Red Colors Saturation Issues

[dalepa]

Maybe someone has run into this problem before... My cardinals and other red birds always seem to have red saturation issues and require "toneing" down in LR3

I'm not sure if this is a 7D issue, a white balance issue or just a common issue with bright reds and DSLRs

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to expose for bright red colors, or a way to fix the RAW in LR3 after the shot?





Camera Canon EOS 7D
Exposure 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 600 mm
ISO Speed 200
Exposure Bias +2/3 EV
Lens EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM +2.0x

Original

Cardinal Original by Dan Pancamo, on Flickr

Some Desaturation on the RAW with -44 red luminance -.78 exposure +85 brighness

Cardinal Desaturation by Dan Pancamo, on Flickr

[scottbuckel]

It is really easy to over do reds with a digital camera. I compensate the same way you would with a white subject. If you think about it white is 256,256,256 while pure red is 256,0,0. Pure blue and pure green can cause issues, but the sensor in our cameras is more sensitive to reds than the other two colors. If you go to print reds they can be more difficult to print without blowing out the reds.

Scott

[DougC]

The same thing happens with my Nikon bodies.

[JohnT]

It's a digital thing, and it's called "blowing the red channel" or over-exposing it—sort of like blowing the highlights. Next time, try dialing your exposure down about 1/3 of a stop to see if it helps. Might require dialing down to -1/2 stop. You'll have to experiment.

Edit: I just noticed that you have an exposure bias of +2/3. That's the problem right there.

[RKEnnis]

Originally Posted by JohnT

It's a digital thing, and it's called "blowing the red channel" or over-exposing it—sort of like blowing the highlights. Next time, try dialing your exposure down about 1/3 of a stop to see if it helps. Might require dialing down to -1/2 stop. You'll have to experiment.

Edit: I just noticed that you have an exposure bias of +2/3. That's the problem right there.

+1

It's easy to blow the red channel if you let just let the camera meter the scene. For me, the classic example is a red rose. My Nikon body will blow the reds every time unless I dial in -EV. (I try to remember to check the red channel in the RGB histogram to make sure it's not blown.)

It took me the longest time to figure out why my photos of the roses in my yard never had any detail...

[Stargazer77517]

Same problem here. I have used spot metering with a -1/3 exp comp with somewhat good results, but I still get over exp.

[mkweaver]

I talked to Canon about some issues I was having with my 7D in Lightroom. They suggested I start out in the software that comes with the camera, then transfer it into an Adobe product. Adobe does not have the correct formula to process raw files since Canon won't give it up. Adobe creates one that will work but it is not as good as the one that is made for your camera.
I find that the suggestion from Canon has greatly improved the way my files look as they come out of the camera.
I do load them into the computer through Lightroom so I can have them cataloged to my satisfaction, but I do no corrections there. I go to the Canon software first, then save it as a tif before completing my work in Adobe camera raw.
Hope that helps.
But as stated above, reds are reds in digital and need some help.

[momech]

I've gotten the same thing with blues and yellows as well; just about any bright color in bright sun, or too much flash. I can sometimes bring it back by reducing satruation in Adobe raw converter, but not always. Happens with both my Sony and Canon cameras.
I was at a workshop a couple of years ago and the instructor referred to it as "vectoring".

[JohnT]

Originally Posted by mkweaver

I talked to Canon about some issues I was having with my 7D in Lightroom. They suggested I start out in the software that comes with the camera, then transfer it into an Adobe product. Adobe does not have the correct formula to process raw files since Canon won't give it up. Adobe creates one that will work but it is not as good as the one that is made for your camera.
I find that the suggestion from Canon has greatly improved the way my files look as they come out of the camera.
I do load them into the computer through Lightroom so I can have them cataloged to my satisfaction, but I do no corrections there. I go to the Canon software first, then save it as a tif before completing my work in Adobe camera raw.
Hope that helps.
But as stated above, reds are reds in digital and need some help.

I import directly into LR and process my images there all the time. That is my workflow and has been for quite some time. I get great results. It just doesn't make sense to me to take my images through three different programs from beginning to end (Canon DPP > LR > PS).

[David Alaniz]

In my nikon I can review all three channels at once for a real quick look. I alway have to dial in -EV. John T made a comment long ago about one of my photos blowing the highlights. I went back to look at it and it seemed good but...it wasn't. I learned to look at all the channels especially when starting out. This was a big help and kept me out of trouble most the time. John T....thanks for telling me.

[JohnT]

Originally Posted by dda

In my nikon I can review all three channels at once for a real quick look. I alway have to dial in -EV. John T made a comment long ago about one of my photos blowing the highlights. I went back to look at it and it seemed good but...it wasn't. I learned to look at all the channels especially when starting out. This was a big help and kept me out of trouble most the time. John T....thanks for telling me.

You're welcome, Dave! Glad to help.

[Stargazer77517]

Originally Posted by dda

In my nikon I can review all three channels at once for a real quick look. I alway have to dial in -EV. John T made a comment long ago about one of my photos blowing the highlights. I went back to look at it and it seemed good but...it wasn't. I learned to look at all the channels especially when starting out. This was a big help and kept me out of trouble most the time. John T....thanks for telling me.

Good info. I have mine set one channel, lumin, guess Ill change that now. And I assume if you do blow one channel you can go to that channel in post and back it down a bit to correct the color that is blown.....Hmmmm

[scottbuckel]

Fred - if you blow out one of the channels you will not be able to recover it in post - that is why some folks look at the individual color histograms. The "nice thing" about blowing a single channel you do have access to the other channels so you do not loose all of your detail.

When shooting whites and reds I use exposure compensation, but the amount depends on how much of the color is there - on this cardinal I would have compensated about two thirds to half a stop.

Scott