How would you eliminate the redness here?

[John Ricard]

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I'm using LR3 and I can't get rid of the redness on the guy's nose, lips and arm on these photos. How would you do it? Shot with M9 and 50mm Summicron (not the most recent version, but the one before that). Link to public Dropbox folder is below. I'd love to see how you'd process this shot or have you at least describe how you'd do it. I'm this|close to bailing on the M9 for work like where the skin tone is critical.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/iyqb7iofke2wlxx/EKt6JyZ4w3

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[woorob]

I downloaded your image and then opened it in Photoshop CS6. In ACR, in the White Balance drop down box, select "Daylight" or "Cloudy" and -- voila -- no more red nose.

 

Not sure if the color rendition is correct, though, because I wasn't there when the image was captured.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Bob Woods

[salim]

Try this

 

In light room, go to Develope and scroll down to the box (BW/Color/HSL). Click on HSL and choose saturation. In the left top side you will find a round small icon thingi. Click on that and move your mouse to the nose. Now left click the mouse and the sametime scroll down. You will notice the reddish color goes down

 

Hope it works, let me know

[mark_j]

This is one of those things which is difficult in LR where you need to make specific adjustments to small parts of the picture. You might be able to get close with the local adjustment brush (do they have that in LR3?) but it won't be easy and the problem with using global colour adjustments is that you will shift all red areas and with a portrait that will be bad news for the rest of the skin tones.

 

The best way to do this in in PS but if you don't have that then this isn't very helpful, sorry. If you do then I would be happy to walk you through what you need to do.

[CaptZoom]

Try what Salim recommended (I think mark_j is also saying the same for LR). It should work, and like mark_j noted, the red/oranges/yellows will be affected globally (every where in the image). It may (probably) be the case that you like the resulting image (and most likely your client isn't going to notice the difference- it never seizes to amaze me how little clients actually notice). If you have access to PS, you can do much better; PS allows for local (specific parts of the image) adjustments. Use masking layers so that you're doing non-destructive (not changing or affecting pixels of the image until the end when you flatten/combine the layers) editing; this makes it easier to undo changes and/or see how specific combinations of layers affect the final outcome. Another difference between PS and LR: in LR the order in which you change settings has no effect on the final outcome. LR has a specific way it will render the settings, which is independent of the order you apply the changes. On the other hand, the order in which changes/effects are applied is significant in PS- changes/effects are applied in the order you do them.

 

If you have access to PS, use YouTube to learn about masks/masking. It'll resolve the issue you are having, and you'll learn a skill that is globally applicable and is independent of your capture device.

 

Good luck.

 

 

Try this

 

In light room, go to Develope and scroll down to the box (BW/Color/HSL). Click on HSL and choose saturation. In the left top side you will find a round small icon thingi. Click on that and move your mouse to the nose. Now left click the mouse and the sametime scroll down. You will notice the reddish color goes down

 

Hope it works, let me know

 

 

This is one of those things which is difficult in LR where you need to make specific adjustments to small parts of the picture. You might be able to get close with the local adjustment brush (do they have that in LR3?) but it won't be easy and the problem with using global colour adjustments is that you will shift all red areas and with a portrait that will be bad news for the rest of the skin tones.

 

The best way to do this in in PS but if you don't have that then this isn't very helpful, sorry. If you do then I would be happy to walk you through what you need to do.

[k-hawinkler]

Excellent advice.

I would also like to suggest Nik software that was recently acquired by Google and now is available for a reduced price. Somebody posted a discount code here on LUF that still seems to be valid IIRC.

Nik with its U Point feature has a convenient way to isolate the areas one wants to modify.

[CaptZoom]

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I never noticed the "U point". I'll look for it next time I use Nik. Thanks.

[John Ricard]

Try what Salim recommended (I think mark_j is also saying the same for LR). It should work, and like mark_j noted, the red/oranges/yellows will be affected globally (every where in the image). It may (probably) be the case that you like the resulting image (and most likely your client isn't going to notice the difference- it never seizes to amaze me how little clients actually notice). If you have access to PS, you can do much better; PS allows for local (specific parts of the image) adjustments. Use masking layers so that you're doing non-destructive (not changing or affecting pixels of the image until the end when you flatten/combine the layers) editing; this makes it easier to undo changes and/or see how specific combinations of layers affect the final outcome. Another difference between PS and LR: in LR the order in which you change settings has no effect on the final outcome. LR has a specific way it will render the settings, which is independent of the order you apply the changes. On the other hand, the order in which changes/effects are applied is significant in PS- changes/effects are applied in the order you do them.

