Question: How to make the sky & water look little purple?

[Muhammad Ali]

I would like to know the best way in getting a picture with the sky & water having a light purple color. Could it be achieved through adjusting the white balance settings in my DSLR? Would a filter be helpful in this regard?

[ccting]

Let me guess.
a) WB preset with window green paper or cyan blue.. you try and tell?

[RichardTaylor]

A couple of ways and it can be argued what is best (I feel #4).

(1) Shoot in the "blue hour"
You still may need to tweak it when post processing.

(2) Adjust white balance when shooting (However this is a global adjustment affecting everything in the photograph).

(3)Adjust the white balance when post processing (Again a global adjustment)

(4) Selectively adjust individual parts on your photograph in a photo editing program.
This will give you most control.

[ccting]

I thought you can set everything back to normal color using color gel + lighting, after adjusting the WB? Then selective viewpoint to exclude those can't lit by lighting.

[Muhammad Ali]

Originally Posted by ccting

I thought you can set everything back to normal color using color gel + lighting, after adjusting the WB? Then selective viewpoint to exclude those can't lit by lighting.

Thanks, I will give a try.

[ravncat]

Originally Posted by Muhammad Ali

I would like to know the best way in getting a picture with the sky & water having a light purple color. Could it be achieved through adjusting the white balance settings in my DSLR? Would a filter be helpful in this regard?

I think, while you could get those results with white balance, (or filters even) - you'd have far more control over that in post processing - allowing you to get the colors you imagine.

[Muhammad Ali]

Originally Posted by RichardTaylor

A couple of ways and it can be argued what is best (I feel #4).

(1) Shoot in the "blue hour"
You still may need to tweak it when post processing.

(2) Adjust white balance when shooting (However this is a global adjustment affecting everything in the photograph).

(3)Adjust the white balance when post processing (Again a global adjustment)

(4) Selectively adjust individual parts on your photograph in a photo editing program.
This will give you most control.

Thanks for your reply. I will try all these four but please take a look at this picture, I am trying to guess which way this photographer used to get it; or he might have used (3) and (4) to get this nice shot. let me know what do you think:

[ccting]

Originally Posted by ravncat

I think, while you could get those results with white balance, (or filters even) - you'd have far more control over that in post processing - allowing you to get the colors you imagine.

I don't have time and money for post-processing software.. ;D

i am just guessing the solution,... i don't know the answer

[Muhammad Ali]

Originally Posted by ravncat

I think, while you could get those results with white balance, (or filters even) - you'd have far more control over that in post processing - allowing you to get the colors you imagine.

Thanks for your reply. Please take a look at the picture I had in the above thread and let me know whether you think it was achieved with post processing or not. I feel little embarrassed to ask the photographer herself since some photographers don't like to tell the technical details on how they got their shots.

[RichardTaylor]

@ Muhammad

From the exif date & time (5.15pm) it is a combination of shooting in the blue hour, approx 25 minutes after sunset, and post processing in Lightroom (that's where I would adjust the white balance (if needed) & basic saturation) & CS5 (possibly selective colour adjustment & sharpening).