Colour Correcting Deep Green Water

[GLOC]

There was a thread recently on YD concerning the correction of blue water images and a link to an action on the Adobe site was listed. Unfortunately the UK has green water and not blue water so if you ran the action on an image from around 20m and below, it would be very orange.

Almost at the same time Clare asked me how I got the images I have using natural light, and I tried to tell her in the Little Thief just down the road, needless to say that without a computer it was a waste of time...so here is a quick explanation of what I have done.

First start with your 'green image', this was on the Persier (30m) just next to the prop shaft swim through, where a plate has fallen over.



Next load a curve, it is best use Layers in Photoshop as you can always turn them off and you don't change the original file (as long as you save the file as something else).





The curve is here http://www.imagesoflife-online.co.uk...en%20water.acv just right click and 'Save As' and save it in the normal curves folder (C:Program Files/Adobe/Photoshop CS/Presets/Curves) and then load it from that folder when you follow the step above.

The curve adjust the proportions of Red, Green and Black. I created this curve by using the 'White' Eyedropper on the MOD sticker of Rob's cylinder and then tweaking it slightly moving the balance of the curves as shown below. Just left click on a point on the curve and move it, little movements sometimes have big effects.

Red Curve



Blue Curve




Green Curve



Most of my Photoshop stuff has been learnt from trial and error although the thing I used to tell students I taught in a digital monochrome class was have a play, as long as you have an original file somewhere else, doesn't matter what you do, you will learn more by experiementing than reading books.

This curve works on other images which I have taken in bright sunshine at 30m in the UK, if it doesn't work for you "straight of the box", have a play with the curves...

Happy playing with Photoshop.

[JohnK]

Excellent tutorial Gareth. Get greened !!

[DIVE BUDDHA]

very informative gloc and yes a green from me too as i wanted to now how to get rid of the gloom !!!!!

best wishes leigh

[Tim Ingmire]

Agreed, good tutorial.

One comment tho is that I think that people are in danger of removing too much of the green (ie. all traces of it) from photos. I'll admit to being guilty of this in the past. Let's face it, we dive most of the time in green water and, whilst we don't want to have shots like the above prior to PS'ing, I feel (IMO) that we shouldn't lose that in our photos. Of course, if you want to achieve an arty effect then do what the hell you like.

Cheers,

Tim

[mark w]

Great, I thought when I read the tutorial, Ill have a go.....and guess what I found that my Adobe is Photoshop Elements 2.0 and does not support the curves feature of the full product - Oh well back to experimenting with the methods of colour adjustment I was trying out before I read this, and here was me thinking I had found a nice easy method
Great tutorial though.

[Sakara Drinker]

Great tutorial. I will have a try of this later.

[rickles23]

Adobe Photoshop--Image Ajust--Auto Levels--Done

See photo...

[GLOC]

Originally Posted by mark w

Great, I thought when I read the tutorial, Ill have a go.....and guess what I found that my Adobe is Photoshop Elements 2.0 and does not support the curves feature of the full product - Oh well back to experimenting with the methods of colour adjustment I was trying out before I read this, and here was me thinking I had found a nice easy method
Great tutorial though.

I ran a similar thread on DIRx (www.direxplorers.com) and I have uploaded some levels adjustments for those using PSE there.

[mark w]

Great,
nice one I shall look there when I get a moment.

[mad major]

I have found all the information helpfull.: