Preferred Processing

[LauraSAnne]

I just upgraded to a Canon Xsi this week from an Olympus Evolt. I'm very much loving the new camera but I'm having to adjust to the stark difference in the image characteristics. The Canon has a much more soft buttery wash to it's images--which I like, just getting used to it.

This was the first shot I took with the new camera. I'm not too concerned about the composition of the image, it was just a test shot--what I'd like is your opinion on the processing of the two. The first is more true to SOOC. I added a light blue wash to it and sharpened up the eyes a little.

The second I went a little more heavier on the processing to eliminate some of that soft buttery-ness I mentioned earlier. I know Processing is a huge personal preference and I like to go both ways; less AND more. What are your thoughts on the processing between these two? (please view larger) Thanks!

[autofocus]

I have an orange tabby too (Cooper) I'd like to see your images be a little warmer, and little more natural coloring, but, that's only MHO.

Vinnie

[Hartzler]

It's a very tough call for me. I took a look at both in the larger version. I'll cast my vote for the second version, I slightly prefer the tabby's colors in that one.

[PowerPix]

The colors are overall better in the second one. In the first it appears too blue especially in the background (and even makes the cat look pinkish??) . I also really like the sharpening in the second and the lighting looks more natural. My pick is the second.

[LauraSAnne]

Thanks for the responses!

I too was leaning towards the more processed image. She's not very orange so I haven't really lost any of her color in either photo.

My biggest problem I was having with the original image WAS the pink hue. I couldn't get rid of all of it in the RAW editor without the image looking fake and I ended up having to mess around in Selective Color to get it toned down enough in the second image.

Also, the room where the photo was taken, our walls are a dark dusty blue which gives that color cast to the room at night. I was playing off that in the first image by doing a slight cross process to it.

It seems that the new Canon is consistently making images more pink and to get rid of it, I have to dull out ALL colors in the camera settings. Hopefully I come up with a solution for that!

[autofocus]

Originally Posted by LauraSAnne

Thanks for the responses!

I too was leaning towards the more processed image. She's not very orange so I haven't really lost any of her color in either photo.

My biggest problem I was having with the original image WAS the pink hue. I couldn't get rid of all of it in the RAW editor without the image looking fake and I ended up having to mess around in Selective Color to get it toned down enough in the second image.

Also, the room where the photo was taken, our walls are a dark dusty blue which gives that color cast to the room at night. I was playing off that in the first image by doing a slight cross process to it.

It seems that the new Canon is consistently making images more pink and to get rid of it, I have to dull out ALL colors in the camera settings. Hopefully I come up with a solution for that!

There is no question that each camera manufacturer, even within their line up, will render colors differently. Could it also be your monitor?...is it calibrated? There is also a color bias from monitor to monitor, and also how they're set up. Are you working in raw?...it could be a white balance issue also which is more easily corrected in raw. BTW, most P&S cameras will often yield better corrected images straight out of the camera than a DSLR. It's the way all the camera manufacturers set them up so that they can continue to sell them...if the results SOOC were lousy, people would stop buying them. Basically, they're mostly meant for the novice shooter. However, the DSLR will usually give you more, and better control over your image...and the assumption is you, the individual, will control the output, and not the camera. You should be able to find something in your menu options that will allow you to adjust color, saturation, focus, etc. That may help.

Vinnie

[kgb224]

I prefer picture nr 2 .The colors of the cats eyes stand out more than in Picture nr 1.So nr 2 is my favorite.

[PowerPix]

Originally Posted by LauraSAnne

It seems that the new Canon is consistently making images more pink and to get rid of it, I have to dull out ALL colors in the camera settings. Hopefully I come up with a solution for that!

What light setting is your camera set at?? Fluorescent, Daylight, Indoor, Etc?? This might be what is causing your photos to have a tint. Different lighting has different "temperatures". If the setting is wrong, the camera will be compensating.

[artsgirl]

I agree - I like both types of processing but in different types of settings and shots. For this particular shot, I really like the second one. The cat's eyes seem to pop more in the second, and I just prefer the overall contrast of that shot as well.

[KansaiGreenie]

Hi Laura,

Looking at these two images. I think that what you are noticing is a difference in white balance. I would play around with the WB slider. I also shoot Canon and I've found that interior shots set on auto white balance often need some WB adjustment; they can look too warm. You also might try to use a different program. In my experience the best program to render the RAW images is the program that came on the CD with your camera (Canon Digital Photo Professional). I like it a lot better than Adobe Camera RAW.

KG

One more thing, I noticed that you are using CS3, you might want to make sure that your Camera RAW is updated to the most recent version, which I think is 5.5.