Using a polarized filter to add saturation in your photos?

4 years 5 months ago #664105 by Johan Alonso
Is it OK to use a polarized filter to add saturation and deeper colors to your photos?  I know they are meant to cut glare on reflections and make clouds whiter, but what about adding deeper colors?


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4 years 5 months ago #664146 by fmw
I don't think polarizers have anything to do with saturation.  What they do is filter out some polarized light - light which enters the lens from certain angles.   Increasing saturation is best handled with the editing software..


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The following user(s) said Thank You: KCook
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4 years 5 months ago - 4 years 5 months ago #664149 by Nikon Shooter

fmw wrote: I don't think polarizers have anything to do with saturation.


In fact they do… but they don't!!!

In reducing some luminance, part of the mid-tones, it will.
By doing so, it does not saturate the colours but eliminates
greatly parts of the reflected spectrum that would normally
"dilute" them.

With a polariser, one won't get more colours but less of the
the luminance that built up in the mid tones.

Light is free… capturing it is not!
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4 years 5 months ago #664177 by garyrhook
To add to the above:

Some colors will deepen (the sky, most notably) but not in general. Polarizers are quite useful in sunlight, but you'll want a good one, and to learn how to use it.


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4 years 5 months ago #664376 by Colorado Mike
This will help you understand how and when to use a polarized filter



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4 years 5 months ago #664390 by Jeff Scott
Don't feel bad, I know many photographers including myself when they got started that had a tough time understanding how a polarized filter works. 


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4 years 4 months ago #667151 by ThatNikonGuy
Which filters do you have?


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