A day in the life of a Digital Image Specialist

Analysing Imagery - Lighting and Colour

Treating images

Conveying meaning in an image doesn't stop when a photograph is taken. Images can be treated to further reinforce or even change the mood by applying filters, adjusting the image contrast (high contrast equals more colours from each end of the spectrum, low contrast means fewer) or hue (colour or shade) and saturation (the intensity of a colour) of the image. To find out more about hue, saturation and lightness you can try our Colour Badge after this badge!

Making images Sepia (a reddish-brown colour) can instantly suggest that they are old.

Select the treatment for these images to convey the meaning below:

Make this image feel more nostalgic and old

Option A: Make sepia and add a shadow that comes in from the edges of the frame

Option B: Increase the saturation of the image

That's right. By converting the image to black and white and applying a sepia tint, the image appears vintage. Adding the shadow infers that the image was taken on older equipment.

Make this image feel more dramatic

Option A: Reduce contrast and soften focus with a slight blur

Option B: Increase contrast and add clouds to background

Correct. By increasing the contrast it makes the image more visually interesting, whereas reducing the contrast and blurring the image slightly softerns the image, making it calmer and less dramatic.

Make this image feel more happy

Option A: Increase contrast and saturation

Option B: Desaturate and increase contrast

Well done. Increasing the contrast makes the colours brighter and more cheerful. Desaturating the image and increasing the contrast increases the areas of darkness in the photo, giving a more mysterious feel.

Drag these images to the mood that sums them up:

Happy/Cheerful

Mysterious/Foreboding

Old/Retro

Calm/Relaxed

Well done!

Which two of these words did the foreboding/mysterious images have in common?

  • Colourful
  • Dark
  • Light
  • High Contrast
  • Low Contrast
  • Sepia

Excellent! Dark colours and black in an image, often caused by stark lighting, can suggest foreboding and apprehension, with the focus on the areas in the light, while the mind fills in the blanks bits for itself.

Which two of these words did the happy/cheerful images have in common?

  • Colourful
  • Dark
  • Light
  • High Contrast
  • Low Contrast
  • Sepia

That's right. Bright vivid colours usuall convey a sense of happiness and cheerfulness. Vivid colours that contrast with each other and compete for the eyes attention can create tension and excitement.

Finally, which two of these words did the calm/relaxed images have in common?

  • Colourful
  • Dark
  • Light
  • High Contrast
  • Low Contrast
  • Sepia

Colours that are more subdued and muted tend to create a feeling of calmness and peacefulness in the viewer, as the contrast in the image is much lower. There are less elements competing for attention, so the eye is less overwhelmed.

We've seen here how things like the colour and treatment of an image can alter its meaning. Seems like you're ready to have your first day as a Digital Image Setter.

Start your first day

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