How can I fix the blue cast around windows in an indoor photo?
Asked 6/30/2011
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2 answers
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I photographed an interior during the day with ceiling lights on and some daylight coming through the windows. In the image, the area around the windows has a noticeable blue glow/cast. What causes this, and is there a good way to remove or reduce it in post-processing?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
7
In brief, this is happening to your pictures because you have more than one type of lighting going on in your picture (daylight through the windows and the overhead lights). These two different light sources are actually different colors (we call it 'color temperature' if you wanna get all sophisticated about it). Although our eyes are capable of looking at two (or more) different light sources with different temperatures and seeing them all as 'white' in our mind, in a scenario where there are multiple color temperatures our cameras are only capable of resolving one of the sources as 'true white.' Thus when there are multiple light temperatures in a picture, some funky colors can result!
So that's a 'layman's explanation' of what's happening. Fortunately it is possible to correct for the differences in color temperature after the fact using Photoshop (or other photo editors such as GIMP). Were I in your shoes, I would first stitch together my panorama (so I only had to work on one photo) and then correct for the blue in the windows by masking the window section out (probably I'd just use the balcony railing as my masking line) and shift the window color to better match the rest of the scene.
Alternatively, if you'd rather skip the post-production work and are in a position where you can take the pictures again, there are a bunch of different ways that you can correct for the different color temperatures that are going on in your pictures. I've outlined the various options you might want to consider in a more comprehensive answer.
Originally by user2838. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user2838
15y ago
0
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The blue area is most likely caused by mixed lighting: daylight from the windows and warmer indoor ceiling lights have different color temperatures. Your camera can only white-balance for one light source at a time, so the other light can shift blue or orange.
There usually isn’t a single automatic fix for just that area. The practical solution is local correction in post:
- use a brush, control point, or dropper-based local adjustment
- reduce blue/cyan saturation in the affected area
- fine-tune local white balance or color temperature if your editor allows it
If the whole image is white-balanced for the indoor lights, the window area will tend to look cooler; if balanced for daylight, the room lighting may look too warm.
To avoid it next time, try to use one dominant light source when possible: turn room lights off, block window light, or match the lighting more closely. If editing isn’t worth it, cropping the area is another simple option.
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