Why Your Photos Look DULL And It's NOT Your Camera!
Your photographs looked amazing when you took them… so why do they look dull when you get them onto your computer?
If your photos look flat, grey or lifeless, don't immediately reach for the Saturation slider. There could be several reasons your colours aren't looking the way you expected.
In this Coffee Break Photography episode, Rich Dyson explains 7 reasons your photographs can look dull — and what you can do about them.
We'll look at:
📷 Why good colour starts with good light
📷 How incorrect white balance affects your colours
📷 Why exposure can make colours look washed out
📷 Why RAW files can look dull compared with your camera JPEG
📷 Saturation vs Vibrance
📷 How contrast affects the appearance of colour
📷 Why sometimes the photograph itself is the problem
And we'll finish with a simple colour-editing checklist you can use on your own photographs.
THE COFFEE BREAK COLOUR CHALLENGE ☕ Find one photograph in your Lightroom catalogue that you think has disappointing colours. Try fixing it without simply increasing Saturation. Then come back and tell me: What was actually wrong with it? Was it the light? White balance? Exposure? Contrast? Colour? Or was the photograph simply not worth saving? And here's the big question: Do you prefer natural, subtle colours or big, bold, saturated colours? Tell me in the comments — and tell me why.
If you enjoy the video, please give it a LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to Coffee Break Photography. And if you know another photographer who is constantly turning up their Saturation slider… send them this video!
