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Category: Other Image Problems

Photography Question 

Deonne
 

How to Stop Colour Cast?


Hi, everyone. I use a D100 (I'm new to digital photography) in a home studio, and I'm having problems with a pink colour cast. I am using multi blitz strobes, and the walls of the studio are white. I've tried altering the exposure levels, the white balance, and flash modes - all to no avail. I can correct this overall pink cast using Photoshop, but I would really like to get it right without having to alter everything! Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


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May 12, 2004

 
- Gregory LaGrange

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  Try changing your white balance. Your manual should explain it. You may have a feature to set a custom white balance, by taking a picture of something white with the lights you're using, and then using that picture to set the white balance - so that under that lighting, the whites will come out white.


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May 12, 2004

 

Deonne
  Hi, Gregory, thanks very much for your help. I played around with the white balance more after getting your tip, and managed to get the whites looking the way they should. The skin tones are still a bit pink - any ideas on why that would be occurring? Thanks again for your help - I really appreciate it.


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May 15, 2004

 

David Ziff
  I'm also puzzled why this is happening. Have you checked the color temperature to be sure your studio lights aren't cooler than white light?

Whenever you have such an anomaly one tries to isolate it by excluding what it isn't with other tests.
For example, have you checked a white board in sunlight and see if you're still getting a color cast?

You can use bank A and restore the camera to default levels to ensure you haven't inadvertently tripped this cast yourself in some way you've overlooked. Does it happen in raw file? Are you getting a color cast in any other circumstances?

The manual has an in-depth analysis of white balance and image adjustment pages 50 - 62 - are you fully applying those techniques? You might also look up Thom Hogan's "Complete Guide to the Nikon D100" which is a lot more complete than the manual itself.

I hope these suggestions help. Let me know how you solve this.

David


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May 18, 2004

 

Deonne
  Hi David - thanks heaps for your response, and sorry for the delayed reply! I am still having the problem after going through your suggested possible causes. I have done the Bank A thing; I've been going through the manual, and trying different methods of adjusting the WB, which as yet has not helped; and it is happening in RAW format; The white board outside in the sunlight comes out white; the Multiblitz lights don't seem to be the problem as it even happens outside. All other colours seem to come out as they should, it is only the skin tones that have this pinkish tinge to it - it's as if the sensor isn't reflecting skin tones very well. I am going to keep playing around with the camera as I really would like to know why this is happening. Like I said in my first email, it's fixable on Photoshop, but i'd like to know why it's happening. Unfortunately I don't have anyone nearby with a D100 that I can compare mine with! If you have any other suggestions, i'll be very happy to hear them!
Thanks again...


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June 08, 2004

 

David Ziff
 
 
  Natalya
Natalya
Indoors on camera flash with ambient daylight

David Ziff

 
  Emily
Emily
outdoors no flash

David Ziff

 
 
I have a D100 and I'd be happy to try to duplicate or test your results. If as you say "the sensor isn't reflecting skin tones very well" does that mean outdoors in natural light and indoors with flash as well? Or is it only under the lighting setup you have in the studio. I'm asking this as I've had no trouble with skin tones - in fact both with natural and artifical light they come out great. I'm doing to send you two photos, one with an Speedlight SB-800 and another outside in natural light outside. In any case, should there some test I can run with my D100?


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June 08, 2004

 
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