time my images are a tad dark but this can be because I like dark images and alsio my eyes.
If you do not use Nikon Capture to PP your nef files then the parameters selected in your D80 are ignored by the third party software.
I believe that PSCS5 is OK but I have not tested it.

Love the dog I am suffering the withdrawls since we lost Clara and I think that in our next house we will have another one.

Originally Posted by Chucaro

<snip> post processing your images in a laptop is a no-no</snip>

Hi Chucaro, does this recommendation stand if the laptop monitor is calibrated? I have a Spider 3 calibrating watsit, and the calibration makes quite a difference. With the monitor uncalibrated my photos look washed out, with poor contrast, but they are much better with the calibration on. However I find my photos look even better on my Plasma TV....

Sorry to hijack your thread DB

Cheers,

Tim

YESSS,,, B&W rules !!!

Laptop ??? No wonder things don't look right! - As you've found, ambient light has a big(er) influence on the colour rendition, the cheaper the screen the more it changes.

Monitor calibration is the thing you need, and as Chucaro points out, spending the Greek National Debt is not required to get something better than most laptops!

My own preference for rendition is top-end CRT (Old fashioned 'glass' ) screens, but realistically they're few and far between 2nd hand, and non-existant new. Sadly, my new computer's video card does'nt like my glass screen.

Aim for the absolute minimum of post-processing. Or should I be blunt and call it 'manipulation'. of what should'nt be there...or trying to add what is'nt.

Try and get the original image as close to perfect as possible going IN to the camera, even if it means studying the handbook cover to cover.


James in Gosnells,
Retired Graphics / Pre-Press Technician