Color correction and presets, do we need to use it?

[SudaliuS]

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Hello guys!
Well, I am new user of M11. Previously had a Q2 model.
And I've got one dilemma: what to do with with pictures out of camera? DNG or Jpeg it doesn't matter. I mean sometimes pictures looks not like I want or has not so popular modern colors. But it looks natural. From the other side if I will use some color correction or presets so why I need Leica camera? With the same success I can use Canon, Sony and so on with their colors.
I want to hear you opinion...

There is two photos from M11.
The first one is jpeg out of camera without any correction.
The second one with color correction in Photoshop

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Edited July 25, 2024 by SudaliuS

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[jaapv]

To my eyes the first is way off, the second still has a blue cast. Did you calibrate your monitor? The camera cannot decide your taste in colour, nor can it produce the impression you want to convey. That is up to the photographer and his computer. Presets convey the vision of the maker of the preset, not yours. If that happens to coincide, all the better, but that is mostly not the case.

[SudaliuS]

3 minutes ago, jaapv said:

Did you calibrate your monitor?

I need to think about it, yes.

But the main question is about post processing. Do we need it or not? What about Leica colors, etc

[jaapv]

Yes we need it. Period. Any camera, any brand. The only Leica thing about colour is the choice of Bayer filter on the sensor. The rest is software and hardware in the form of a good calibrated monitor and preferred postprocessing program.

Just picking a camera and relying on JPG is like picking up any film and dropping it off at your local chemist and hoping for the best.

[wizard]

vor 3 Stunden schrieb jaapv:

is like picking up any film and dropping it off at your local chemist and hoping for the best.

Well, this is how it worked for most of us for decades 🙂. And the results we got weren't bad either. I still enjoy looking at my slides taken many years ago. The JPG of yesteryear was the film you had chosen.

[250swb]

3 hours ago, SudaliuS said:

I need to think about it, yes.

But the main question is about post processing. Do we need it or not? What about Leica colors, etc

Are you using Auto WB on the camera because both photos are way off? 

However if I use 'Auto Color' in Photoshop on the JPEG the image comes out immeasurably better. I don't know what you've done to correct the colour in the .dng image but again pressing 'Auto Color' gives a lot better image although it needs some brightness and contrast adjustments. You can also do 'Auto' in ACR when you are processing the .dng and it will generally correct any problems the camera or the photographer have introduced. 

The images seem like something is going wrong, so I suggest you set the camera to Auto Exposure, Auto WB, and Auto ISO and see if things don't get better.

[frame-it]

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4 hours ago, SudaliuS said:

Hello guys!
Well, I am new user of M11. Previously had a Q2 model.
And I've got one dilemma: what to do with with pictures out of camera? DNG or Jpeg it doesn't matter. I mean sometimes pictures looks not like I want or has not so popular modern colors. But it looks natural. From the other side if I will use some color correction or presets so why I need Leica camera? With the same success I can use Canon, Sony and so on with their colors.
I want to hear you opinion...

There is two photos from M11.
The first one is jpeg out of camera without any correction.
The second one with color correction in Photoshop

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!

1) if you want a color-accurate photo, check your settings [no auto white balance or auto-ISO, i would stay in M mode and focus as well as you can] and shoot carefully

2) if you want a slightly or very stylized photo, [no auto white balance or auto-ISO, i would stay in M mode and focus as well as you can] and shoot carefully, and process the dng however you want.

 

 

on a side note, most phones are not accurate at all in "auto-everything" mode

[SudaliuS]

Well, I colibrated my monitor and set white balance in AUTO mode in my M11.
So, this is a result.
First image is a JPEG from DNG without any color correction.
And the second one with "Daylight" white balnce in Camera RAW + vibrance

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

[zeitz]

4 hours ago, jaapv said:

The rest is software and hardware in the form of a good calibrated monitor and preferred postprocessing program.

Jaap, I also find it valuable to make a custom profile for each camera using the X-Rite Passport system.

