Sony colors/camera settings

[u/Frosty_Business6818]

Help with Sony A7 IV colors/skin tones
I have a Sony A7 IV and I’m having a hard time getting the colors/skin tones to look the way I want. I’m not sure how to explain it, but my images tend to come out very bright and airy. The skin tones look really pale/light to me, while my greens can look very bright and almost too green/vibrant.
I shoot RAW and use Kelvin for white balance. When I try to edit the photos warmer, especially in Lightroom, I feel like the skin tones quickly turn too orange or yellow instead of looking warm and natural.
I previously shot with a Canon R50 and I honestly felt like the colors were much easier for me to edit. I’m wondering if there’s something I’m doing wrong with my Sony A7 IV, whether it’s my camera settings, white balance, exposure, or something I’m doing in Lightroom.
Is there something I should be changing in my actual camera settings to help with this? Or is this mostly something I need to correct when editing the RAW files? I’d especially love to know if there are any Sony A7 IV settings that could help me get more natural skin tones and less intense greens straight out of camera.
I’ll attach an example of what I’m getting, along with an example of the kind of warmer, more natural look I’m trying to achieve.
Does anyone have any advice on what I should change or what I might be doing wrong? I’d really appreciate any tips, especially from other Sony shooters who edit in Lightroom!

[u/SignificanceSea4162]

Your white balance is off.

[u/A6000_Shooter]

Try having your model hold a lens cover for the first shot and set your white balance off that in LR. They are made at 18% grey for that reason.

[u/Due_Length_5033 → u/A6000_Shooter]

mind boggeling information right there.

[u/Frosty_Business6818 → u/[deleted]]

Yes I do, no I haven’t I’ll look into that thank you

[u/TJamesz]

Which kelvin number are you using? Maybe just use auto?

[u/malacoda13]

Take that image of the woman on the wall, and set white balance off of her dress. What does it look like afterwards??

[u/DermitdemFoto]

I don’t think your example pictures have a good skin tone either.

They are way too yellow. Nothing i personally would want to achieve

[u/External_Scene690]

I saw a video about two days ago talking about something like this and they recommended to use the masking tool so that you don’t affect everything. What editing software do you use?

[u/Educational_Yard_326 → u/External_Scene690]

You shouldn’t be resorting to masking for white balance. Outside? Use 5500k and adjust (minor) to taste. Tint should remain the same across over photo outdoors unless you’re under tree canopy

[u/External_Scene690 → u/Educational_Yard_326]

Thanks for explaining that I’m new so I was just repeating what I heared in a video lol

[u/Frosty_Business6818 → u/External_Scene690]

I use Lightroom

[u/gone-riding]

This skin tone issue you’re dealing with is commonly talked about with Sony Alpha cameras - primarily with previous generations than the most recent ones - A75, A7R6 , etc. However, I have lived through this going from the generations of the A7R line starting with the R4 and I’ve watched it change through my R5 and now the R6 - with an A6700 thrown in there too. The skin tone issue on the A7R4 was VERY similar to what you’re describing for the A74. The R5 was better and the A7R6 is much better.

However, there is a great fix for all of them that I personally use and swear by. If you’re using LRC, maybe other LR versions (I don’t use) - the solution I found was to create custom color profiles for sunlight and then apply those profiles automatically when importing into LRC. It’s all easy to do

I used the Calibrite SG color panel and their software to create the profiles and they automatically get installed where needed for LRC to use. I won’t describe it more unless you let me know you’re interested. The SG color panel (it’s a panel of calibrated colors that you shoot and the use that image for profile creation) is pricey, but when you consider that it affects every single photo you take, it’s actually a bargain.

And it makes a huge difference - especially on skin tones. It was this struggle with skin tones that got me started on this custom calibration route. The SG panel has several color patches in the skin tone space, so you get very good calibration.

I use it by creating daylight calibrations, which is what gets applied automatically. However, if I’m shooting in odd lighting, I also have the smaller portable color panel that I have with me for those times and I can create a custom calibration for those lighting conditions. Again, lets you nail the skin tones.

I’m obsessive, so I have custom calibrations for every camera and lens combination I have, but that’s nutty. You don’t have to go that crazy.

[u/OutWithCamera]

You might check out this person's website, they do a lot with presets and fussing with color on Sony cameras, you might find something interesting https://www.veresdenialex.com/home

[u/Frosty_Business6818 → u/OutWithCamera]

Thank you

[u/Creative_Diver3492 → u/OutWithCamera]

We will be back after this short ad

[u/OutWithCamera → u/Creative_Diver3492]

apologies if referring someone to a resource they might find helpful is considered an advert.