Underwater - Green cast shots

[TAS32253]

I'm an (amature) underwater photographer and have shot many u/w photos without using the strobe. As expected, most have a green or blue green cast. Are there any "canned" settings I can use to reduce the green tones and get it closer to lifelike on u/w shots with heavily filtered sunlight? I've played with color correction sliders but haven't found anything that really improves the shots. Any u/w photographers / Photoshop users out there that have a solution? I'm using PSE 5. Thanks in advance! Terry

[Wags374]

Have you tried the filters? (Filter>Adjustments>Photo Filter) Lots of options to try there, including "underwater".

[TonyW]

Lots of ways but probably the best place to start is using levels and adjust the individual colour channels as underwater shots will have the RGB channels unbalanced. Why not post an example on pixentral.com and see what the folk here come up with. If you come up with a levels adjustment that works you can just drag it into another image so in a sense you could create a "canned" adjustment as long as the lighting is consistent from one shot to another.

Tony

[TonyW]

Just remembered I did fix one for a friend that he'd taken with a very basic underwater camera while on a cruise. Of course I wasn't there so I don't know how realistic the colours are but this was what I got using levels to adjust the RGB channels:

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1Zcbljy9Tcy1EBx5dy5YIfjpGdRCj0_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1Zcbljy9Tcy1EBx5dy5YIfjpGdRCj0)

Tony

[Daviskw]

Hi there

As you have found water filters out red light first. Usually around 10 to 12 feet in clear water. That does not mean depth but distance. Otherwise I think flash distance is figured to then back from an object. So over 6 feet in distance you will start loosing red. If this is wrong you professional photographers please correct me.

All the procedures below are adding red light back into the image.

There are many methods of correction. One is to duplicate your background… average the color on this layer with Filter>Blur>Average…..Invert the layer with Ctrl or command "I" then blend this layer back into the original.. sometimes adding a warm photo filter and contrast for tone…I don’t like this one very much.

Another, for full version Photoshop, is to duplicate your photo… on the duplicate desaturate…. Open the red channel in the channel pallet…. Use levels or curves to lighten and increase contrast….copy merged then back to your original picture open the layers pallet click on the red channel then edit paste… click on RGB then adjust as needed to finish… not my favorite either

Yet another way… use auto correction features and get the best improvement you can. Then open a levels adjustment layer… select the red channel and move the center gamma slider towards the left to boost red in the image… not very good in my opinion.

THE BEST WAY I THINK… it only takes a few minutes and works just fine in Elements… you can also search the web and find an action that I believe will work as well.

First use the auto controls and check the results. It may pay to duplicate the background a few times and try auto levels… auto color…auto contrast. Then turning the layers on and off see which one gives the best results. Keep the best one and delete the others.

Now duplicate this layer twice… you should now have three identical layers. Click on the middle one. We want to fill this layer with 50 percent gray. Edit>Fill then choose 50% gray from the contents box.

Click on the top layer and change this layer mode to Luminosity. Look in the layer pallet option menu and you will see normal… click on this drop box and select Luminosity. The picture will now be black and white.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/16SC2RADkDLO0uK8jw0BWN4doPFJe1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=16SC2RADkDLO0uK8jw0BWN4doPFJe1)

Now Press the ctrl or command key and press E to merge the Luminosity layer into the gray layer… You should now have two layers…background and B&W layer.

Open a blank layer at the top of the pallet… Fill this layer with pure red…R 255 G0 B0. You can do this by double clicking on your foreground color swatch… In the color picker enter the RGB values then close. Now hold the Alt or Option key and press backspace. This should fill the blank layer with pure red.

Now change the red layers layer mode to Multiply. Using the same box you used for luminosity before. The red will blend with the black and white below.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1577dmZtOvICQO5JrRdWetbQ4YBmJ1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1577dmZtOvICQO5JrRdWetbQ4YBmJ1)

Still on the red layer press Ctrl or command key and E to merge the red and B&W together.

Almost done now ….. Just change the layer mode of this red composite layer to screen…magic huh.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1ef8SQMRrlsYxqvIo2Uhq6eYvofMBA1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1ef8SQMRrlsYxqvIo2Uhq6eYvofMBA1)

Now flatten the image… If you want, try running the auto corrections on this new composite and see if it improves. Underwater photos almost always lack contrast. You may want to fine tune with levels or add contrast with the brightness/contrast… just be careful not to clip highlights and shadows.

As a final step you may want to individually adjust channel colors in levels or if you have Grants tools use color balance.

