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Harmonising pictures

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Chris

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Premium Classic Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2014
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31
Lightroom Experience
Intermediate
Lightroom Version
Classic
Operating System:
Windows 7 Business Edition
Exact Lightroom Version (Help menu > System Info):
Lightroom Classic version: 7.1 [ 1148620 ]
Adobe Photoshop Version: 2017.1.2 20171103.r.18 2017/11/03: 1143982 x64

Hi

I’m trying to the match the colour of a flower from painting to a photograph I took, in order for them to harmonise in my living room. Personally, I prefer contrasting images. This is to please for my wife. Could anyone tell me how to go about it?

Chris
 
If you want an exact match then it probably isn't possible as two different media have different colour characteristics. However, you can get close.

Are you familiar with how to calibrate colour throughout your workflow? If not, then you have a learning curve ahead.

You need to calibrate your monitor (while there are software only methods, the only properly effective ones require special hardware especially given you are on Windows) and know how to make a colour correct print. Once you have that out of the way, you need to take two images, one of the painting, using controlled lighting conditions (usually this means using controlled flash) with a colour reference chart in the image. Do the same with the other image. Once you import them into LR, you can measure the colours from the colour reference chart and match them, starting with the white balance. By using the same lighting settings, you repeat the two images without the reference chart and apply the same changes in LR. That is, you apply the changes you had to make to the image of the painting with the reference chart to the image without the reference chart. Then you work out the settings for the other image (with a reference chart) and apply those settings to the one without the reference chart. You don't apply the settings of the painting image to the other image.

If you have a colour matched workflow through to printing, the rest is a matter of following that process including looking for and fixing out of gamut colours.

For an overview, these two get you started:
Color calibration - Wikipedia
Color management - Wikipedia
 
I didn’t think it would be easy. I use a Spyder 5 to calibrate my monitor. And was going to use 2 LIFX bulbs set to 5000k to photograph the images with my Sony 7R. Thank you for giving me a place to start, but I don’t know if I can justify the expense of a colour reference chart for I onetime project.[CB1]

[CB1]
 
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I didn’t think it would be easy. I use a Spyder 5 to calibrate my monitor. And was going to use 2 LIFX bulbs set to 5000k to photograph the images with my Sony 7R. Thank you for giving me a place to start, but I don’t know if I can justify the expense of a colour reference chart for I onetime project.[CB1]

[CB1]

Cletus has beaten me to it. Those charts cost next to nothing and anyway, I second that you should have one if you want serious colour accuracy. Get a grey card too.
 
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I already own the painting. I just want to harmonies the colours in the painting with those in one of my one of my photographs.:(
 
Is this to make a print or have a digital copy? I worked in print media for over 30 years and the hardest thing to do was trying to match what you see in the real world compared to what you see on a monitor. Over time they introduced bland looking monitors to better match the colours on the screen to the printed proofs.

The monitor or any device is a source of light. If you are looking at a painting that is reflected light from the current light source in the room. Both are different. If the painting is viewed under incandescent light that is about 3,200 K and your monitor is 5,000 K it will be harder to match unless your wife wants you to match it under the light she sees it.

You have a tough assignment and unless you can afford a spectrophotometer you will eyeballing it. I would place that painting under 5,000 K lighting and try your best to match it on the screen. Start there. As stated a calibrated monitor will help and if printing make sure that is set up properly.

It has been about ten years since I have been out so there may have been advancements I'm not aware of. Check out YouTube and type in your search request and you may find a simple solution.
 
Hi Zenon

Thanks for the advice.

I bought the painting for my wife for Christmas, it’s a soft misty painting of a sand dunes and wild flowers. My wife prefers to have paintings to photographs on our walls and I wanted to try and create a similar affect using one of my photographs of a similar subject.
I don’t need absolute accurately only a similar feel with a comparable colour palette. I can manage the feel, but the colour palette is more difficult.

I use a Spyder 5 to calibrate my monitor. And was going to use 2 LIFX bulbs set to 5000k to photograph the images with my Sony 7R.
 
Like I said without the proper devices to measure the colour I know of no other way. Now it becomes subjective because 5 of us will see it differently. It appears you are in the right track. Good luck.
 
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