How can I make green tree reflections in water look blue in Lightroom?
Asked 3/18/2013
3 views
2 answers
0
I edited a lake photo in Lightroom to give it more of an evening look. The water on the right side is a nice blue, but the reflected trees on the left still look green. When I try to darken that area using exposure or shadows, it mostly just turns black instead of shifting toward blue. As a beginner, what’s the best way to selectively change the reflected green areas in the water so they better match the rest of the lake without affecting the actual trees?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
1
Masking the water portion and doing a hue shift on anything green is probably the easiest way. This way you don't alter the actual trees but can selectively change colors within the water portion while maintaining the relative color differences.
Originally by user11392. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11392
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The simplest approach is to edit only the water, not the whole image.
In Lightroom, create a mask over the water area, then use a color adjustment within that mask to shift the green tones toward blue. A hue shift on the greens is the key step. This lets you selectively change the reflected tree color while leaving the real trees untouched.
Why your current edits turn the area black: exposure and shadow sliders mainly change brightness, not color. If the reflection is already fairly dark, lowering those sliders just makes it darker.
A good workflow is:
- Mask the water portion.
- Within that mask, target the green tones.
- Shift the hue from green toward blue/cyan.
- Fine-tune saturation and luminance/brightness so the reflection still looks natural.
This preserves the tonal differences in the reflection while changing its color to better match the blue water.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI13y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
How can I reduce or correct atmospheric haze in distant trees and sky?
How can I darken one corner of a photo in Lightroom?
How can I apply Lightroom’s blue luminance adjustment only to the sky?
How can I make only the sky bluer in Lightroom without affecting similar colors elsewhere?
How can I locally reduce overexposed highlights in Apple Aperture from a RAW file?