D-LUX4 Image Colours Appearing Dull

[gregory80]

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Hi, This may sound like a silly question.. I have been using a D-LUX4 for a few months and on the weekend was the first time i really looked through a lot of the photo's on my PC. When i take the picture and view it on the camera display, the colours are vibrant and bright however when i view it on my display at home they are significantly muted, reds are peachy, dark wood on a cabinet for example shows up light and with little detail, sky shots are a ligher blue rather than the rich blue on the photo. Is there something that can be altered on the camera or would it perhaps be an issue with my display? Bearing in mind i am using a Toshiba laptop which is 4 years old to view the images. I would really appreciate your input!

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Hallo,

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[wda]

If you are shooting 'raw', they will look different until after processing. Has you laptop a calibrated screen? If not, you cannot trust that either. Try viewing images on a desktop with calibrated monitor if you can find a friend with one. Then you will have a more accurate idea.

[jsrockit]

The one thing the D-LUX4 doesn't have a problem with is color... they look great. Perhaps look into using exposure compensation in camera? If not, use an app to add saturation, etc.

[gregory80]

Thanks, i am shooting in JPEG which is why i was baffled at why the colours looked so dull on my computer. My screen isn't calibrated, its a standard Toshiba Satellite laptop i bought 4 years ago. Could this perhaps be the issue? Given that when i view the images back on the camera screen, they appear crisp and full of colour. Cheers

[daveleo]

hi there

i have had the panasonic LX3 for all of 2 days now and have taken a total of two color pictures (all others were grayscale).

 

my camera LCD shows VERY vivid colors compared to my (uncalibrated) laptop screen..... in fact when i compare what i see with my eyes and look into the camera's LCD, the LCD colors are much more vivid than the actual scene..... this is probably what you are also experiencing .... go out and compare what you actually see with what the LCD shows.

 

i will guess that the recorded image is much more color-accurate than what appears on your LCD ... in fact there is a comment to that effect in the LX3 manual.

[gregory80]

Cheers, in this case what i actually see and the photo the camera takes are quite similar however when viewed on my uncaibrated laptop i see a dull, 'lifeless' photo, it is a very noticeable difference and not a reflection of the actual scene. I think this might be due to the age and screen resolution of may laptop as when viewed on a Mac it is much more vibrant. Perhaps it's time to upgrade to a Mac.

 

Thanks again.

[kalina]

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I do see dull colors on my D-Lux 4 images, too, but ONLY with images I shoot in dim light with or without flash. When I shoot outside at landscapes or foliage, the camera's images are awesome. I just amp up my saturation in Photoshop on the dull images. No big deal. I wonder if the 2.0 firmware will fix this? Hmmmm...

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Hallo,

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[bill]

My home machine (HP) is calibrated. My work machine (Dell) isn't. They are sitting side by side as I type, with the same D-Lux 4 jpg image displayed on both. The calibrated machine is totally different - colours are vivid and vibrant.

 

Calibrate.

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Regards,

 

Bill

[kalina]

Wait a sec, though. My monitor is fine because pictures from my Nikon and Canon look great, colorful and vibrant. It's only the images captured under dim lighting conditions with the D-Lux 4 that look dull.

 

So, it's the white balance and saturation in certain situations.

[AlbertoDeRoma]

A couple of other things to consider (others have mentioned screen calibration, etc.)

 

1) The LCD screen on the D4 is glossy, if your computer screen is the non-reflecting type, images will appear duller. The difference between the glossy and no-glare screens in the Apple MacBooks is quite dramatic.

 

2) Increasing the backlight in the LCD will make a difference. On my MacBook Pro, the max backlight setting is the only one that matches "real life" and what I see on the D4 LCD. For me it's too bright for other purposes (e.g. email) but it's the best way to look at pictures.

 

I concur with others who have said that the colors with this camera are great and vivid -- if the conditions are right. I was blown-away by the rich and vivid colors I got on a sunny day. Not surprisingly, I got dull and grayish colors on a cloudy day.

 

I hope this helps,

 

Alberto

[earleygallery]

How do the images look in print?

 

I know it's an old fashioned idea but if you try a print and they look fine then you know for certain its the monitor.

[nicefor88]

Hi Gregory,

 

you can select dynamic or vibrant colours in the REC menu to increase saturation and contrast of colours. See page 48 of the instructions manual.

 

it is true that colours and sharpness can apper better on the camera display, probably due to its size, smaller than a PC screen, and having lots of pixels per sq-centimeter!

 

Hope this helps.

 

Cheers,

 

Serge

[lykaman]

Hi, I suggest you play around & record your settings for a single subject..

Color has never been a problem with the DL4 as far as I am concerned..

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[gregory80]

Thanks Guys, i will print a few pictures out and compare however i am thinking it is probably a screen issue rather than a camera issue as the photo's it takes are vibrant yet when i view them they seem dull. Thanks Again!