{"id":7235,"date":"2003-03-30T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2003-03-30T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.wordpress\/?p=7235"},"modified":"2024-06-08T18:24:41","modified_gmt":"2024-06-08T22:24:41","slug":"color-balancing-digital-images-after-they-are-captured","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/color-balancing-digital-images-after-they-are-captured\/","title":{"rendered":"Color Balancing Digital Images After They Are Captured"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nobody\u2019s perfect.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sometimes the color in your photographs, whether captured digitally or on film, are not quite what you want. Or maybe you\u2019re trying to restore an old, faded print using digital copy and restoration techniques, and are frustrated by color shifts in old prints. In the movie industry, fixing images after they\u2019re made is called \u201cpost-production,\u201d but I prefer to think of it as enhancing an image to create the scene as it was or was previsualized in your mind\u2019s eye.<\/p>\n

Photoshop Variations<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the simplest ways to correct color is to use Adobe Photoshop\u2019s Variations (Image>Adjustments>Variations) function. Experienced darkroom workers will recognize this dialog box as a \u201cring-around\u201d that shows how different color filters or exposure changes will affect the final image. Use a slider to increase the differences between colors and density. Simply move it back and forth to make large or small changes. If you have Adobe Photoshop, Variations is a good place to start and it\u2019s been a part of the package since version 4.01.<\/p>\n

The faded print at left is a photograph of one of my wife\u2019s oldest friends who recently passed away. Using just Photoshop\u2019s built-in Variations, I was able to clean up some of the color shifts caused buy age and improper storage.<\/p>\n

Balance of power<\/strong><\/p>\n

If Variations is like training wheels and you want more power, there are many power tools availalbe. Photoshop plugins quickly accomplish tasks that would take some time and effort (and, perhaps, some experimentation) in Photoshop itself without them.<\/p>\n

Keeping in mind that plug-ins may change web sites, parent companies and product names, here are a few examples of useful products:<\/p>\n