Dave Buckley Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 I have a few questions about people's choices when it comes to colour balance??? What are your reasons for colour balancing an image??? How do you decide if your image needs colour balancing??? What do you use colour balance for, i.e. correction or conveying a mood??? What makes you give an image a certain colour balance??? Do you follow rules or is it for personal touches??? Do you colour balance every image?? If not then why not??? That will do for now. Just trying to get my head round why people colour balance their images the way they do, because I imagine everyone has different opinions on why certain images should look certain ways. So what defines the way you use colour balance??? Colour plays a huge part on how the audience views the image. Do you limit yourself to a certain number of colours/palettes?? Cheers guys. Any feedback welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Hunt Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 colour balance can often make or break an image. Get it wrong and it can be disastrous. Get it right and even the simplest image can look fantastic. Every image needs colour balancing. There are a few guidelines like cool shadow, warm highlights or warm shadows, cool highlights. Its a study in it's self and cannot be covered in a few simple posts. There are some fantastic books that cover this in great detail. Also read books on painting. Colour Balancing is very much part of your style and something that you get a feel for what works and what doesn't. Play around, its fun jhv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Buckley Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 i realise it can't be covered in a few posts hence this is part of my investigation into understanding it. Can you recommend any books??? Doesn't it work hand in hand with white balance??? Isn't that the first step to colour balancing your image??? Along with using colours that work well together??? Then the rest is styling the image to your desired look??? Getting rid of too much of one colour?? Adding in other colours for a specific purpose??? Perhaps adding in more orange colours to simulate a warm day if the image has come out looking too cold even after white balancing??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRAT Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 it's almost as if you're looking for rules and regulations with all those questions as Justin says, play around. There's no steadfast right or wrong. it's an art in itself. you must do what you feel is right and looks good for you and your image. the more you play the more you'll get a feeling for it. some imagery might require a lot some might require hardly any. just play with different settings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamf Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 When you start out doing an image find a photo reference with the style of lighting you want to achieve, hopefully that has roughly the same style and composition. Then lift the colours straight from it using the colour picker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneis Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 i realise it can't be covered in a few posts hence this is part of my investigation into understanding it. Can you recommend any books??? Colour balance is easy, anyone can neutralise or shift tones by eye, Photoshop et al. and a half decent camera will do it pretty well too. This is all you need to know about colour balance... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_balance I'm sure you'll quickly understand colour balance but it would be a very clinical understanding without having an understanding of colour theory... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory I'd be inclined to say that's what you're having trouble with. To be able to play with colour - to bend and break the rules - requires some sort of understanding of what those rules are. Head to the art museum for a day and take notes about the artists, artworks you like looking only at the use of colour and light. Do the same on http://www.pbase.com/ Then read through this... http://books.google.com.au/books?id=3parQbF5XkAC&pg=PP7&lpg=PP1&ots=wMZQbBC3bk&dq=art+science+colour#PPP1,M1 and this... http://www.colorsystem.com/ and this... http://www.webexhibits.org/colorart/index.html There will be enormous amounts of info in the Art section of your local library too. Don't get caught up in a scientific mindset with colour, just work on your perception of colour, otherwise you'll lose the most important part of using colour - creativity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Buckley Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 (edited) it's almost as if you're looking for rules and regulations with all those questions as Justin says, play around. There's no steadfast right or wrong. it's an art in itself. you must do what you feel is right and looks good for you and your image. the more you play the more you'll get a feeling for it. some imagery might require a lot some might require hardly any. just play with different settings. thats kind of what i'm getting at, how do you decide if one of your images needs a lot or hardly any??? guys i'm not thinking too deep into it, i'm just gathering other peoples opinions and investigating into how other people use it. i'm just trying to open a discussion as to how different people use it as everyone has there own ideas and mindsets Edited March 27, 2009 by Dave Buckley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Buckley Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 i'm not asking how i should??? i'm asking how you do??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneis Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 i'm not asking how i should??? i'm asking how you do??? Oh, now I get it. Sorry 'bout that. Q: "What are your reasons for colour balancing an image???" A: I didn't like the look of the original. Q: "How do you decide if your image needs colour balancing???" A: See above. Q: "What do you use colour balance for, i.e. correction or conveying a mood???" A: Depends on the original, but more often than not I'll be doing both at the same time... when it comes to colour, I feel they are one of the same. Q: "What makes you give an image a certain colour balance???" A: The mood and effect I'm trying to achieve... warm, cool, stark, vivid... Q: "Do you follow rules or is it for personal touches???" A: Both. Usually, tonal stuff is a bit more "by the book" and colour is more of a personal thing. Q: "Do you colour balance every image?? If not then why not???" A: Most of them...unless I like the image how it is originally or colour doesn't matter. Q: "So what defines the way you use colour balance???" A: Depends on which app I'm using at the time. Photoshop, GIMP, showFoto, ClorEfex Pro, the list goes on. All of them have all sorts of filters, white/ colour balance tools. If I had Lightroom, I'd use that too. My own mood also has a lot to do with it. Q: "Do you limit yourself to a certain number of colours/palettes??" A: No. Nature doesn't, so I won't either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Buckley Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 Thanks shane this could turn into quite an interesting thread if people contribute, it would be good too see other people's thinkings and methodologies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattclinch Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Q: "What are your reasons for colour balancing an image???" A: necessity Q: "How do you decide if your image needs colour balancing???" A: it always will, so i decide by needing to do it. Q: "What do you use colour balance for, i.e. correction or conveying a mood???" A: realism, impact, focus, seperation, mood, feel etc etc etc Q: "What makes you give an image a certain colour balance???" A: (it looks real/good/suits the style i was going for/focuses the eye/highlights soemthing/seperates the foreground and background/i did it by accident) delete as applicable. Q: "Do you follow rules or is it for personal touches???" A: photo reference is essential, unless you like flying blind, so as adam said, following the colouring in a photo is 'following rules' if you like, but things like warm/cool and dark/light are usually obvious. Q: "Do you colour balance every image?? If not then why not???" A: yes. Q: "So what defines the way you use colour balance???" A: 'use' colour balance? you mean what defines the colour balance i apply? the look/feel/etc see above. Q: "Do you limit yourself to a certain number of colours/palettes??" A: if a limited palette suits the intended style of the image, then knock yourself out. why not? theres no rules. do what looks good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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