[jaapv]

I do so as well, normally three: sun, cloud and dual-illuminant

[frame-it]

20 minutes ago, SudaliuS said:

Well, I colibrated my monitor and set white balance in AUTO mode in my M11.
So, this is a result.
First image is a JPEG from DNG without any color correction.
And the second one with "Daylight" white balnce in Camera RAW + vibrance

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!

LOVE the Car!

2nd photo looks nicer

though personally i like to shoot in full manual mode, not auto-anything.

>> Sl2S

[250swb]

1 hour ago, SudaliuS said:

Well, I colibrated my monitor and set white balance in AUTO mode in my M11.
So, this is a result.
First image is a JPEG from DNG without any color correction.
And the second one with "Daylight" white balnce in Camera RAW + vibrance

 

Just carry on like that, keep everything on Auto and you'll get an accurate representation of what the camera thinks is best, and you can then have your choice in post processing. If you want more control you can set things to manual but remember you can always check your choices by pressing 'Auto' again in ACR and Photoshop.

[marchyman]

9 hours ago, SudaliuS said:

From the other side if I will use some color correction or presets so why I need Leica camera?

Need?  That's up to you.  I post process all images anyway so color correction is not really an aspect of camera selection.  I like my Leica because Rangefinder.  And Ergonomics.  How the camera feels in hand is equally important.  These days pretty much any camera from Leica, Nikon, Canon, Fuji, Sony, Hasselblad, etc. have excellent image quality.  Colors can be tweaked to match your taste.  But which are a pleasure to shoot?

For me that is the Leica M.  Is that you or would you prefer something else.

[jaapv]

10 hours ago, SudaliuS said:

But the main question is about post processing. Do we need it or not?

Whatever else, you need it. Both images are way off. 
Don't expect a camera to do the things that are the responsibility of the photographer. Especially Leica. They provide the tools - and pretty good tools they are too - , but the one who creates the image is the photographer - and that includes colour. 

[Einst_Stein]

I would try the WB eye drop to click on the white clothes of the pretty girl, and the white car in the other photos. 
That should be simple enough, if it works for you.

just for comparison, you might try to click on the road, which looks warmer than grey but I guess it might be more towards neutral grey.  

Edited July 25, 2024 by Einst_Stein

[250swb]

2 hours ago, Einst_Stein said:

I would try the WB eye drop to click on the white clothes of the pretty girl, and the white car in the other photos. 
That should be simple enough, if it works for you.

just for comparison, you might try to click on the road, which looks warmer than grey but I guess it might be more towards neutral grey.  

Putting an eyedropper on a white area thinking that will be the correct white balance can lead to some weirdly unnatural images. Light has a colour depending what it's reflecting off, like in a sunset, or in an interior, and even 'Auto WB' takes into account all the colours in a scene and doesn't just try to neutralise whites which leaves a very bland and oddly neutral effect. Within Nik Suite Color Efex there is a slider for adjusting the neutrality of 'whites' and likewise it's the most powerful tool in there but also being the most destructive tool if a photographer doesn't know what they  are looking at

[Einst_Stein]

Yes, there could be many different whites that are deviated from neutral white. It is usually more difficult to tell than a neutral grey. But I found it’s a simple first step if no neutral grey reference in the picture.

Even when a neutral grey exists, eyedrop on it is still a reference. The light falling on my main subject may not be the same on the neutral grey. I usually still do some fine tune to match my preference. More then often, right or wrong, my preference is not the most accurate color (assuming the accurate color even exists.)

All in all, it is about to get a reasonable reference as the starting point. In these pictures, the white clothes would be my choice. 

[hansvons]

18 hours ago, Einst_Stein said:

All in all, it is about to get a reasonable reference as the starting point. In these pictures, the white clothes would be my choice. 

I’d select the pathway with the WB picker. Why? That way, the overall mood will be kept (especially the skin tones and the blouse’s whiteness) but the neutrals will be without colour cast. I’d also look into the deep shadows for further colour casts. My experience is, however, that Leica is pretty good at neutral deep shadows. 

 

 

 

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Hallo,

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