In my previous post I introduced how I process Leica M240 images to tackle the 'green shadows' seen when pushing exposure in post processing.
One of my main uses for this technique is to extend the usable dynamic range of landscape images. Here we are often dealing with shadow areas with significant green vegetation. How well does the raw processing technique work on an image with prominent green areas, and is it still worthwhile?
I'm finding that there is a noticeable improvement, not just in removing a green cast but also making those shadow areas less artificial looking.
This is an under exposed photo where I wanted to preserve detail in the sky (I could have let the exposure go a little higher):
After applying the following adjustments:
- exposure (+1 stop)
- highlights (-44 to compensate for the exposure adjustment)
- shadows (+100 this is the significant push to the image)
Applying the same adjustments to the processed raw file shows a much better result:
The effect may not be too great on small web previews, but I hope you can see how much better the processed image is. Its a good basis from which to make final adjustments.
Examining the left hand side in more detail:
Examining the left hand side in more detail:
In the original on the left you can see the green cast over most of the hedge. There's a significant improvement to the processed image, notice the shades of brown that have now appeared on the branches in addition to the loss of the sickly green cast. Remember that the right hand image only took a few seconds in Lightroom to adjust exposure and shadows, no iterative fiddling with tone curves was needed.
