How can I keep the original scene lighting look when processing DNG/RAW files?
Asked 8/12/2024
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2 answers
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I want my processed images to retain the feel of the light that originally illuminated the scene, rather than making everything look like it was lit by the same neutral color temperature after white balance. I’m working from DNG/RAW files and wondering whether there is a reliable way to do this using only the data in the DNG, without relying on a deduced white point that may vary from frame to frame. Is there a practical workflow for preserving the scene’s original illumination, or is this fundamentally limited by how cameras and displays handle color?
Originally by porente. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
porente
1y ago
2 Answers
3
There are problems with preserving what you've seen with camera.
- All digital cameras have different metamerism than human eye. If lighting is significantly different from daylight (and/or the subject spectral reflectance diagram is too unusual) the difference between scene and photo will be more significant and editing might increase it.
- Viewing medium is significant limitation because of dynamic and colour range. You need to be creative to use it correctly to represent your experience.
- Viewing device must be calibrated and/or profiled.
- Many raw developers use raw profiles with HSV LUTs, you might be interested in disabling that.
- Perception of the image significantly depends on viewing conditions.
With that in mind you can preserve the tone of the scene if you use constant white balance for all your photos (in raw developer, WB chosen in camera does not matter). I prefer to use sunny day white balance for all my photos. You do not need to do any complex calculations for that because raw developers have already done it for you and RawTherapee for example even lets you chose one of several versions of colour profile including one embedded in raw file.
Human perception won't always let you see what you've seen in person but at very least if you view all your photos in same viewing conditions you will easily see the illumination difference if you use constant white balance.
I do not understand what you are trying to achieve with calculations which you described. The metadata you mention is white balance data which you should disregard because you want to preserve the scene illumination, not compensate for it. A lot of settings including white balance have no effect on raw image data and are simply recorded as metadata and used to create JPEG preview which is embedded in raw file.
Originally by Euri Pinhollow. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Euri Pinhollow
1y ago
0
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There isn’t a fully reliable way to recover the “original illumination” from RAW/DNG alone in a way that matches human vision exactly.
Why: cameras don’t see color like the human eye, and perception of scene lighting is heavily influenced by the brain, viewing conditions, display calibration, and the limits of screen color/dynamic range. So reversing white balance mathematically may reflect what the sensor recorded, but not necessarily what you saw.
Practical approach:
- Use a constant/manual white balance when shooting if you want a consistent sense of the scene’s lighting across frames.
- Avoid aggressive RAW profiles or HSV/LUT-based rendering if your converter applies them; they can alter the look.
- Make sure your display is calibrated/profiled.
- If you want a rough neutral reference, a daylight-ish white balance around 5500K is often suggested, but it is only an approximation.
You may be able to estimate scene WB from maker-note red/blue multipliers, but the results are likely unsatisfactory for reproducing the illumination as perceived by a person.
So: preserve the mood of the light through consistent WB and careful rendering, rather than expecting the DNG metadata to uniquely reconstruct the original illumination.
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