11.57
ZonaMuel
The colors can get very weird in some photographs. If you have a digital camera, you can fix this easily when you snap the photo. You may have some luck with software tools on your PC or Mac if you don't fix it in the camera, but the best results will come from fixing it up front. Film cameras require expensive filters to correct colors.
There are lots of different light sources, but they all look the same (plain white) to the human eye. Yet cameras can tell the difference in the mix of colors coming from sunlight, a light bulb (incandescent lamp), street lights (reddish high-pressure sodium or bluish mercury-vapor lamps), fluorescent lamps (cool white, white, and daylight), and even a cloudy day. Cameras can even see the infrared (IR) light from heat, and have a filter to block it out so IR doesn't mess up your photos.
It's quite likely your digital camera has a setting to take care of this color problem. Truth is, you don't even need to know what kind of lamps are around you, because you can just look at the LCD screen on the back of the camera as you scroll through the different choices. Here's how it works...
If a white object appears white to the camera, all the other colors will be good, too. If a white object looks blue, all the colors will have too much blue in them. You can quickly change your camera to properly match the light source. This setting is called White Balance but it affects all colors. Find the White Balance switch on your camera (if you don't have the manual, I'll show you how to get a copy below). As you scroll through the choices for White Balance, you'll see they're usually marked with a sunlight symbol (or the word Auto), a cloud, a glowing lamp, and one or more tube shapes (for fluorescents).
Simply point the camera at an object and scroll through the choices as you look at the LCD screen on the back of the camera. You'll notice that one choice makes everything look too red, another makes everything blue, another setting makes everything green, or pink, and so on. Just stop scrolling when you find one that makes the colors on the screen look like the real subject. (If you're color-blind, you may have to check the lamps and set a choice manually.)
When you find a good match, just press the shutter and take a terrific picture. It usually stays on that setting until you turn the camera off. It may or may not remember your new setting next time, depending on your model. Sunlight and flash are 'Auto'
There you have it. A quick adjustment lets you make all the colors just right in a few seconds. If you have some old photos that are strange colors, you can try to adjust them using software on your PC or Mac, or upload them to a web-based photo-sharing site and use their tools. But you're much better off getting it right when you take the photo.
If you need a manual for your camera, Google your camera's brand model manual pdf and download a copy to your hard drive so you'll have it handy.
Charlie Gosh has written lots of helpful articles that show anyone how you can save money, improve your life, save time, and other interesting topics.
They have to be easy to do, or people won't do them, so the emphasis is always on doing things a different way that's easier, yet still saves money and time.
Many of the things that frustrate us the most can be fixed easily if we only knew how. Read Charlie's articles, and you'll find your life getting easier, your wallet fuller, and your frustrations floating away.
