Find what you are looking for

or search by

Topics

Article
Article

Article

e-Book
e-Book

e-Book

Video
Video

Video

Campaigns
Campaigns

Campaigns

Architecture
Compact Cameras

Compact Cameras

Architecture
DSLRs

DSLRs

Architecture
Videography

Videography

Architecture
Astrophotography

Astrophotography

Architecture
Mirrorless Cameras

Mirrorless Cameras

Architecture
Architecture Photography

Architecture Photography

Architecture
Canon Technologies

Canon Technologies

Architecture
Low Light Photography

Low Light Photography

Architecture
Photographer Interviews

Photographer Interviews

Architecture
Landscape Photography

Landscape Photography

Architecture
Macro Photography

Macro Photography

Architecture
Sports Photography

Sports Photography

Architecture
Travel Photography

Travel Photography

Architecture
Underwater Photography

Underwater Photography

Architecture
Photography Concepts & Application

Photography Concepts & Application

Architecture
Street Photography

Street Photography

Architecture
Full-Frame Mirrorless Cameras

Full-Frame Mirrorless Cameras

Architecture
Lenses & Accessories

Lenses & Accessories

Architecture
Nature & Wildlife Photography

Nature & Wildlife Photography

Architecture
Portrait Photography

Portrait Photography

Architecture
Night Photography

Night Photography

Architecture
Pet Photography

Pet Photography

Architecture
Printing Solutions

Printing Solutions

Architecture
Product Reviews

Product Reviews

Architecture
Wedding Photography

Wedding Photography

Tips & Tutorials >> All Tips & Tutorials

How to Enhance Fireworks with Digital Photo Professional

2019-12-18
5
7.65 k
In this article:

Visually spectacular, fireworks make an attractive photographic subject. However, your shots of them might look duller than expected if you don’t post-process them properly. Here is how you can enhance them using Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software. (Reported by Gensaku Izumiya, Digital Camera Magazine)

 

Why do we need to post-process our photos?

Two elements make a great fireworks photo: Colour vibrancy and the sharpness of the lines. However, during the actual shoot, our energy is focused on capturing the shape of the fireworks, leaving little time to tweak the colour tones for optimal results.

This is when it helps to shoot in RAW format, which gives you more room to edit the file later on using image processing software. Using Canon’s Digital Photo Professional, available to Canon users for free, you can adjust colour tones and optimise image quality so that the fireworks in your shot are just as brilliant as when you saw them.

Fireworks

EOS 5DS/ EF11-24mm f/4L USM/ FL: 11mm/ Manual exposure: (f/22, 12 sec)/ ISO 50/ WB: Auto

 

Step 1: Reduce the effects of diffraction using Digital Lens Optimiser

When photographing fireworks, we usually need to use a very narrow aperture (such as f/22) to achieve optimal exposure. However, this also results in diffraction, which causes the lines of the fireworks to become blurred.

This can be corrected in Digital Photo Professional 4 by using the Digital Lens Optimiser (DLO) feature*. Simply turn it on to sharpen the blurry lines. The default DLO setting is “50”. Adjust it as needed while paying attention to the resulting image quality.

*Not available for images shot in the compressed C-RAW format. To benefit from DLO in post-processing, record in full RAW format.

Screenshot of Digital Lens Optimizer enabled in DPP

GIF showing differences before and after applying DLO

On the tool palette, click on the lens icon. Select the checkbox for Digital Lens Optimiser and adjust the setting accordingly.

 

Step 2: Adjust the white balance to make your fireworks look more surreal

The Auto White Balance (AWB) setting helps to correctly reproduce the colours of the evening view in the background. However, it also makes the fireworks look yellowish. In general, the ideal colour temperature for fireworks should be somewhere between 2,700K and 3,600K.

Use “Fine-tune” for finer adjustment of the tone.

White balance adjustment palette on DPP

GIF comparing closeup before and after colour temperature adjustment

 

Step 3: Deepen the blue tone using the Colour Adjustment tool palette 

The sky at the lower right edge of the image appeared slightly too bright, so I reduced the level of “L” (brightness) for “Blue” in the Colour Adjustment tool palette to deepen the blue tone. A deeper-coloured background also makes the dazzling fireworks stand out better in contrast.

Adjusting blue tones on Color Adjustment palette

GIF showing close-up before and after blue tones are adjusted

 

For more post-processing tips and tutorials, check out:
RAW Image Processing: How to Bring Out the Blue in Blue Hour Photos
Landscape Photography: Quick Tips for Stunning Deep Focused Images
Useful EOS M5 Techniques: In-camera RAW Image Post-Processing

 


Receive the latest update on photography news, tips and tricks.

Be part of the SNAPSHOT Community.

Sign Up Now!

About the Author

Digital Camera Magazine

A monthly magazine that believes that enjoyment of photography will increase the more one learns about camera functions. It delivers news on the latest cameras and features and regularly introduces various photography techniques.
Published by Impress Corporation

Gensaku Izumiya

Born in Akita in 1959, photographing fireworks has been a lifelong passion for Izumiya. He mainly photographs landscapes, commercials, people, goods, and cooking, and creates photos of fire and water. A member of the Japan Professional Photographers Society.

Share your photos on My Canon Story & stand a chance to be featured on our social media platforms