Final version after a little contrast enhancement.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1cB6sPwUrE21sFSTyjqbg0vd9ZjkvT_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1cB6sPwUrE21sFSTyjqbg0vd9ZjkvT)

I am sorry this photo is not the best example picture. I could not find a good uncorrected underwater shot in free photos. It will work for demonstration purposes… try your own it will make a big difference with realistic color correction.

Also the layer pallet in the examples is from CS3 but the layers and modes will look and work the same in Elements.

Butch

[LeeOtsubo]

This may be another "senior moment" but I could have sworn there was a recent video tutorial about correcting underwater colors. It featured a young girl in a pool and showed how to correct the blue cast.

[Rusty]

You are right, Lee, I remembered that when I saw your post.

It was in the Newsletter: Vol. 3 No. 7 and Matt K describes a procedure almost identical to what Butch outlined.

Rusty

[TAS32253]

Thanks! I've tried using the u/w filter but it is pretty lame in fixing my particular problem (green cast). Seems to add more green than take it away. Thanks!

[Daviskw]

Hi Terry...why don't you post an example...even if not perfect we should be able to improve it anyway...I think..lol

Butch

[TAS32253]

Thanks Tony. This is the first time that I have attempted an upload to pixentral.com - so I'm not sure if I've done it correctly. Here is the paste to the image I uploaded. http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1YInXsI3XYVawjWfAgBcthP0hHU7C
Let me know if I have done it incorrectly and I'll try to learn from my mistakes (gee - you would think that I would be brilliant by now) :)
Terry

[TAS32253]

Butch,
Wow! Thanks for all of the information. I'll give the methods you suggested a shot. The issue may be with the camera (it's an inexpensive SeaLife 5 mpix.) Housings for my D80 are still to much for me to spend. The pixentral upload is a lousy shot of brittle worms - but one where the green cast was pretty pronounced and the best example I have of the issue I'm contending with. Thanks again for all of the information. It certainly gives me several places to start.
Regards!
Terry

[TAS32253]

Tony, that shot is MUCH improved - see if you can work any wonders with the upload of brittle worms in a mating frenzy!



Actually "frenzy" may be a bit of an overstatement as they move about an inch every 5 minutes - but thought it would increase the number of views.

[Daviskw]

Hi Terry

I have no idea of the true colors but you taking the picture would, and your final color adjustments would be much closer than mine.

I went overboard with color but did break the green tent. The overall color could easily be adjusted with many tools.

Butch


http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1eZeV90NxgcG3Q9EW5ll8l1Vqon0VX0_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1eZeV90NxgcG3Q9EW5ll8l1Vqon0VX0)

[TAS32253]

Butch,
Thank you! That certainly got rid of the green. I'll presume that the procedure for uploading images to Pixentral was correct? Just paste the URL - right?
I also played with the image some more in PSE 5 and used the auto layers. It also made a significant improvement with just a click - did a much better job than using Quick Fix.
Thanks again!
Terry

[Rusty]

Hi Terry, I took your image and did exactly what was outlined in the Matt Kloskowski Newsletter tutorial, nothing more, nothing less. That the same as Butch outlined in his post.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1RZfF30H7zsZt7IB6P4vHvrifAn9E41_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1RZfF30H7zsZt7IB6P4vHvrifAn9E41)

That's still pretty dark. I was hesitant to get heroic because I don't know what's supposed to be in there. But, what the heck, here's a rather extreme Bright/Contrast adjustment:

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1bVdQ39kc5UXnGffF7PSUWTaXWWimH1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1bVdQ39kc5UXnGffF7PSUWTaXWWimH1)

Rusty :)

[Daviskw]

Rusty that looks great much better than mine... very good job

Butch

[TonyW]

I had to try too - didn't get all the green out and I'm not sure what colours they ought to be either - plus the top of the picture is different from the bottom. More light nearer the surface perhaps? Mostly done with Levels adjusting the colours individually although I did use a red photo filter (opposite of cyan) to take some of the blue/green out. Also it was rather underexposed so I opened it in Camera Raw 4.1 and gave it some exposure adjustments.


http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1z85Wuv9ZPlr1hEx37t2lkbtwRRj_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1z85Wuv9ZPlr1hEx37t2lkbtwRRj)

Tony

[Daviskw]

Rusty's and Tony's looked so good I had to figure out what I did wrong... somehow I messed up a blendmode but even after redoing I could not match you guys... Good work!!!

