flyboy61 Loc: The Great American Desert

Bryan Peterson, in his books, "Understanding Exposure" 3rd and 4th editions, recommends using a FLW (fluorescent) filter on his lenses to add what appears to be a Magenta color cast to sunrise and sunset photos for a more dramatic outcome.

Which of the Fluorescent choices in White Balance or "Sunrise/sunset" Pre-set on Nikon cameras will come close to his recommendation, without the necessity of using a filter?
Thanx!

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

With the variation in every single sunrise/sunset + how different the light and colors look from moment to moment, it seems impossible that one setting will work equally for all. If you have time, make changes to WB while shooting so that you have results from each.

You'll be shooting jpg, not raw? I can easily change white balance in my raw editor, and of course color saturation and overall exposure. People have mentioned changing WB of a jpg in pp, but I just tried and apparently I don't have the knowledge of how best to go about it

Mongo Loc: Western New York

The Nikon vivid setting may help. It increases color saturation. However I have been taking some time lapse sunsets, and I like to set the color to 5000K and then if needed tweak in post processing. FLW filters vary between manufacturers, and I like to control of post processing. Having said that, I seldom have any tweaks in the final product, but then I have only done a couple of dozen sunset shots.

I suppose you could also have the Nikon correct for fluorescent light, which would likely be in the ballpark of using a filter.

Sorry I don't have concrete recommendations because I normally do things differently.

What I can definitively say, is experiment.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

With regards to my earlier comment about changing WB of jpgs in a photo editor, I just figured out one way with my PS Elements. If you are interested in pursuing further, please post a new topic in PP Forum and we'll all learn together! https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-116-1.html

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RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

Why not, in your editing software, create a new layer and use Menu/Image adjustments/Photo filter (in Photoshop)?
By using a layer mask you can control where you make the adjustment.

I always shoot raw so it is not a real problem when PPing.

flyboy61 Loc: The Great American Desert

Thanks, Linda, but I am really post processing challenged. My poor wife spent $$$ on processing software for me, till I found Picasa, which I still struggle with sometimes. I shoot JPEG, as it fits me well. I'd rather do everything I can en camera.

Grahame Loc: Fiji

If you really want to do things "en camera" my advice would be to take a number of shots of the same scene at 'different' white balance settings then at home choose which you prefer. If you have composed and are set up on a tripod it only takes seconds to adjust the WB.

As Linda has mentioned sunsets vary in their colour and this can change drastically between shooting with the sun in the sky through to shooting well after it has set. The preference of colours in a finished image will also drastically change by viewers choice which makes it even more fun.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

You can also go to your menu and set for VIVID.

tomcat

The easiest way for me is to change the white balance setting to Kelvin. Then adjust the Kelvin temps to suit your taste. Whenever I shoot in challenging light, I will switch to Kelvin. I used to have the numbers in my head, but the Alzheimer's layer mask is covering up the details.

Wanda Krack Loc: Tennessee, USA

You might consider also trying the 'cloudy' white balance for a little more intense colors.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

No worries; that means you should be even more motivated to learn about each of the settings within your control. Several good suggestions in this thread already.

Do you know how to read the image exif (metadata) once the files are in your computer?

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

I do not agree with Bryan Peterson. Use AUTO white balance. If using RAW data work at leisure with colors with your editor.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I used a bagful of color correction filters back in my slide show production days. The FL-D was a generic conversion filter to convert Fluorescent lamps to Daylight film), while FL-B was a generic filter to convert Fluorescent lamps to 3200K (Type B) film. Neither were very reliably accurate. I had two different brands of each, and they yielded very different results with the same lights. And, of course, with five or six common classes of lamps, different brands of lamps, and different ages of lamps in fixtures, you never really knew what you were going to get from a new location.

What was reasonably accurate was a chart from the old Kodak Encyclopedia of Photography that listed Wratten CC gel filter combinations for every type of common fluorescent tube. I actually found it more reliable and likable than the color temperature meter I used briefly.

Today, THANK YOUR CAMERA MANUFACTURER for Custom or Preset or Manual white balance control!

And remember, NO filter need be used for raw capture, although it helps to pick a white balance and use it initially (from the metadata of the JPEG preview) to prime your conversion software.

But using an FL-D for sunset photos? Meh. I'll capture in raw and dial in the effect I want. No two sunsets are the same from minute to minute. You CAN do a custom or manual or preset white balance and render a specific subject more accurately, but you have to work quickly, because the light changes constantly during that time of day.

BTW, I use the iPhone app, Helios, to determine the sunset and golden hour times for each day of the year, at any location. It's very handy and very accurate.

blackest Loc: Ireland

Auto white balance for a sunset, have you tried it? Your camera should do its best to remove the colors from the sunset.

flyboy61 Loc: The Great American Desert

Definitely needs more study... Tried everything except AUTO 1. Even SUNSET preset produced lots of Blue! 'Course, it wasn't much of a sunset!