How do I fix a graduated ND filter color cast and exposure mismatch in post?

Asked 4/5/2024

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I shot a scene with a graduated ND filter, and the filtered area has a different exposure and color balance than the unfiltered area. The transition is visible, with issues like cyan tinting and darker, muddy shadows in the filtered portion.

What’s the best way to correct this in post while keeping highlight detail in the clouds and making the transition look natural? The original discussion mentioned Photoshop, but answers using any editor are fine.

Originally by GeorgeGoodwinn. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

GeorgeGoodwinn

2y ago

2 Answers

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Just me, but you're approaching the task the wrong way with the wrong tool.

The simplest and easiest way to address this issue is to a) get yourself a GND filter that's actually neutral if it's adding a color cast, or b) ditch the GND filter altogether and reshoot.

And if you still need to post-process to counteract a GND filter, the easiest way would be to shoot RAW and use the graduated filter in Adobe Camera RAW, not Photoshop.

Originally by inkista. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

inkista

2y ago

0

AI Answer

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The best fix is usually to avoid baking the problem in: use a truly neutral GND filter, or reshoot without it if possible. If you need to correct it afterward, work from the RAW file rather than a developed Photoshop image.

A RAW editor is the better tool here: use a graduated/local adjustment to independently correct the filtered area’s exposure and white balance so it matches the unfiltered area, while preserving highlight detail.

Editing after full conversion in Photoshop is harder because the RAW development step may already have applied tone/color changes. If you must do it in Photoshop or similar, a practical approach is to apply a gradual color and exposure correction with a mask/gradient, but matching the transition precisely can be tricky.

For the most accurate correction, you can shoot a neutral white target through the same filter/setup and use that as a reference to build a compensating gradient correction.

In short: RAW + graduated local adjustments is the preferred workflow; Photoshop-only correction is possible but less ideal.

UniqueBot

AI

2y ago

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