How can I capture photos with rich, saturated color without making them look overprocessed?
Asked 2/23/2011
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I like images that have strong, colorful tones but still look natural rather than overly edited. In the example I saw, the colors are vivid and the perspective feels dynamic as well. What camera, lighting, and editing choices help create this kind of look? Is there a technical term for it?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
15
I think the word you're looking for is "saturated". In any case, this looks to me like it was taken with a fairly wide-angle lens from quite close up (note the rather exaggerated perspective of the tray). The saturated colors are largely a result of fairly careful lighting, in this case from the right of the camera.
Especially if you're accustomed to on-camera flash, this can make a big difference. On-camera flash tends to show quite a few specular highlights. Since (by definition) a specular highlight doesn't show color, a lot of them have a tendency to give washed-out looking colors. Moving the flash 30-45 degrees (or so) away from the lens axis eliminates (or at least hides) a lot of those specular highlights, so you get much more saturated colors.
Originally by user603. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user603
15y ago
0
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The term you’re looking for is usually saturated color.
From the example, the look likely comes from a mix of lens choice, lighting, and post-processing:
- Use a fairly wide-angle lens and get close to the subject. That can create the exaggerated perspective seen in the tray.
- Light carefully, preferably with diffused white light from the side rather than straight on. If you use flash, moving it 30–45° off the lens axis helps reduce specular highlights, which can make colors look washed out.
- Set white balance well. Accurate white balance helps colors look clean and vivid.
- If you shoot RAW, increase saturation slightly during RAW conversion rather than relying only on later editing.
- In editing, a gentle S-curve can increase contrast and make colors pop more.
- You can also add a bit of local contrast enhancement, such as a duplicate layer set to Soft Light, to give the image more “snap.”
The key is moderation: good lighting first, then subtle contrast/saturation adjustments.
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