Help me with my new dslr, some pics have washed out colors.

[camille1585]

I hoping that some of you photography experts can help me with a problem. A month ago I bought a DLSR camera (Canon 600D/T3i) and while I’m very very happy with it overall, I’ve run into some problems in getting accurate colors for some of my orchids. Below are 2 photos of my Phal Wiganiae, the first taken with my compact camera, and the colors are extremely accurate, though maybe a little bit oversaturated. The second one is taken with the DSLR, and as you can see, the colors are washed out. The pink on the petals is pale, and there is almost zero color on the lip Both photos, though taken a year apart, were taken in similar conditions, ie. natural light and indoors.
I’ve tried changing the white balance (both in camera while shooting JPEG, and shoot RAW then change on computer), and I just can’t get the colors anywhere NEAR what the compact can do. As a side note, what I really like on the compact is the foliage mode, the colors are more vivid. I can hardly imagine this being an issue with the camera, so I must be missing something in the camera settings…
So, any tips on how I can improve?



wiganiae compact camera by Camille1585, on Flickr


Wiganiae 600D by Camille1585, on Flickr

[Val]

You may want to change the metering method. The dark background is likely to fool the camera into over-exposing the whole picture (hence the washed-out colors).
Try center-weighted metering, even spot-metering.

[silken]

I agree with Val. Although your black background looks nice and dark, which is what the camera would be trying to brighten up.

Another thought is if you were using a tripod, with a DSLR you need to cover the eye piece if your face is not blocking it (if you used a remote or stepped away a bit once focused) for when you trip the shutter. It lets ambient light in there and my last two cameras came with a little cover for that purpose. To be honest, I have never really noticed a problem but it is indicated in both manuals and I have heard it mentioned in a course as well. Mine's a Nikon but the concept is the same.

My camera also has settings to set how vivid you want the saturation etc. for Jpegs. It may be set a lot lower than the point and shoot. The flowers don't look blown out in the photo unless you did lots of adjusting already, it doesn't look like an over-exposure problem really. With RAW files, you need to add saturation as none of that has been added or touched up until you do it on the computer.

[tucker85]

The second picture is actually a very nice picture. Digital cameras can be a headache when it comes to color. My purple vandas always look blue no matter what I do.

Lighting is the most important element. Try taking pictures outdoors on both sunny days, especially early in the morning, and on overcast days. Also try indoors with artificial light, like lamps, and then again with flash. The pictures may look very different. Incandescent light bulbs near the orchid may give you more warm colors. I use a couple of studio lights but unfortunately they're expensive.

When you put the picture on your computer photo program, try increasing and decreasing the contrast a little bit to see what that will do. Then do the same with the brightness. Brightness is the safest one to manipulate without ruining the photograph. As a last resort, most programs have a color boost setting. If you use just a little bit, it may help, too much will make the picture look artificial. There's definitely a learning curve but, like I said, you're already getting very pretty pictures, even with less color. Good luck.

[Ray]

Yeah, my images improved dramatically when I switched to a spot metering setup.

[camille1585]

Thanks for the tips. I did try some shots while holding a white sheet of paper behind the plant during focus, then removing it, and though it was a bit better the colors were still not great.

I think the other thing is that I'm sort of 'pre-set' to take my pictures in the way that worked best for the compact. I know that camera by heart, and know exactly what and how to tweak things (both the photo setup and on the computer) to get what I want.

Now to look up what 'spot metering' and where to go in the camera to change it. I only know the tip of the iceberg with this camera.

Silken, I don't have a tripod (yet) so either shoot handheld, or put the camera down on a sturdy chair. I always have my eye in the viewfinder though, I like it better than the screen.

[tucker85]

What was the light source for the second picture? Was it flash or available light?

[Call_Me_Bob]

Originally Posted by tucker85

What was the light source for the second picture? Was it flash or available light?

That was my question as well! It could be that the lighting you have is draining the colors a tiny bit. If its natural light, try a different time of day. If the lighting is artificial try using a side reflector that maybe gold to add some warmth.

If you shoot in RAW, or jpeg for that matter but I prefer RAW, you can use a program (I recommend lightroom if you have it!) to increase the vibrancy. I usually don't mess with saturation, but increased vibrance would do the trick!

As noted above, cameras have different vibrancy or saturation settings. I'm not sure how to adjust them, but I know of my Nikon D90 even just switching between Jpeg and RAW I notice a subtle difference.

Great photo! Nice rich dark background with great exposure!!!!

[silken]

Originally Posted by Call_Me_Bob

As noted above, cameras have different vibrancy or saturation settings. I'm not sure how to adjust them, but I know of my Nikon D90 even just switching between Jpeg and RAW I notice a subtle difference.

Great photo! Nice rich dark background with great exposure!!!!

I prefer to adjust vibrancy more than saturation in Photoshop as well.

the J-peg files are set to have some degree of saturation, contrast, sharpening etc. done right in the camera. The RAW files are mostly or completely untouched depending on camera model until you process them. So they often look much more pale and un-interesting. All the data is there, it just needs to be set as you like it. I love RAW!

Camille, it sounds tedious but I would recommend you read all or most of the manual right thru. I always do that with a new camera and sometimes even again later. It gives you a much better working knowledge of it and you can use it more to your advantage. I know-boring but...

[Call_Me_Bob]

Originally Posted by silken

I prefer to adjust vibrancy more than saturation in Photoshop as well.

the J-peg files are set to have some degree of saturation, contrast, sharpening etc. done right in the camera. The RAW files are mostly or completely untouched depending on camera model until you process them. So they often look much more pale and un-interesting. All the data is there, it just needs to be set as you like it. I love RAW!

That's what I love about RAW! I have full control! Just the way I like it!