 

If you have access to PS, use YouTube to learn about masks/masking. It'll resolve the issue you are having, and you'll learn a skill that is globally applicable and is independent of your capture device.

 

Good luck.

 

I know how to do a layer mask but since the guy's skin has this redness in every one of the 10 images that made the edit, its not a viable option for me. I'm not willing to spend that much time fixing a red skin issue that I can avoid by shooting with my Nikon. I was just wondering if someone had some simple solution that maybe I had missed. I was also hoping someone would actually post process the image correctly and post the result, but the fact that no one did suggests its a lengthy process.

[CaptZoom]

I know how to do a layer mask but since the guy's skin has this redness in every one of the 10 images that made the edit, its not a viable option for me. I'm not willing to spend that much time fixing a red skin issue that I can avoid by shooting with my Nikon. I was just wondering if someone had some simple solution that maybe I had missed. I was also hoping someone would actually post process the image correctly and post the result, but the fact that no one did suggests its a lengthy process.

 

I'm with you regarding the time savings.

 

And allow me to offer my apologies for erroneously assuming your lack of PS knowledge.

[mark_j]

I know how to do a layer mask but since the guy's skin has this redness in every one of the 10 images that made the edit, its not a viable option for me. I'm not willing to spend that much time fixing a red skin issue that I can avoid by shooting with my Nikon. I was just wondering if someone had some simple solution that maybe I had missed. I was also hoping someone would actually post process the image correctly and post the result, but the fact that no one did suggests its a lengthy process.

 

I am very sorry to have wasted your time, good luck with the Nikon.

[becker]

Its a white Balance Problem in most, a manual white Balance helps, or If You "repaired" one Picture in LR , You also can put the profile on the others.

 

I think Leica made a very bad Job here, the Skintones are often very fare away from the authentic look. That Leica does not fix that red bug is hard to understand.

[mark_j]

After my slightly testy reply last night (tired & emotional) I thought I would give one of your DNG files a quick go in PS.

 

Two steps which took about 5 minutes:

 

1. Global WB adjustment using the individual colour RGB curves.

2. Hue/saturation adjustment for the redness, brushed in using a mask to target the affected areas.

 

Once you have created the adjustments in one photo then copying the layer adjustments and applying the same adjustments to the other pictures will take a few minutes each.

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[sanyasi]

Mark:

 

Very nice retouching job.

 

My one bit of additional advice: However you go about doing it, I find that it is useful to let the adjusted photo sit for a few minutes. I have found that I sometimes over compensate and the skin without red looks unnatural. It is then necessary to add a little red back.

 

Yesterday, I was confronted the same problem. After taking the red out, I found that adding a Photo Filter layer adjustment using one of the warming filters was helpful in providing the natural look that Mark has achieved.

 

Jack Siegel

[mark_j]

Jack

 

Thank you for your kind words. I know exactly what you mean about over doing an adjustment initially and your advice about coming back after a break and rechecking it is a very good one. I find in these circumstances that layer opacity is my friend and I very rarely end up with 100% which rather proves the point.

 

I hadn't thought about using a warming filter so next time I will give that a go.

[sanyasi]

In that regard, another Photoshop friend is the fade menu item which allows you to dial down any adjustment, so long as you use the fade tool immediately after you make an adjustment with no other intervening adjustments.

 

I was photographing some truly accomplished skateboarders who I just happened to run into when I was walking around the city yesterday. It was 85F or 90F degrees and very humid, so their faces were bright red--maybe that was accurate, but I don't think so. In any event, the photos just didn't look right with that much red, so each photo I kept in color needed adjustment. I basically used an opaque (black) layer mask, and then revealed just the faces. Then I made the color correction.

