White Balance Maybe?

[tjacobs79]

I need your help! I am very new with photography and am trying to still figure out my new camera. I am hoping no question is to dumb to ask, I have a canon rebel xsi.

I look at everyones post on here and I wonder to myself how do I do that? I am having trouble with color. I don't understand how to make my pictures have vibrant and beautiful colors. Is this a white balance issue? I change my settings to work with lighting but I still can't figure it out.

I shoot a lot in Manual mode, not always but a lot, does this have something to do with it? I go into other modes as well but I still feel I am not getting what I want.

Please help, Thank you!

[karen_s]

First, no dumb questions here, we all just want to learn so ask away.

Second, my guess is you are seeing images that are processed in post production and not straight out of the camera. Most photographers (not all though as there are many purists) enhance their images in the digital darkroom on the computer. Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, and Gimp, are just a few of the software packages available for digital darkroom work. Your camera probably came with Digital Photo Professional and that works too. (If you shoot JPEG, you can do a fair amount of enhancement in camera but if you shoot RAW, you will do most of it in post processing software.)

I shoot with a Canon 50d and post process most of my images in Lightroom to get a little extra "pop". I use levels, contrast, and saturation to get the pop factor and adjust white balance to either make it more accurate or to create a mood by warming or cooling the image. I aim to get the best exposure possible while shooting because that makes post processing that much easier.

The best way to start is to just jump in and start playing with whatever software you have available. Online blogs like "lightroom killer tips" and online videos about post processing might be helpful too.

Hope that helps a little.

[wulf]

Have your subjects got vibrant, beautiful and well-lit colours? Perhaps an example or two of shots you think should have come out looking richer would help?

Wulf