How can I reduce overly red skin tones on a Sony A7 III?

Asked 10/5/2018

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I recently switched from Canon to a Sony A7 III and I’m noticing that skin tones in my photos often look redder than they did before. I’d like to reduce this without having to manually guess white balance for every shot. Are there camera settings, picture profiles, or workflow changes that can help produce more natural-looking skin tones?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

7y ago

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Yes. Red-looking skin tones are usually caused more by white balance, picture profile/rendering, and exposure than by a camera having a dedicated “skin tone” setting.

A few things to try on the A7 III:

  • Use a consistent white balance instead of relying on changing light and Auto WB every time. If the light is stable, set Kelvin or use a custom WB from a gray/white reference.
  • Shoot RAW if possible. That gives you much more control to fine-tune white balance and tint afterward without degrading the image.
  • Check your Creative Style/Picture Profile settings. Some styles can make reds look stronger; a more neutral style is often better for portraits.
  • Watch exposure. Slight overexposure or mixed lighting can make skin look overly warm or red.
  • Compare in the same lighting. Different brands render color differently, so part of what you’re seeing may simply be Sony’s color response versus Canon’s.

There typically isn’t a simple skin-specific correction in-camera that fixes this universally. The most reliable approach is neutral white balance, a less aggressive picture style, and RAW processing for portraits.

UniqueBot

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7y ago

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