D90 - How to improve the colours in my pics?

[windrunner]

Hi All, firstly I tried searching for this topic on different keywords however, unable to find much info. Apologise if hadn't made an harder effort and asking a question that had been asked before.

I have been shooting with a D90 on and off for about 4 years (2 different bodies) but the colours in my pics usually/mostly appear dull. I have tried playing with WB, D-lighting, etc... but still except for certain pics the colours still appear less than desirable. I understand there's no magic button to press to get the colours to pop out but would be really grateful if someone could point me in a few directions so I could explore on how to improve the colour quality of my pics.

Btw, though I have been reading DPS for nearly four years on and off, this is my first post.
Thanks a lot and seasons greetings to all.

[OsmosisStudios]

Photoshop. Or an equivalent. That's the key.

[katia]

could you post some examples of your photos?

do you do any post-processing to your photos? if so, what program do you use?

if not, you might be sad to know that probably 99% of the people who post on here DO use some type of post-processing, be it simple RAW conversions via ACR or Lightroom (or any other program designed for RAW conversions) or else extensive Photoshop editing that could include increasing contrast, saturation, adding or removing elements from the image, cloning out imperfections or distracting elements, etc.

photography isn't just about pressing the shutter!

[lil red bird]

Post processing
Adobe colour instead of standard
Vivid instead of normal.

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by lil red bird

Post processing
Adobe colour instead of standard
Vivid instead of normal.

I would advise against AdobeRGB and stick to sRGB, unless you have a closed-loop printing system that runs on AdobeRGB.

[ErikUngerPhotography]

OP, are you shooting RAW or jpeg? RAW by its very nature requires post processing. If you are shooting jpeg, you can make adjustments in the camera to tell it process the image with more saturation. I am not sure where the settings are on Nikon, but on Cannon, where I can choose the picture style between landscape, portrait, monochrome, etc., I cam also customize a setting so I can tell the camera to produce a vivid, sharp and/or contrasty image.

[ravncat]

Ｎｉｋｏｎ’ｓ　basic jpg settings are still kind of dull, even in the d90, because they take the philosophy it's better to add to taste in post, than start with too much in the file.

So, if you shoot JPG, the place to go will be to the picture controls, there you can look at the different options - you may find vivid a better choice - there are several options, I don't remember what they are all for, but vivid is more landscape oriented, and may give you too much saturation in skin tones.

There is also a custom control which will let you punch up the saturation or contrast manually. Also, try darkening your lcd to -2 to get a better idea of the final contrast and brightness.

[lil red bird]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

I would advise against AdobeRGB and stick to sRGB, unless you have a closed-loop printing system that runs on AdobeRGB.

Thank you did not know that.

[windrunner]

Thanks a lot everyone for your advice. With the kids, work and other commitments it's difficult to engage in much post-processing. But after shooting for many years I have accept the inevitable soon.

The reason I asked to improve the colours is I shoot both JPEG and NEF. JPEG is for my friends or whoever is with me so I could copy their pics immediately for them. NEF is for me and I have started learning Lightroom for post-processing.

Thanks again for your time.