Tips for getting exposure and color balance right in-camera?

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gustafson

Senior Member
While I’m generally happy with the shots I get from my D7100, I feel like I’m spending too much time post-processing my shots (RAW) for exposure and white balance, not to mention sharpening, noise reduction, etc., especially when using vintage manual lenses.

Wondering if the D7100 gurus can share their favorite techniques / tips to get better shots in-camera that require little to no post-processing. Thanks in advance!


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hark

hark

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Are you choosing one of the profiles? Some are Adobe Profiles and others are Camera Profiles. For example, the Landscape profiles tend to offer more contrast. The Portrait profiles have much less contrast. Each profile has its own characteristics. You can toggle through them to see how their differences affect your image. They try to replicate the jpeg images you see on the back of your camera.

As for white balance, I try Auto as well as some of the presets. If I don't find one that quite suits me, then I customize one.

For sharpening, you should be able to create a preset that will apply automatically. I use the default for sharpening so I haven't done it myself.

Camera Profile.jpg
 
B

Bikerbrent_RIP

Senior Member
Unfortunately, most raw photographs will require some post processing. The only way to completely avoid post processing is to shoot in JPEG mode.
 
G

gustafson

Senior Member
hark said:
Are you choosing one of the profiles? Some are Adobe Profiles and others are Camera Profiles. For example, the Landscape profiles tend to offer more contrast. The Portrait profiles have much less contrast. Each profile has its own characteristics. You can toggle through them to see how their differences affect your image. They try to replicate the jpeg images you see on the back of your camera.

As for white balance, I try Auto as well as some of the presets. If I don't find one that quite suits me, then I customize one.

For sharpening, you should be able to create a preset that will apply automatically. I use the default for sharpening so I haven't done it myself.

View attachment 297365
Click to expand...

Cindy, thanks! Not very familiar with using profiles and presets. Thanks for the tip


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G

gustafson

Senior Member
Bikerbrent said:
Unfortunately, most raw photographs will require some post processing. The only way to completely avoid post processing is to shoot in JPEG mode.
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Fair point, Brent. Not looking to completely avoid post processing (although that would be very welcome ), but hoping to minimize it.


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G

gustafson

Senior Member
480sparky said:
Use the camera's sharpening, noise reduction etc.
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Good idea, thanks I haven’t looked at my in-camera settings for sharpening and NR in a while. Last I remember I’d set sharpening to 7 or 8 (although I thought that only applied to JPG), and NR off. Will check what I have and report back.


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Danno_RIP

Danno_RIP

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If you are using LightRoom for Post CC Classic the latest version has profiles in it. I have found utilizing them saves me some time. There are a lot of profiles to choose from and there is quite a bit of difference moving one from another.

I do not use much vintage glass I do have a 60mm 2.8D and a 50 1.8 D and that is about as vintage as I get.
 
G

gustafson

Senior Member
Danno said:
If you are using LightRoom for Post CC Classic the latest version has profiles in it. I have found utilizing them saves me some time. There are a lot of profiles to choose from and there is quite a bit of difference moving one from another.

I do not use much vintage glass I do have a 60mm 2.8D and a 50 1.8 D and that is about as vintage as I get.
Click to expand...

Good to know. I’m using Adobe Camera Raw that comes with CS6. I believe it has some profiles and presets, but I haven’t really explored them.



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G

gustafson

Senior Member
I feel my original post might not have stated my problem clearly. My issue seems to be that I’m not getting the right exposure / white balance / etc. to begin with, so I’m having to post process more heavily than I’d like. I was wondering if any of the D7100 features could help reduce the extent of post-processing needed - but the more I think about it, I feel I need to be more disciplined about applying the basics like the exposure triangle, the built-in light meter, custom WB, etc. to ensure high quality RAW shots from the get go. Otherwise, it results in a crapshoot (literally and figuratively ), often requiring extensive post-processing Thoughts?


Thank you all for your pointers and suggestions!!