Butch

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1RIQyCwb7UJk5338H6fp0rYBoNa81_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1RIQyCwb7UJk5338H6fp0rYBoNa81)

[TonyW]

If you get stuck trying to do this there's a free action on the Photoshop Exchange that will do it - not as controlled as you can do it manually (it basically adds the missing red back in but in a clever way). I tried it and it works fine in PSE5 (as long as you apply it to a background layer) and gives much the same results as have been posted here.

http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm?event=extensionDetail&loc=en_us&extid=1042430

Tony

[TAS32253]

You are terrific. I'll give the link a try. Any guess as to why I am getting the green cast to start with? The camera seems to be unpredicible. One shot looks natural with ambient light - and the very next shot with same conditions often looks like I shot throug lime Jello. Other than operator error - I can't figure out the root cause.

[TAS32253]

Very nice work Rusty! THAT is what it looked like! Terry

[Rusty]

Thanks, Terry, but I didn't really think up anything - I was blindly following instructions :) But, hey, that's how you learn.

I am really surprised that Butch says my image is considerably better than what he did. I went back and checked my tutorial with what Butch posted above. Line-by-line, same sequence of actions, same blend modes ... what I did and what Butch described above is exactly the same.

Maybe this is a random act of computer unkindness :D

Rusty

[TAS32253]

Tony,
I downloaded the freeware you suggested from Photoshop Exchange and openend it via PSE 5 - but apprently I need some help in installing it so I can find it within PSE 5. What am I looking for witin the program to put it to use? Should it show up in filters? Adjustments? I must be doing something wrong.
Thanks!
Terry

[Daviskw]

Rusty...lets face it ...your just getting good..:D:D..I can't even follow my own instructions...getting older I guess

Butch

[Rusty]

Terry - the easiest way to add stuff into Elements is to spend the grand sum of eight bucks and buy Graffi's Add-O-Matic
http://www.graficalicus.com/graffishop/

I use it all the time 'cause it's idiot-proof. Check out his website while there. He has some nice stuff for sale at reasonable prices. Plus, Graffi generously puts a lot of free actions out there as well.

Butch - "learning how to do" is not nearly as hard as "remembering what you've learned". :D It's not that I forget how to do it, it's just that, after not using it for a while, that technique slips back into dim recesses of memory. Then, I have an image problem where that technique would be perfect.

Of course, I screw around with all sorts of heroic stuff, none of which works very well. So, I ask a Q on this forum and somebody says, "Why don't you try [description]? I slap my head thinking, Of Course, why not, that works and I already know how to do it. :) :)

Rusty

[TonyW]

Tony,
I downloaded the freeware you suggested from Photoshop Exchange and openend it via PSE 5 - but apprently I need some help in installing it so I can find it within PSE 5. What am I looking for witin the program to put it to use? Should it show up in filters? Adjustments? I must be doing something wrong.
Thanks!
Terry

Terry: In PSE5 you put actions here:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\5.0\Photo Creations\special effects\My Custom Actions

It will then show up in Artwork and Effects under the Special Effects tab. Note that the last folder (My Custom Actions) is my own addition - just to keep things separate - you can add any new folders you like with actions (.atn) files in them after \special effects\

Also that path is normally hidden in XP - you need to "Enable Hidden Files and Folders" via Windows Explorer to see it - or you can copy and paste the following path to your desktop as a shortcut:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\5.0\Photo Creations\special effects\

Tony

[TAS32253]

Thank you Tony. I'll follow your instructions when I get back from business travels! I appreciate your help!
Terry

[TAS32253]

It works like a charm. Thanks for your help - I am miles ahead now. Terry

[anthws]

Tony,

Does it work the same way in v6? Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong area, didn't see a forum devoted to v6 yet... anth

[TonyW]

In XP you can put the atn file in:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\6.0\Photo Creations\photo effects

It won't have a thumbnail and will only show up when you "Show All" in Photo Effects but it will work. You can then add it to Favorites and it will stay there (unlike in PSE5 which had a habit of losing favorites)

It is possible to make thumbnails (png files) and add new categories (xml files) rather than having it in Show All but that's a bit more complicated to do and for just a few actions probably isn't worth the effort.

Tony

[anthws]

Thanks, Tony! It's so much faster... How does one access the "Favorites"?

Anth

[TonyW]

If you right click on an Effect you can add it to Favorites. You can access Favorites via the Window menu. The way I have it set up is to drag Content, Effects and Favorites into one floating window which makes it easier to get to. The one downside of Favorites is that if you don't have a thumbnail then it doesn't show the effect/action name unless you mouse over it. In the Effects window you can choose to show names so it's easier to use actions with no thumbnails.

Tony