photo doctors...i need your help!

[boastud]

Needless to say this picture needs some color help. Any PS pros out there that would give me some help?!

[/IMG]

 

[JTemple]

I have CS3 and have it set so it opens jpegs in camera raw, so I adjusted the white balance there, and applied a few other changes.

 

[DennisW]

Jennifer,

Nice job on the picture.

 

[boastud]

looks awsome..thanx

 

[StreetDoctor]

the picture looks great. I have about 50 pictures I need to do this too. I've worked in RAW before and can adjust the exposure but what did you do to bring the color back?

 

[vondo]

Bringing the colors back is adjusting the White Balance. If I'd had this picture, I'd have selected the white area of the woman's bathing suit and told the editor that it was white.

To me the photo still looks a little washed out (mine usually are) so I adjust the exposure curve so there is true black and true white somewhere in the photo. Maybe that's been done already here, I don't know.

Those two adjustments usually get me 90% to where I want to be.

 

[ScubaSteve]

You have not said what software you may have available to you but I too have CS3 and the thread I link here is a posting which I put up here with a question. The process which I describe in the second post tells you how I did the adjustment. On most of the pictures it made a tremendous difference (same as what Jennifer did above) and once you know the steps it takes a minutes or so per picture. It is very easy and often very effective.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/digital-darkroom/260172-purple-water.html - Link to previous thread

Before - Sample Picture

After - Sample Picture Adjusted

 

[Calle Roo]

Before - Sample Picture

After - Sample Picture Adjusted

What did you do to the sample and adjusted photos?

I dont have any special software on my comp, but is there an easy process to make this change?

I have a lil ReefMaster to just goof around with, and all my pics look like your sample pic.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Calles, if you read the "Purple Water?" linked thread (post 2 has the steps), I explain the steps I follow to add the colour back into the shots. Unfortunately I never found anything that worked with any software other than CS3 (but then I am useless when it comes to photo editing) so the process that I spelled out there is all I can really offer. Do you only have the standard Windows softwares (i.e. Paint etc.)? There is some freeware software out there that can do a fair bit. If you just have the standard Windows software, I will get some of the names of less expensive softwares for you.

Sorry to the OP for this but I figure it pertains to simple editing pictures so it does not really feel like a hijack.

 

[JTemple]

I only spent about 20 seconds on it. I don't typically end up using the whitest white as my white balance point. I think in this case I used one of the coral heads. Then I brought down the exposure some since the sand was blown out, moved around a few other sliders a bit. I could have spent more time on it, but it's about the best than can be done with a low res tiny image downloaded from here. I could have kept going with levels, curves, etc.

I think you can do some white balance-type editing in Picasa, which is a free download.
Elements 7 is not very expensive, I think I read it is on sale at Costco for $50? (That may be after a rebate.)