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480sparky

Senior Member
Shooting raw always allows you the most latitude when it comes to making changes in post since raw files don't have any adjustments (white balance, sharpening, contrast, saturation etc) applied to them.
 
hark

hark

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gustafson said:
I feel my original post might not have stated my problem clearly. My issue seems to be that I’m not getting the right exposure / white balance / etc. to begin with, so I’m having to post process more heavily than I’d like. I was wondering if any of the D7100 features could help reduce the extent of post-processing needed - but the more I think about it, I feel I need to be more disciplined about applying the basics like the exposure triangle, the built-in light meter, custom WB, etc. to ensure high quality RAW shots from the get go. Otherwise, it results in a crapshoot (literally and figuratively ), often requiring extensive post-processing Thoughts?

Thank you all for your pointers and suggestions!!
Click to expand...

I don't think there is any in-camera sharpening you can set for your NEF's. I use the Auto 1 WB on all my bodies then change the WB in post. Are you using the setting in either Lightroom or Camera RAW where you can toggle through the various white balance options? There is even an Auto setting in post if you wish to choose that one. Or are you painstakingly setting your white balance by hand when post processing? :confused:

As for in-camera exposure, evaluate each scene individually. There is a saying...When it's bright, go brighter. When it's dark, go darker. What that means is look at what you're photographing. If there is a great deal of sky and/or water (river, lake, ocean, snow), your scene will be overly bright. Your camera will compensate by darkening the exposure. So you need to over-expose in camera to counter-compensate what the camera is going to do. So when it's bright, go brighter. A body is designed to shoot at a medium grey. It's referred to as 18% grey although it reflects 50% of the light (so it's a medium grey). That's why you see a lot of snowy images with dingy, grey snow. The camera underexposed a bright scene, and the photographer didn't override the settings.

And likewise...when a scene is overly dark, the camera will compensate by trying to brighten up the image. The camera will take a dark scene and try to make it a medium grey. You need to override the settings and under-expose to counter compensate. When it's dark, go darker.

I usually try for +0.7 or -0.7 rather than just +0.3 or -0.3. If you are in Aperture Priority, there is a +/- button on the top of the body. Press the button and spin the rear wheel left to lower the exposure or right to raise/brighten the exposure. You will need to remember to set it back to 0 when you are finished.
 
hark

hark

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480sparky said:
I don't think there's any settings that are applied to NEFs.
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When the +/- settings are applied, they affect NEF's. And I'm pretty sure when the sky has no color, if you manually change your White Balance to say...10K and compensate with a blue gel on a flash, the sky will come out a golden orange while the golden/orange color on people will be corrected by the gelled flash. The NEF should show up with those settings applied if the As Shot option is chosen during post processing. I'm learning how to use my MagMod gear for flash. ;)
 
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480sparky

Senior Member
hark said:
When the +/- settings are applied, they affect NEF's. And I'm pretty sure when the sky has no color, if you manually change your White Balance to say...10K and compensate with a blue gel on a flash, the sky will come out a golden orange while the golden/orange color on people will be corrected by the gelled flash. The NEF should show up with those settings applied if the As Shot option is chosen during post processing. I'm learning how to use my MagMod gear for flash. ;)
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How do you apply it to a file that, by definition, cannot have any settings applied to it?

You may see it in post when your software is set to apply those settings to the JPEG you see on your screen. As well as the JPEG you see on your camera's monitor.

But if you truly believe the settings are applied to the .NEF file, there's a really simple way to find out..... open the file in a generic viewer and see if it's showing up.
 
C

cbg

Senior Member
480sparky said:
How do you apply it to a file that, by definition, cannot have any settings applied to it?

You may see it in post when your software is set to apply those settings to the JPEG you see on your screen. As well as the JPEG you see on your camera's monitor.

But if you truly believe the settings are applied to the .NEF file, there's a really simple way to find out..... open the file in a generic viewer and see if it's showing up.
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A quick google search brings up comments from Thom Hogan Which Camera Settings Apply to NEF? To JPEG? | byThom | Thom Hogan and Spencer Cox https://photographylife.com/which-camera-settings-affect-raw-photos stating that Long Exposiue Noise Reduction is applied to NEF files, but that appears to be it, non of the other setting are.
 
