What do I do wrong (dim colours)

[Vassago]

Hello All,

That's my first post here, so welcome everyone.
I've just bought myself a simple DSLR (Nikon D5000), and am trying to learn to use it. The problem I encounter most often is the dim colours, like in the one provided below (nothing special there).


Exposure: 1/160
F/6,3
35mm focal length
ISO 200


Exposure: 1/250
F/2,5
35mm focal length
ISO 200

The photos I've taken (ca. 80 - similar colours) don't do the justice to the real scene. The light was far from perfect (clouds, etc.), but I'd expect better colours... what did I do wrong? What should I experiment with to make it better?

[Vassago]

Hello inkista,

All I did before uploading it to Flickr was to resize the photo with Gimp. The colours look exactly the same right after I imported them from the camera.

[inkista]

Are you shooting with the Adobe RGB color profile? Or sRGB? And do you convert to sRGB before you upload to Flickr? Because a lot of browsers can't use color profiles, and assume sRGB. If your photos use the Adobe RGB color profile, they will look less saturated when they're viewed as sRGB.

Sorry. I made you "slip" by deleting my post and starting over for clarity.
---

You might want to play with color saturation settings in the file.

[Vassago]

Originally Posted by inkista

Sorry. I made you "slip" by deleting my post and starting over for clarity.

No problem at all

I am not sure when it comes to your question. I would have to check it once I'm back from work/near my equipment. Anyway, I'm quite sure I didn't change anything from the default config...

Originally Posted by inkista

You might want to play with color saturation settings in the file.

That's an approach as well, but I'd like to be able to shoot realistic photos without having to alter them afterwards

Thanks for your reply!

[wulf]

Check the menus for colour settings. There should be an option to create output that is more or less vivid. You can also experiment with different white balance options - I'm guessing you may have been using the auto setting, which is likely to be pretty good but not always spot on.

Wulf

[dcclark]

White balance will help you -- try choosing "cloudy" or "shade" settings on cloudy days, because cloudy lighting can really dull your colors.

In addition, a polarizer can (on sunny days) really enhance the saturation of your colors.

Finally, sometimes this is just how a photo is -- there's nothing wrong with editing curves and saturation in your favorite photo editor after the fact. Most photos require a goodly amount of editing before they look "natural" anyhow.

[jmidis]

Hey, I am having the exact same problem with my Nikon D5000. The colours look very dull or flat. They are not at all vivid. It is especially noticable where I have been taking photos with a blue sky background.

I am a novice when it comes to digital SLRs so I use the automatic settings and I am not sure what the problem is.

I have attached a photo as a sample. The settings were: 1/320, F9, ISO 200 (automatically chosen), sRGB, white balance - auto.

Any suggestions?

[Tirol]

Outside chance that could be time of day you shot it. After 4:00pm? Also, maybe after shooting, if it still looks dull, raise your exposure setting and take the shot again. Post processing also helps alot.. I'm really no post process hero, but heres yours with a small sharpen, and some saturation...

[Tirol]

granted I destroyed your sailboats but if you were working on a raw file that wouldnt happen =)

[Vassago]

inkista: I've checked the Color Space setting in my D5000 - it was default - sRGB.

wulf: yes, I've been using auto setting in most cases, sometimes just experimenting with Aperture Priority. As you and dcclark suggest, I will try experimenting with the White Balance, and go a bit deeper into camera's config.

Originally Posted by dcclark

Most photos require a goodly amount of editing before they look "natural" anyhow.

This is a bit comforting But, of course, I'd like to expand my skills in photography/camera setup, before doing magic with some software. I can't (or don't want to, to be honest) invest in Photoshop, but when it comes to my current needs Google's Picasa does wonders for me (just started using it yesterday!)

Thank you all for the ideas!