5d mark II color issues - reds too saturated

Is anyone else having an issue with saturation of red and magenta with their 5d mark II? It's really noticable when images are displayed on the web.

My display is calibrated, I shoot in sRGB, I edit with Lightroom in sRGB and embed the ICC profile, and the second it hits a browser, people are becoming turnips. I asked a bunch of friends how it looked on their screens, and about 15 people said they basically see the same thing I'm seeing.

I'm having a hard time fixing it because reducing the red saturation globally doesn't seem to work. It makes the turnip people look a little better, but people who have slightly less red in their skin become ghastly pale.

I'm not sure about this, but it seems to me like it's amplifying the reds moreso in the places where it's already saturated. So a little pink become a little pinker, but a medium amount of red becomes 3rd degree sunburn.

My clients are happy with the pictures, I don't think they notice. But to me it's a total disappointment to see the pictures so grossly off after just working hours to get the color great.

I dunno, maybe I'm missing the obvious here. I didn't see any other discussions about this so I'm thinking it's something I'm doing wrong and not the camera.

Any thoughts?

I find that to be the case with my 30Ds and 1D II when I use the "Standard" picture style, whereas Neutral looks more true. I may be wrong but I think all digital cameras are strong on reds.

Hi,
can you post an example pse?

What version of LR are you using? In LR2, you can change the camera profile too mimic the Canon profiles. Try Camera Neutral.

Btw, is there any reason you're shooting and editing in sRGB? I believe LR uses prophoto RGB internally...and you can easily convert to sRGB on export.

I've noticed it as well. Some of my (handmade) presets in lightroom that looked great with the Rebel, look really red and overdone with the 5d. I just decrease the red saturation with the camera calibration tool.

Also, are you using Firefox or Internet Explorer? You can enable color management with Firefox but not with IE.

If your monitor is calibrated and it looks correct in LR2, then the problem is in your browser (and the other 15 browsers). Which makes me think the calibration is off. My 5DMII colors are freaking perfect from camera to LR2 to the web.

cdifoto wrote in post #8128028
I find that to be the case with my 30Ds and 1D II when I use the "Standard" picture style, whereas Neutral looks more true. I may be wrong but I think all digital cameras are strong on reds.

OT: One camera that's famous for producing excellent skin tones is the Nikon D2x. Unlikely, yes, but its colors are so beloved that Nikon had to release a D2x color duplicator for D3/D700 users.

OP, trying to reduce reds is, as you have found, a very delicate practice. I can't say I have a perfect formula for you.

Both my 40D and 5D often showed reds/oranges as blown out using Standard when they actually were not blown out. I use Nuetral in camera (for the histogram) and and as a starting point in ACR.

Even my Sony 707 had hot reds. Much like TV's, I don't think there is a digital camera that doesn't push reds.

A bit off the subject but somewhat relevant:
I have a dilemna: At weddings my new (unexperienced) second shooter is using a Canon 5D with the Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens. Almost all of her pictures, indoors OR outdoors are way too saturated and have far too much contrast. Whites and blacks are exstreme and reds are over the top. Her settings are:
Exp - 1/160 at f/9.0
Exposure Bias 0EV
No flash
Exposure Program - Manual
Metering Mode - Pattern
ISO - 400
Focal Length - 70 mm

What could be causing this?

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I've done multiple comparisons and I much prefer DPP for RAW conversions over LR, even when using the Canon profiles.

I use LR for editing the jpegs or TIFF's. Its more time consuming, but I get much better results.

5artstudio wrote in post #8336781
A bit off the subject but somewhat relevant:
I have a dilemna: At weddings my new (unexperienced) second shooter is using a Canon 5D with the Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens. Almost all of her pictures, indoors OR outdoors are way too saturated and have far too much contrast. Whites and blacks are exstreme and reds are over the top. Her settings are:
Exp - 1/160 at f/9.0
Exposure Bias 0EV
No flash
Exposure Program - Manual
Metering Mode - Pattern
ISO - 400
Focal Length - 70 mm

What could be causing this?

She probably is using "portrait" picture style, or has modified the default parameters for contrast and saturation of the style she is using. I shoot faithful with my 5d, and then worry about making it a little punchier if needed in post

5artstudio wrote in post #8336781
What could be causing this?

Raw or jpg?
If Raw: What raw converter & settings?
If jpg: What settings (parameters) in camera?

The image you attached is called _MG_5834, indicating the camera was set to AdobeRGB.
(Edit: I checked: the image is AdobeRGB)
I'm assuming you do have color management set up right, right?

Good catch.

René Damkot wrote in post #8337823
Raw or jpg?
If Raw: What raw converter & settings?
If jpg: What settings (parameters) in camera?

The image you attached is called _MG_5834, indicating the camera was set to AdobeRGB.
(Edit: I checked: the image is AdobeRGB)
I'm assuming you do have color management set up right, right?

This is the correct. If you are shooting RAW, and NOT using DPP but are using Adobe applications, (LR and possibly Bridge, Camera Raw, and CS4, you need to ensure that the whole workflow is color managed. You can shoot in RGB , process in RGB, and save for web in sRGB thereby not compromising or losing any original color data. You'll still have a RGB image in your file. The Adobe programs convert "on the fly" for each type of media that's going to be used. In other words, what is displayed on your monitor is your processed image "adjusted" again to match your monitor's profile, and what is printed by your printer is your processed image again but this time it is adjusted/converted to match your printer profile. What you see on your screen is not exactly what is sent to the printer because the printer has a different profile. What you see in a browser is something else altogether since the browser at best can only reproduce to sRGB.

However, Picture Styles are ignored in Adobe Programs. When the image is imported into LR or ACR, it's important to appreciate that some presets are applied to the image. These can include all the normal adjustments such as Exposure, Brightness, White Balance, Contrast, Vibrance and Saturation. You need to learn how to set your own import parameters because they will be applied to every single image as it is opened from Bridge. This is where your image can be made to look wrong. However, these adjustments are all reversable. That's why you are using RAW in the first place. But once you set up your own DEFAULT import set, you will see your images as you expect them to look.

I wrestled with this for a while, but I'm almost there. If you decide not to go through this set-up, you will have to adjust every image before you even start tweaking.


I recommend a textbook to really undestand this side of color management. Either, "Real World camera Raw with Photoshop CS4" by Fraser and Schewe, or "Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers" by Jeff Schewe and Martin Evening. Both available via Amazon. Schewe was involved in developing the Adobe CS4 programs and knows their functions inside out!

Get a book. I doubt we could explain the complexities of color management and the Adobe Color Engine in a Forum post.