struggling with colors

[carrbowl]

I am really struggling with the skin tones on these...must be the brain?? So here's a question...if I am in LR...on I put my cursor on a forehead and get the RGB colors...should the RGB colors be somewhat similar in another photo if I process them the same?? Understand??

Photos are SOOC...Obviously I forgot to set the white balance..thus making my job difficult. Note to self..don"t DO THAT AGAIN!!!

[DoublyDan]

Not setting WB is not a huge mistake and lightroom has a WB slider if you shoot raw.

Cant really answer your question unless they are shot in studio and you have control over all the lights and they are the same.

[ramblinray]

Are the compared photos of the same people? Were the photos shot in the same lighting conditions? Were the background/foreground the same colors? As you can see there are far to many variables to answer your question with even a hint of certainty. As Daniel said. the WB slider is your friend.

[carrbowl]

So "you" would just play with the temp and the tint? or just the temp?? I have been playing with both and can't find anything I like...

and Yes as you can see they were basically all shot the same. I wouldn't have adjusted the white balance if I would have remembered too!!!!

[Donb10]

Hope you don't mind. Its just a slight change in tone.

[DHaass]

Are you shooting in jpeg or Raw mode? In Raw you can set it if you like when you are shooting, but it can be done later. If you are shooting in jpeg you need to set the WB when you shoot. Otherwise you will have to either try Auto, use the WB eyedropper or manually tweak the sliders to something close to acceptable. You are finding out how limited your options are if you are indeed shooting in jpeg.

Go to the Help menu in LR and choose Lightroom Help. Choose Developing photos...Adjusting image color and tone...Set the white balance for help explaining these tools.

[texkam]

Sometimes making adjustments under "selective color" in PS can help a little. Sometimes suggesting to the client that "going with b/w adds a certain richness" works occaisionally. : )
Good luck. Let us know if you find something that works well.

[carrbowl]

I shoot in JPEG and RAW...I have played in LR with both temp and tint. I have taken the WB options..sunny, cloudy, flash etc. and didn't like any of them!!! I think I don't know what to look for anymore!!!

Mark, it is my nephew...so I might be able to talk them into it...but he carries a gun.. might need to walk softly!!! : )

[DHaass]

Don't take this wrong, but I think you are right. Are you really upset about the WB or the lighting overall. You shot in what appears to be some really bright overcast with no shadows. Even though the light is even, it looks kind of flat. Maybe that is what is bothering you about the photos.

[texkam]

Quick and dirty in PS...
selective color
shadow highlight
hue saturation
curves
... and I would still dodge and burn.

[doctahjones]

just my .02, but i never white balance on set. i always do it later in LR. it's easy, and i can batch all the photos. plus i'm usually changing the tone to begin with, so there's no point to me WB'ing ahead of time.

[Phisch]

If you have the option to change color balance in LR you can adjust the reds and yellows toward cyan and blue, respectively. I've done that to remove some of the orange cast.

I tried with your first photo but oddly enough, it looks different in Photoshop to me, much less orange cast. What's up with that? I did a copy and paste.

[RKEnnis]

Search the web for "skin tone by the numbers". It involves sampling skin color, and adjusting the color channels to get a specific range of CMYK numbers.

I don't use the technique often, but for certain particularly pesky images, it's quite helpful.