[richardstringer]

I was wondering, do you guys have any specific settings for saturation, hue, white balance colour balance (the colour balance sphere) etc...?

I'm not really what to set it all too. I know with the hue, saturation and white balance sphere set to default the auto white does make for a cold colour balance.

[Adam]

This page gives you an idea of what the in-camera presets look like: Pentax K-50 Review - Image Quality - PentaxForums.com

Start with the preset you like the most, and then tweak the settings until you're satisfied with the appearance. Alternatively, you can shoot a file in raw mode and play with the settings in the pentax desktop software.

[richardstringer]

Thanks, but that doesn't really help. I'm wanting to know some settings to try to see if I can get a better colour balance and stuff so I don't have to spend so long manipulating the colour balance and saturation etc...in Adobe Photoshope.

[SpecialK]

I don't have to spend so long manipulating the colour balance and saturation etc...in Adobe Photoshope.

Custome WB by shooting a gray card?

[Al_Kahollick]

Thanks, but that doesn't really help. I'm wanting to know some settings to try to see if I can get a better colour balance and stuff so I don't have to spend so long manipulating the colour balance and saturation etc...in Adobe Photoshope.

You're asking the impossible. Nobody can tell you how to set your camera to your liking!

Take Adams advice, pick a setting that's close, then tweak it till it satisfies your needs!

[SyncGuy]

Thanks, but that doesn't really help. I'm wanting to know some settings to try to see if I can get a better colour balance and stuff so I don't have to spend so long manipulating the colour balance and saturation etc...in Adobe Photoshope.

Uh oh... I think i know what you're facing.

Coming from the CaNikon camp, Adobe has FULL proper support for all their in-camera image settings.

Whereas for Pentax, na-da!

Therefore, whatever image setting that you have, it don't really matter as Adobe will generate it closest to "Natural" in-camera setting.
I know, that sucks... And that's my only complain so far, as images that i am happy and only needing to have shadows boosted would require me to manually tweak a few stuffs in Lightroom just to get as close as possible to the in-camera setting (Bright, for me), AND THEN boost the shadow..

Currently, that is exactly what you're doing... Stupid? Yes.... Who to blame? I don't know... Therefore i always refer new DSLR user the CaNikon camp or Fuji depending on the style of PP they like; slight or pure jpeg.. LoL!

[asp1880]

Perhaps you ought to set the custom image settings on a shot-to-shot basis.
My personal default is Portrait because I like the skin tones it gives me.
I also adjust the contrast on a shot-to-shot basis depending on the light
(the harder the light the more I lower contrast, and I start to consider shadow protection).

All custom image settings can be used for good results depending on the subject
and the mood you want to create.

Muted gives that sun drenched look in low sun (combine with cloudy WB),
or it can enhance a grey foggy day.

Reversal film is great on summer days and gives a happy vibe to the images.

Bleach bypass goes well with depressing subjects like urban decay or looming storms.
You can also set contrast and high/low key to approx, 0 on bleach bypass and get something
that looks like a cine grading. Fun stuff.

Natural is good for coping with problem colours like highly saturated and bright reds
or purples that often shift into magenta or blue. Backlit roses etc.

You can use the high/low key setting to "lift the shadows" in backlit situations
where the foreground would ordinarily be too dark.

I've dialed in +2 amber on the AWB to counter the blue cast it usually gives me.
Then I'm happy with AWB outside under changing clouds. If it's clear sky or full
overcast I usually go with the sunny or cloudy WB as it's a tad better and more
predictable than AWB.

It's fun to select an "incorrect" white balance for effect. Sunsets on cloudy WB and
the Landscape custom image with +2 saturation and +2 hue (magenta shift) are great.

Some people scoff at the in-camera possibilities and will tell you to just do everything
in post. In a sense that's true because everything you can do in camera you can
do better in post. Nevertheless I like the instant gratification I get from creating a
more or less complete image right on the spot. But I'm just a happy amateur and family
shooter.

If you demand the highest quality of results and the highest level of control, if you
can't tolerate missed shots at all or if you need to work fast on the shoot (eg. wedding
photography), in-camera features are not for you.

Regards,
--Anders.

[richardstringer]

No, I just wondered what kind of settings people use for saturation, hue, high/low key adj etc...in the menus. I don't wanna mess up photos so I just keep it on n'Bright' and then inside that preset I keep saturation, hue, high/low key adj etc...all at default because I don't wanna take pictures and risk messing up the colours and having to do a lot of work in adobe to sort out the mess I created by using the wrong settings for each parameter.

