How do I get rich colors?

So I went for a hike last weekend, and was a little unhappy with some of my shots. With shots like these, how do I get the hills to be really rich and Green? It just looks kinda washed out to me, is it simply because of the cloud cover? Or is there something I should be doing post process? Any help would be appreciated. (These were taken with the Kit Lens, 1/60 f/18 )

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

boost saturation, but first i'd try to open up the detail in the shadows with the 'highlights' command.

this shot is difficult because there are two different 'scenes', the sky and the hills. requiring two different exposures. one will be blown out and the other will be fine, or one will be fine and the other dark.

There are lots of things we can do to make these photos look better.

Sorry for that, but i tried a little bit, forgive me if it is bad

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/png'

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/png'

just tested, levels, sharpen

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

Hi! There's lots of PP help here, but the real problem is that your camera (and all cameras, for that matter) is not capable of capturing the dynamic range of this scene in one photograph without help. Which is to say, the sky is too bright and the ground is too dark, and the camera can't make both look good at the same time. The eye and the human brain significantly outperform all cameras in existance, especially when it comes to dynamic range. There are several ways around this.

If you are using a DSLR, you can buy what is known as a "graduated filter". Basically, this is a piece of glass that screws on over your lens. The top half of the glass is like a sunshade -- it's darker. The darkness gradually fades away as you get to the bottom part of the glass. This way, you can make the sky darker in the photograph while exposing for the land.

Another way to do this without the filters is to use a tripod and take two photographs, one exposing for the land, one for the sky. Then, you use a program like Photoshop, and blend the two together. The process is kinda involved, but there are tutorials on the net if you Google it.

Yet another way of fixing this is to use a tripod, take several photos at different exposures, and then use a program like Photoshop or Photomatix to create an "HDR" image, from which you can create a normal image that looks very much like what you saw when you were there. There are tutorial for doing this on the net, too. I wrote one for CS2 here:

http://backingwinds.bl​ogspot.com …fessional-hdr-images.html

Also, I tried my hand at postprocessing the images you posted. Below is as good as I could get them -- as you can see, they're pretty much unsaveable. I'd go back and shoot it again using one of the above methods, if I were you.

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/png'

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/png'

These pics are difficult because there's quite a bit of haze which makes the colours "pop" less... Use of a GND filter would have probably helped also.

chakalakasp wrote in post #2782178
Hi! There's lots of PP help here, but the real problem is that your camera (and all cameras, for that matter) is not capable of capturing the dynamic range of this scene in one photograph without help. Which is to say, the sky is too bright and the ground is too dark, and the camera can't make both look good at the same time. The eye and the human brain significantly outperform all cameras in existance, especially when it comes to dynamic range. There are several ways around this.

If you are using a DSLR, you can buy what is known as a "graduated filter". Basically, this is a piece of glass that screws on over your lens. The top half of the glass is like a sunshade -- it's darker. The darkness gradually fades away as you get to the bottom part of the glass. This way, you can make the sky darker in the photograph while exposing for the land.

Another way to do this without the filters is to use a tripod and take two photographs, one exposing for the land, one for the sky. Then, you use a program like Photoshop, and blend the two together. The process is kinda involved, but there are tutorials on the net if you Google it.

Yet another way of fixing this is to use a tripod, take several photos at different exposures, and then use a program like Photoshop or Photomatix to create an "HDR" image, from which you can create a normal image that looks very much like what you saw when you were there. There are tutorial for doing this on the net, too. I wrote one for CS2 here:

http://backingwinds.bl​ogspot.com …fessional-hdr-images.html

Also, I tried my hand at postprocessing the images you posted. Below is as good as I could get them -- as you can see, they're pretty much unsaveable. I'd go back and shoot it again using one of the above methods, if I were you.

I'm anxious to try out this method. I've tried to work with HDR but have not been happy with the results yet. Perhaps tonight will be different

I love HDRs

try using photomatix software by HDR Soft... works great

On the other hand, if you haven't got a filter, I would just run with it and go for a moody shot. Use what you see to your advantage. If the saturation is terrible, forget about it and convert it to B&W.

Fuji Velvia!

Oh, Digital you say? Circular Polarizer will help cut the haze. Get one that fits the largest diameter lens you have and get some step down rings so you can use it on multiple lenses.

milleker wrote in post #2798775
Circular Polarizer will help cut the haze.

No it won't !?!! It will reduce the glare on the leaves but won't do anything for the haze.

milleker wrote in post #2798775
Get one that fits the largest diameter lens you have and get some step down rings so you can use it on multiple lenses.

That's a good idea though I never thought of doing that.

I would use a shutter speed of 1/25. Greens seem to look better. Set your camera to 1/25 and then adjust your Av until a correct exposure is indicated.

Also take the reading off of the sky. imo

J D Skate wrote in post #2798882
I would use a shutter speed of 1/25. Greens seem to look better. Set your camera to 1/25 and then adjust your Av until a correct exposure is indicated.

?? What in the world does shutter speed have to do with color saturation? The only thing that will change between, say, 1/25 f/11 and and 1/50 f/8 is the DOF. It doesn't affect that saturation at all.