canon Lee

I do notice that many cameras saturate the reds. Is this do to UV?

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

How so?

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

Probably more PP....
If you are up early there are more blues but people go later for 'that warm' light...
You can adjust your camera's RGB setting if you think it is a problem.

canon Lee

Hi thanks. I shoot in a studio using mono lights. In processing I always have more reds that are saturated. I can use my WB in LR to correct. I was just wondering why this is so and if it has something to do with the UV coming from my lights.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I would say it's just the processing the camera applies to JPEGs. Colors are easy to adjust in post.

Jack 13088 Loc: Central NY

As I read this I look up and see Kate Bosworth on GMA in a bright red dress that is totally saturated with all detail blocked. Could it be the sRGB gambit has inadequate headroom in Red? Or am I overthinking things? Again!

canon Lee

Hi guys/ gals ... My question is not how to post edit but why are the reds elevated. UV from the lights, or as has been suggested the conversion in LR of the RAWS? I know that there has to be a simulated jpeg image in order to adjust in RAW. I just bought a sheet of UV filter gel to be put in front of my AlienBees mono light, and will see if there is any difference. bare with me guys and gals

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

This is because silicon's dramatically shorter average absorption depth, as a function of wavelength, for blue compared to red. Compensation tends to cause clipping of the red channel at a higher rate.

Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

I have noticed for years that reds can be problematic. Particularly with old negatives where the red seems to 'bloom'. With digital of course the color is set by the ones and zeros when the file is created but it can be off right from the start. I think it is something inherent with the wave length but the last thing I am is technical so I'll leave that idea for the experts.

PGHphoto Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

This is particularly obvious in studio television cameras. We always need to compensate for red. I understand the sensors are quite similar ...

canon Lee

So if I understand , you feel its the sensor? More partial to the red wave lengths? Interesting idea.

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

Proper reproduction of reds has always been a problem. Back in the day Kodachrome and Ektachrome showed the red in a scene differently. Correct printing of reds has been a problem forever in my experience. If you want to get an understanding of how the color relates to the color space and why red looks differently indifferent color spaces read the Wikipedia entry on "Gamut". It's more than you'll ever want to know. Just sayin'

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Just a thought.

When using studio type mono lights, if the shutter speed is slow enough at your working aperture, some of the light from the modeling lamps might "bleed" through and cause an all over red bias. If a general color correction in PP remedies the issue, this may be the cause. If a red object or article of clothing seems overly saturated and the rest of the scene is normal then I would conclude that this is, as others have stated, an intrinsic property of the sensor.

Many portrait and wedding photographers would purposely let the shutter drag a bit so as to warm up the skin tones. I have also noticed that some cameras have a so called "portrait setting" which would probably be skin-tone biased toward the warmer side.

My own mono lights have 150 to 250 watt quartz-halogen modeling lamps. I prefer to use wider apertures for selective focus in certain kinds of portraiture. The modeling lamps definitely influence the all over color balance in theses cases.

Of course, if your red bias occurs in daylight or with other light sources, the issue is in the sensor.

Only testing with various light sources will determine if my theory holds true.

In my experience, excess UV from electronic flash gear usually causes a colder color shift. It especially affects fabrics with UV brighteners used in their manufacture. I have not seen much of this with digital gear. With film, a UV-16 filter cleans that up- used to be a problem with very white wedding dresses. Just as a test. put on a skylight filter and see if there is any difference. Most mono lights are now equipped with anti- UV flash tubes, you may notice a slight yellow or brownish tint in the tube's envelope.

I hope this helps.

canon Lee

E.L. You are so informative. I do not turn on the modeling lamps, as I shoot remotes, like gyms and large spaces where it is lit. I suspect the UV is coming from my AlienBees 1600w mono lamps. I ordered up from AlienBees several UV6 gels to be placed between the flash and the umbrellas. I also plan on using less power output from the mono lights, from 3/4 output to 1/2 output, thinking that there will be less UV. I will have to open my aperture to get a good histogram, ( white side just short of full). My histogram indicates more darks and little midtowns, and a just shy of full whites. When in LR I have to almost remove all blacks with the slider. In order to get a good mid tone I have to turn up the shadow slider almost fully. I then tweak up the white slider or the highlights... Then I always need to tweak the WB to get less saturation of reds but not too far so that it looks blue. I also out source my work to a color lab, and they look dark and a bit saturated, so I purposely adjust as stated above, but I think their ICC printers undo all of my work. Any help you can give me as to how to compensate for saturation and reds please advise me. You are one of the few on this site that actually do studio professional work, so your experience is much appreciated.

aellman Loc: Boston MA

Most cameras' auto white balance function works very well. I have never had to override it. >Alan