Why do my pictures seem 'cold' on my Canon?

[Matthew]

Hi guys,

I wonder if anyone can offer some advise?

I shoot in raw (usually on Auto) with my Canon 550d. My photos always seem to come out very 'cold', ie I have to 'warm them up' when editing afterwards.

Is there anything I can do in the settings to make the colour temp abit better, pisses me off having to edit loads of photos after a day out!

Thanks.

 

[adamlstr]

What have you got your white balance set to?

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Digital_SLR/eos30d/features/whitebalance.asp

Also, is this on every screen you look at your photos on - or just one?

 

[Brazo]

Do you have a calibrated screen you work from?

 

[Matthew]

Just the laptop/iphone screen. But the pictures look fine once I have warmed them up, just seem to come out very blue/cold.

Does the white balance have an effect in that?

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

Auto

Sack that off for starters...

What about the scene mode thing (name evades me) with standard, portrait, landscape etc. on ?

 

[ThomasBrentnall]

Upload a none edited one for us to see

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

PS: if you're insure what the white balance does.. I suggest you read the stickies on here

 

[Matthew]

Right lads. Ill go take a photo of the car unedited, edited then using one of the 'scene' settings.

Ill report back. Cheers

 

[Matthew]

Ok, this one is mildly edited taken on Auto...

Edited Z4 on AUTO by Matt Walker 1986, on Flickr

Un-edited taken on Auto...

Unedited Z4 on AUTO by Matt Walker 1986, on Flickr

And un-edited taken on Landscape...

Unedited Z4 using LANDSCAPE setting by Matt Walker 1986, on Flickr

Why on earth do they look so blue and cold before increasing the temperature?

* I seem to have overdone the colour temp on the edited one, but you get the idea.

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

I think you need to calibrate your screen.

The top edited one is far too warm. Whites should be white - not yellow.

Landscape increases blues and greens IIRC.

Middle one is about spot on - lower one is just a little low on contrast.

Shooting at f/4 isn't going to help in bright daylight either.


Av mode - ~f/11 and re-shoot as it's cloudy.. f/16 if it's bright blue and sunny.

 

[Matthew]

Yeah, they look alot bluer on my laptop screen (1080p) than on the iPhone screen.

So you recommend shooting in AV mode then?

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

Yes, it's where I shoot most of the time unless I'm doing something specific / technical...

Read the stickies and calibrate your screen .. post up some pics and see what's what

Looking at your Flickr, you seem to take a decent shot .. getting a little more technical won't do you any harm !

 

[Brazo]

It's a white balance issue (probably) but there's little point getting white balance right in camera and then working off an un calibrated monitor. Spyder express 4 £65. Auto white balance is a great starting point on the camera.

 

[Ay Ay Ron]

I've noticed a massive difference in the pictures between my 550 and the Mrs' 50.
Both on the same lens, same aperture, iso etc her colours are more vibrant.

Have you tried using a custom white balance in the camera? A plain white sheet of paper in good light?
I need to buy a monitor because editing using a laptop is a pain due to the colour change when the screen moves a bit.