how to reduce red emphasis in skin tone?

[rob_w]

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I took some photos on the weekend and all the people seem to have red emphasised in their skin tones, compared to how they normally look.  So blemishes are exaggerated, for example.  Is there a way to de-emphasise the red tone in Lightroon, without going to great lengths to do it?  Perhaps I should ask in the post-processing forum, but I have not had this problem with the CL before.  (It takes me back to the days of the M8!)

Leica CL with TL35 1.4 Summilux.

Thanks for any help.

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[LocalHero1953]

I haven't had that problem with the CL/TL2 either, but it was endemic with the M9. My solution then was (I think) to adjust the red colour hue slider in Lightroom towards orange, and increase the luminance of red or orange - I forget which. Once I'd done that I had a 'pink skin reduction preset' which I used when necessary. 

Edit. I still have that preset, but not with me. I'll try to remember to post it in a day or so.

Edited May 30, 2021 by LocalHero1953

[jaapv]

Yes, a camera is objective and can be merciless. As you don’t want to change the lip colour you will need to mask before tweaking hue/saturation in the reds, I fear. You could try using an IR filter, but on the CL it may not make much of a difference. In this case removing Magenta might help - a bit. 

[LocalHero1953]

I still have the issue from time to time*, but I'm surprised that you found all the people with this effect.

* digital sensors are more sensitive to the red end of the visible spectrum and the IR range than our eyes,  so you can get this effect in the image even if it is not visible to the human eye in real life. 

[lct]

Reducing contrast may help if you don't want to tweak colors, otherwise red saturation -10 would suffice for me.

[TeleElmar135mm]

Sometimes this happens when thera is a problem with the white balance. Try Nik Color Efex (from DXO/Nik complete)- white Balance Filter and when he is too strong add the brilliant/warmth filter or the skylight filter. With the U-Point technology you can better seperate the tones you want to change

[wda]

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3 hours ago, rob_w said:

I took some photos on the weekend and all the people seem to have red emphasised in their skin tones, compared to how they normally look.  So blemishes are exaggerated, for example.  Is there a way to de-emphasise the red tone in Lightroon, without going to great lengths to do it?  Perhaps I should ask in the post-processing forum, but I have not had this problem with the CL before.  (It takes me back to the days of the M8!)

Leica CL with TL35 1.4 Summilux.

Thanks for any help.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

In LR, go to HSL panel, select eyedropper, sample a typical red Zone and draw your mouse wheel slowly towards you until you achieve the right level of red.  If you go too far, reverse the direction of the adjustment wheel. Save as a preset, if desired. Name it appropriately.

I have written this from memory, so hope it works. You will notice that other colours in the HSL panel will also change, reflecting the composite nature of colour captured.

[frame-it]

6 hours ago, rob_w said:

I took some photos on the weekend and all the people seem to have red emphasised in their skin tones, compared to how they normally look.  So blemishes are exaggerated, for example.  Is there a way to de-emphasise the red tone in Lightroon, without going to great lengths to do it?  Perhaps I should ask in the post-processing forum, but I have not had this problem with the CL before.  (It takes me back to the days of the M8!)

Leica CL with TL35 1.4 Summilux.

Thanks for any help.

 

adjust the red / green primary sliders, and then their respective saturation sliders in the camera calib menu.

the HSL sliders can sometimes make the image colors splotchy

Edited May 30, 2021 by frame-it

[wda]

5 hours ago, frame-it said:

adjust the red / green primary sliders, and then their respective saturation sliders in the camera calib menu.

the HSL sliders can sometimes make the image colors splotchy

But flesh tones rarely comprise pure primary colours. That is why sampling gives more balanced adjustments.

[jaapv]

10 hours ago, wda said:

In LR, go to HSL panel, select eyedropper, sample a typical red Zone and draw your mouse wheel slowly towards you until you achieve the right level of red.  If you go too far, reverse the direction of the adjustment wheel. Save as a preset, if desired. Name it appropriately.

I have written this from memory, so hope it works. You will notice that other colours in the HSL panel will also change, reflecting the composite nature of colour captured.

An alternative is to use the  colour grading tool. That will influence the other colours less. Or the hue, saturation and brightness sliders in the colour mixer tool.
In my experience it is a matter of trial and error to get it just right.

[frame-it]

4 hours ago, wda said:

But flesh tones rarely comprise pure primary colours. That is why sampling gives more balanced adjustments.

sure, but generally speaking if the skintone is too red it works quite well, and gives a smooth result

Edited May 31, 2021 by frame-it

[rob_w]

On 5/30/2021 at 10:09 PM, wda said:

In LR, go to HSL panel, select eyedropper, sample a typical red Zone and draw your mouse wheel slowly towards you until you achieve the right level of red.  If you go too far, reverse the direction of the adjustment wheel. Save as a preset, if desired. Name it appropriately.

Hi David,  I tried this today but in my version of LR (LR Classic 10.2) there is no eyedropper that I can see, to use as you describe.  Am I missing something?

[wda]

53 minutes ago, rob_w said:

Hi David,  I tried this today but in my version of LR (LR Classic 10.2) there is no eyedropper that I can see, to use as you describe.  Am I missing something?

Robert, I wish I could help, but I am still using version 6. Nonetheless,  I would be very surprised if Adobe discontinued such an important tool. If the eye-dropper is not visible, try searching for a similar term such as 'sampler'. Or try googling to find a relevant video. Possibly another member can help. It is a tool I use frequently. Have you searched the main menu?

[rob_w]

Thanks David.  You prompted me to look harder.  It is there in version 10 - as a tiny button which becomes a cross-hairs when you click on it, rather than an eyedropper.  I tried the adjustment you mentioned and it has improved things considerably.  Appreciate you taking the time.

I do worry sometimes about Leica's colour treatment of reds in skin tones, though.  This is not the first set of pictures where a combination of circumstances has highlighted that it can be disturbed very easily.  I do wonder if Canon is better in this regard.  Since my friends who are Canon shooters do not have the same difficulties.

Edited June 1, 2021 by rob_w

[wda]

Rob, thank you. Remember my suggestion to save your corrected settings as a preset. Regarding Leica reds versus Canon's, I take a different approach. Regardless of source, I shoot  ColorChecker target and produce my own colour profiles. Save as a preset and apply when copying files into Lightroom. Easy and consistent!

[rob_w]

Yes, thank you for reminding me.  I have been tempted to get a ColorChecker many times over the years.  Mostly though I am pleased with the colours I get and only require small tweaks, if any.  The tweaks are often due to local conditions such as a spectrum bias in the lighting, and easy to correct.  Skin tones as we all know are more complicated and the technique you have shown me will be helpful in future.

Cheers