 

For those who are interested and have been concerned about M color, I was shooting with the M. The situation was very tricky in terms of metering. The skateboarders started their runs at the top of steps on a concrete museum building walls. It was in direct sunlight and bright white. The steps led down to a park. Everything from the first step down was in shade. The camera just couldn't handle the range, so choices had to made.

 

Jack Siegel

[John Ricard]

After my slightly testy reply last night (tired & emotional)

 

No offense was taken by me. I completely "get" this forum. I post on the forum maybe 3x per year because the tone of the forum just doesn't work for me. (If the forum were called the Leica Lovers forum or the Leica Defenders forum that would be cool. But as a Leica User forum, it doesn't work for me as a poster. I enjoy reading, but not posting here.) That said, I do appreciate your post processing.

 

As for my Nikon reference...a bit of background. Shooting couples is a totally new thing for me. I thought for a very long time whether I would shoot the project with my Nikon or my Leica. The Leica is slow and often I have to wait for it to write files. It also doesn't shoot as close as I'd like. And, at times I miss the focus when shooting wide open. However, I often love the look of the files. The Nikon allows me to shoot various crops (zoom lens) instantly, allows me to shoot in lower light and allows me to easily use artificial light alongside the ambient light. However, the Nikon might make my images look more similar to my competition's images. So it was a long, difficult debate for me. Ultimately, I decided to use the Leica. That is, until I finished my very first couple's shoot and then faced the prospect of having to correct the extreme redness on this guy's skin on multiple images. I made one last minute, desperate effort on this forum to see if there was something I missed that was causing the redness. From the responses, I could see there wasn't. So I instantly decided the M9 wasn't the right tool for this project.

 

As for the actual processing, (which I appreciate your doing), to my eyes, its more of a treatment than a starting point. Sort of like using an Instagram filter to achieve a certain look. It's quite possible that I would want this image processed exactly like this as a final image. However, I was hoping to remove the red and keep the file more neutral as my starting point. Then, I would use one of the "Totally Rad" LR presents that I use on many of my images to decide how I want the image to look as a final image. Your correction is much too warm for my tastes.

 

Thank you again. Now back to lurking here...

[Jeff S]

Your correction is much too warm for my tastes.

 

Mine as well, although of course this comes down to personal preference.

 

A couple of general suggestions, though...

 

First, I would move to LR 5, which IMO offers many useful improvements, including local temp and tint adjustments with the adjustment brush and/or the grid tool. Plus lots more, including improved b/w tonal controls.

 

Second, for a shoot like this, and as a starting point, I would use either a ColorChecker Passport, ExpoDisc or WhiBal card in the actual shooting light. Then PP can be more fine tuning as opposed to a big deal, and multiple photos can be adjusted simultaneously if desired.

 

Jeff

[CaptZoom]

I abbreviated your post to the portion relevant for my response (which follows your statements).

 

...As for the actual processing, (which I appreciate your doing), to my eyes, its more of a treatment than a starting point. Sort of like using an Instagram filter to achieve a certain look. It's quite possible that I would want this image processed exactly like this as a final image. However, I was hoping to remove the red and keep the file more neutral as my starting point. Then, I would use one of the "Totally Rad" LR presents that I use on many of my images to decide how I want the image to look as a final image. Your correction is much too warm for my tastes....

 

I think Mark's white balance may be throwing you off a bit. WB is set as much by and for personal preference as it is for accuracy and/or neutrality. If you preferred the WB as shot, skip Mark's WB step and just do step 2.

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[mark_j]

I think Mark's white balance may be throwing you off a bit. WB is set as much by and for personal preference as it is for accuracy and/or neutrality. If you preferred the WB as shot, skip Mark's WB step and just do step 2.

 

True, WB depends on so many things and as you say there is no right answer, personal preference is probably the most important. Here it is with no WB change.

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[John Ricard]

True, WB depends on so many things and as you say there is no right answer, personal preference is probably the most important. Here it is with no WB change.

 

I'm confused as to what this image represents. Is this suposed to be a corrected version? (Not being sarcastic here. my question is real). To my eyes the dude's arm is still really purple and there's no way I could turn in this image to any client. Disclaimer: I am not trying to be rude or insulting. I am not trying to diss Leica system camera. But if this is what I could expect from using my Leica for couples photography there is no way I would choose this tool over my Nikon for this project.