Color Correcting a Bride

[jaytrumpet]

Hi,

As is always the case this photo proved more difficult than I initially thought it would be. My initial color correction enhanced and brought out several swaths of peculiar colors. I generally have a hard time determining color shifts so I need your help. Did I remove all the aberrant colors or is more work to be done?

Jay

[Mhayes]

Jay,

I like what you have done and really wouldn't change a thing. Having done several weddings I think there is nothing wrong with the lighting. Every time I look at this and think that perhaps some of the yellow inside the veil, around her face, and underarm; I come back and think I'm good with it. Her veil is going to have some of the colors surrounding her and the flash as well as perhaps some reflecting off her bouquet.

:up:

Margie

[jaytrumpet]

Thanks Margie,

This was tough because there was a lot of purple (mostly lower left) and a big swath of yellow (neck down) that needed to be dealt with. I didn't want to eliminate all of it from the photo as some (most?) of it was probably the photographer's mood lighting.

On much of what we do you walk a fine line, and on something like this it is really hard to separate what was in the original and what YOU want to achieve for the photo.

[Mhayes]

Whoops! This one slide by me. The bride looks like she has short sleeves and skin is showing. 

Margie

[jaytrumpet]

Margie,

Her arm under the sleeve does pose a problem. The image has both deep purple and bright orange hues there with a white film on top (part of the veil?). I toned them down a bit and got an OK flesh tone but still have the annoying white film. Is it passable?

[Atlantis]

It still early around here so I'm having a look at my laptop now.

The lace is all the sleeve there is, nothing on her upperarm. What you see is a transparant part of her veil. By creating a sleeve that was not there you sort of cut out part of the veil.
The strange white blob down left on her veil is most probably damage and/or part of the white haze.
There also seem to be areas of white around the bride that look like not yet finished partly masked out area's. Probably from trying to get rid of the white haze.

[kiska]

I did a lot of painting on a color layer to try to even up the magenta and yellow. Needs more.

[jaytrumpet]

Atlantis & Kiska,

Thanks for your help. I worked on her arm a bit. How is this?

Jay

[Hannie]

Jay, you have done a great job so far! 
I had a look at some other photos of this wedding and it seems that the bouquet is mainly white.
The yellow cast I think is damage, I believe the magenta cast may be that too.

What if you even out the veil a little more, get rid of the dark "stripes" by lightening them up some?

Hannie

PS
I missed your post, if you look at the other wedding photos photos in Bambi's gallery you can see how the sleeve is shaped.
Oops, I left out the veil over her upper arm...  ;)

[jaytrumpet]

Hannie,

Thanks, you are right, the bouquet was probably white. I worked on that and removed most of the color cast from the veil. I think it looks pretty good. The only thing I am worried about is the upper arm. It should have some flesh tones, but is covered by the white veil. I tried to make it look that way but it's pretty white. Is it passable?

[Mhayes]

Jay, when you say: "It should have some flesh tones, but is covered by the white veil." you are correct up to a certain point. The veil is white, but most likely it has fine openings that make it translucent to show colors underneath. The veil is also in layers and depending on how many layers will make it appear whiter.  Over the sleeve appears to be one layer and there should be more skin color showing as in Kiska's and Hannie's. The way you have it showing makes it look like another sleeve underneath. Plus, the veil over the arm has a slight ruffle and not a straight across cut.

Margie

[jaytrumpet]

Margie, Hannie & Kiska

This project makes me glad I am not a wedding photographer! You ladies are great at this, very discriminating! Would you have as much to say if this was a photo of a guy's fishing trip or is it the bridal thing?

Anyway I went back and worked on her arm. Brought back the "slight ruffle" in the sleeve/veil and gave it a more "transparent" look (more flesh tones).

Awaiting your comments.

Jay

[Mhayes]

Bravo!  Exactly what I want on the veil. Yes, we would be just as discriminating on a guy on a fishing trip. It's not so much a bridal thing as paying attention to details. Having a knowledge in certain areas is a plus, but what we don't know we research.

Margie

P.S. You want to go the guy route, check out the hockey photos in Jonas' Gallery

[jaytrumpet]

Great, I'm glad it's passed muster.

I did see those hockey photos, some look really hard. Hockey is not really my thing though...now if you had any photos of trumpet players!

[Hannie]

...now if you had any photos of trumpet players!