A lens' color rendition, contrast and color correction

B

Breezer

Member
If you are going to color correct, would a lens' color rendition and contrast matter? Would a lens for exemple that gives a "flat" image lose more info (forever) than a lens that replicates exactly what you are seeing..?

Also, anyone knows why some recommends, within the neutral picture style, to decrease the saturation a notch or 2 below zero (zero being neutral?)...? Are you not losing info doing this? Or is it just because its easier to start of with a less saturated image when color correcting and it allows you to avoid that step in post?
 
I think you may be using "color correction" to encompass both that and color grading, and the two are quite different.

Color correction is strictly about getting colors to look as close to natural/"real-life" as possible by fixing color shifts caused by the lens, the lighting, improper white balance, picture style, etc. It is about correcting whites and flesh tones, and keeping whites and blacks within the legal limits, and making sure the image's dynamic range is at its best.

Color grading, however, is all about changing the colors and giving the image a tailored "look". Grading adds vignette and shifts things to warm or cool color casts. It increases, or decreases, contrast in order to give the image a certain feel.

When it comes to the lens, it's best to find one that doesn't kill color and contrast. Start with the best you can.

As for picture style, it really depends on what you want to do in post. If you are shooting reality, or anything that doesn't require a custom look, shoot to get the best (accurate) color you can in-camera. If your intention is to color grade, shooting flat decreases the dynamic range and preserves more detail in highlights and shadows. That allows for more work in color grading, for stretching the dynamic range and increasing contrast. Generally, you'll still color correct before you color grade, even if you shoot flat.
 
the time when you lose most info is when you have clipping

with saturation too low, you're not using the full 8bpc color space that your camera has on offer, but with saturation too high you may be clipping individual channels, and that will just kill your images (and your options in post)

I try to get the best possible images in camera, meaning "don't shoot any flatter than you need (and that works both for luminance and saturation), but avoid clipping unless you're totally sure that's what you want"

there are some interesting comments about clipping individual channels in this great video tutorial:
http://prolost.com/blog/2011/1/27/color-correcting-food-with-colorista-ii.html
 
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