[richardstringer]

asp1880

Thanks matey, that helps me a bit, I apreciate everyone's help, maybe I was expecting that the settings would get me a better image from the camera so I didn't have to do so much work in Adobe Photoshop.

[IchabodCrane]

asp1880

Thanks matey, that helps me a bit, I apreciate everyone's help, maybe I was expecting that the settings would get me a better image from the camera so I didn't have to do so much work in Adobe Photoshop.

The problem, as outlined well by asp1880, is there is no universal setting that's going to work all of the time or even most of the time. Basically this is why I haven't moved off of RAW+. I'm happy to just keep JPEG images but for those shots where the JPEG settings just don't work, I have the RAW file to work with.

[richardstringer]

Ah ok, its ok don't worry about it. I alwsys shoot raw.

[JimJohnson]

Ah ok, its ok don't worry about it. I alwsys shoot raw.

If you always shoot RAW, then tweaking the color balance inside your camera really doesn't matter much except how the image preview appears on your camera.

I shoot RAW+, so I get both jpeg and DNG (RAW) images. I set my camera to use the Adobe colorspace rather than sRGB because I also use Adobe software for post processing (either Lightroom 4 or most of the time, Adobe Photoshop Elements 11). I figure the Adobe software uses its own colorspace internally, so I might as well avoid a couple translations. I do my final jpeg saves from the preceding software in sRGB.

In another post around mid-August I disclosed how I had accidentally bumped my camera from average white balance to tungsten when shooting an outdoor event. My wife thought I had lost much of that day's shots. .... Again, I shoot RAW+ and she was looking at the jpegs, which for the most part I only use for quick previews on my PC. When I opened the DNG files in PSE11, Adobe Camera RAW showed me my blue shots when in the 'As Shot' white balance mode. However, all I had to do was select another white balance (like 'Daylight'), or use the 'Auto' function which emulates the AWB used in my camera - - - - OR, use Adobe Camera RAW's white balance tool and nail the balance. This tool changes the pointer to look like a pencil. You just point at a spot in the photo that should have equal amounts of red, green and blue (in other words, a neutral gray anywhere above true black or below true white) and click. The daylighted white stripe in a flag is an excellent target.

My point to all this is it took me a fraction of the time it took me to type this to correct white balance in a DNG image because RAW files really don't have any internal white balance. Nor do they truly store hue or saturation. If your images are properly exposed in the camera, the Auto button in Adobe Camera RAW will in my experience, give you something between Pentax's Bright and Natural settings for jpeg rendition. If I decide to override the Auto function, I keep a closer eye on the histogram as opposed to the image itself.

If you are always making the same tweaks, you can build and save a profile for your camera within Adobe Camera RAW and apply it to each photo and make your changes with one click.

If you are going to always use RAW, I very strongly endorse purchasing a hardware based monitor calibration tool. Otherwise you can never really trust what you see on your screen. Another tool is something like the X-Rite ColorChecker. The software looks for its painstakingly calibrated color chart in the first frame of a group and feeds the exact corrections needed to post processing software like that published by Adobe. You can then apply these changes to the rest of the photos in this group. So there are several options for obtaining professional results without a bunch of time consuming trial and error.

[clackers]

Ah ok, its ok don't worry about it. I alwsys shoot raw.

Ah, mystery solved, Richard.

All your camera settings only apply to Jpg.

The RAW is intended for all those colours and tones to be altered in your Photoshop.

[richardstringer]

I just find it annoying spending ages in Adobe Photoshop but I guess that's part of photography. I've been thinking about buying the Spyder 4 Pro monitor calibration software and hardware, it's reasonably cheap and is supposed to do a great job. About AdobeRGB and SRGB, i've tried both and couldn't tell the difference between the colour results of either. I know I need the Spyder hardware because the print outs show massively different colour from on screen.

[SyncGuy]

I just find it annoying spending ages in Adobe Photoshop but I guess that's part of photography. I've been thinking about buying the Spyder 4 Pro monitor calibration software and hardware, it's reasonably cheap and is supposed to do a great job. About AdobeRGB and SRGB, i've tried both and couldn't tell the difference between the colour results of either. I know I need the Spyder hardware because the print outs show massively different colour from on screen.

Wait till you try loading an image from the CaNikon camp.. It is as what you shot. So much easier.. You can even shoot in any of their setting, etc Vivid or Bright, and it don't matter coz you can do change the setting in Adobe too..

Not much of a biggie, but a lot more faster if all you had wanted was to pull the shadows and that's it.

Adobe seems to refuse and totally ignore request for full support from any other brands, only to CaNikon.. Frustrating...