4/5/2023 0 Comments Snowfall cast![]() The greatest problem comes with the sign, where the background is in direct sunlight, but the foreground is in shade, in this case, the extent of blue snow was more than I really wanted. The same is shown on the snowy textures, where the daylight setting (5000 deg K) shows a very strong blue cast, but the shade setting renders the “blue” snow white.Ībove: Shade setting renders the "blue" snow white. By changing the white balance to shade (7000 deg K) the blue cast is eradicated (shown above). With +1 stop compensation, the exposure is better, but there is still a blue cast. The windfarm exposed as per meter reading on daylight white balance shows underexposure and a strong blue cast on the snow. If you want to reduce the strength of the blue cast in the shadows, try adding a selective colour layer, or hue and saturation layer, and adjust the blues only. Try adding a levels adjustment layer and taking the mid-tone slider on the blue channel down to about 0.8 (from 1.00) and perhaps changing the red mid-tone from 1.00 to around 1.05. If you have shot it as a jpeg, a little more work will be needed in colour correction. So what can you do to correct the blue tint to the snowy pictures you already have? If they are shot at RAW files, you can – of course – change the white balance to Shade, which will usually get the colour about right. Personally, I just leave these blue and the sunlit snow a crisp, pure white. Correcting the cast of these shadows at the taking stage will result in a strong yellow cast on your sunlit snow. Shadows on the snow in the same picture will still exhibit a strong blue cast. Of course, if you're photographing snow in the sun, it will generally be a pure white when correctly exposed, at, say, sunny white balance. Personally, I'd sooner get it right in the camera and spend less time correcting casts in front of the computer, and more time behind the camera taking pictures. So many photographers say to me “As I shoot RAW files, I don't need to worry about it at the taking stage, I can just sort it out in the computer later”. ![]() Either of these techniques will give a neutral tone to the snow. The extreme blue cast can easily be corrected in camera by either setting the white balance at shade (which equates to about 7000°K) or by taking a preset / custom white balance from the snow. Most photographers who visit me for the first time have their cameras set on Auto white balance (which won't generally get strong colour casts right at the taking stage). Underexposure from the average meter reading will make the cast worse, but it can be easily corrected. Once you've taken the picture CHECK YOUR HISTOGRAM – to make sure the highlights are to the right of the histogram, without blowing details.Īs we said above, blue snow in pictures occurs where the snow is receiving no direct sunlight, but is simply being lit by sun reflecting off the blue sky (hence the cast!). Wind Farm taken with +1 stop compensation. Remember, because most meters are calibrated to a mid-grey, the camera will tend to UNDEREXPOSE the snow, so either take a meter reading from a grey card (or neutral tone), hold the AE-L button to lock your exposure, recompose the picture and take the shot, or – more simply, use your exposure compensation to increase the exposure to change the snow to a bright tone depending on your camera and metering system, this can need from +0.7 stops to +2.0 stops compensation. Wind Farm - Shows underexposure and a strong blue cast on the snow. The other time when snow typically shows a strong blue cast, is when you are photographing in the shade on a sunny day, under a blue sky when the snow is only receiving light from the sky itself. Invariably this will leave the snow either a dull grey on your photo, or, if you're shooting under a blue sky, you'll end up with blue snow. Even those cameras with RGB sensors in their meters will still underexpose snow a touch. This is generally due to one or two errors which can be quickly and easily put right – preferably at the taking stage, but failing that, in Photoshop or Lightroom.īecause your camera's meter is calibrated for a scene of "average" brightness, photographing a snowy landscape can often lead to underexposure, by seeing the white snow as a mid-tone. Words and images by John Gravett - We all know the feeling of photographing in snow on a bright, crisp day, only to realise that the snow is coming out blue in your pictures.
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