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hark

hark

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480sparky said:
How do you apply it to a file that, by definition, cannot have any settings applied to it?

You may see it in post when your software is set to apply those settings to the JPEG you see on your screen. As well as the JPEG you see on your camera's monitor.

But if you truly believe the settings are applied to the .NEF file, there's a really simple way to find out..... open the file in a generic viewer and see if it's showing up.
Click to expand...

Yes, there probably are generic viewers that don't display any camera settings. Even Windows Gallery displays NEF's differently (with some type of noise reduction applied) than the way unedited NEF's really look like when I upload them to Dropbox.

The OP is looking for solutions so there is little to no post processing. Unfortunately NEF's will need to be converted to be displayed by most online sites or before being sent to printers for printing. By changing the kelvin temperature in camera and using some type of software to do basic edits, it should allow the files to display As Shot with the correct WB. Creating presets for imports into Lightroom or ACR will also cut down on post processing time.
 
Danno_RIP

Danno_RIP

Senior Member
gustafson said:
I feel my original post might not have stated my problem clearly. My issue seems to be that I’m not getting the right exposure / white balance / etc. to begin with, so I’m having to post process more heavily than I’d like. I was wondering if any of the D7100 features could help reduce the extent of post-processing needed - but the more I think about it, I feel I need to be more disciplined about applying the basics like the exposure triangle, the built-in light meter, custom WB, etc. to ensure high quality RAW shots from the get go. Otherwise, it results in a crapshoot (literally and figuratively ), often requiring extensive post-processing Thoughts?


Thank you all for your pointers and suggestions!!


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Click to expand...

Yes, I think you are right. It is about getting the best RAW file that reduces post. I still feel that for me it is still some hit and miss but I am focusing more and more on the Triangle. One of the things I have been utilizing more is ISO. Not just auto Iso but considering raising it incrementally to allow for the depth of field I want and the shutter speed I need. Also trying to prevent blowouts but setting the histogram to flash if I have blown out the highs or lows. I do think they are helping my technic for getting a better RAW file.

I do still rush sometimes. That is part of the condition my condition is in, but I am trying to focus on getting the right exposure. White Balance is a challenge for me too. Sometimes I use my Expodisc. It is a cool tool for getting it right and it works. But I do not always use it. A lot of times I do set that in post using the eyedropper in LR.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

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gustafson said:
I feel my original post might not have stated my problem clearly. My issue seems to be that I’m not getting the right exposure / white balance / etc. to begin with, so I’m having to post process more heavily than I’d like. I was wondering if any of the D7100 features could help reduce the extent of post-processing needed - but the more I think about it, I feel I need to be more disciplined about applying the basics like the exposure triangle, the built-in light meter, custom WB, etc. to ensure high quality RAW shots from the get go. Otherwise, it results in a crapshoot (literally and figuratively ), often requiring extensive post-processing Thoughts?


Thank you all for your pointers and suggestions!!


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Click to expand...
In order to nail exposure from the get-go I suggest you research how to read and interpret histograms. Once you do you'll wonder how you ever lived without them.

Understanding Histograms

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I would also suggest you to learn how to set a custom White Balance; the D7100 button layout makes it pretty fast and easy to do. You're shooting in raw so you'll total flexibility in adjusting the WB when processing, but nailing WB in-camera is a real time saver down the road and makes any other color corrections you might deem necessary just that much easier.

How to Set a Custom WB

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Edit: I almost forgot to mention another tool you might want to consider: Huelight color-profiles. While I do not use these profiles exclusively I do use them frequently and find them very helpful in speeding up my overall post-processing workflow. Once installed you can use them just as you would any other color-profile (same menu in Adobe Camera Raw). As I recall $15.00 will get you a full set of profiles for one camera model.

Color Fidelity
 
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