How to adjust colors in darktable

In this post, you will see the best 7 ways to adjust colors in darktable.

They all serve a different purpose, and they all will give a different result.

I use them to correct and change colors, to add a source light, to create a new style (for example urban) and so much more.

I have not included in this post the modules that I think are possibly redundant, like the “contrast brightness saturation”

I have also not included the filmic RGB. I still need to work more on it to have the confidence to write or make a video about it

You may skip #1 and #2 if you are already familiar with WB and Basic Adjustments.

But let’s get into it.

More reading on Darktable

colors in darktable - 7 easy way to enhance them — colors in darktable – 7 easy way to enhance them

#1 White Balance to correct color cast

The White Balance is usually done correctly in-camera (AWB is most of the time so intelligent)

However, in a few cases, especially at night, the camera does not work correctly and you need to ensure that objects that appear white in person are rendered white in your photo.

In these cases, the White Balance module is the first step in any editing workflow.

Why at the start? Because if we can’t get the WB right then there is not much point to waste time in editing the photo.

You can control the Temperature (Blue to Yellow) and the Tint (Green to Magenta).

You can also change the imported WB to one of the pre-defined settings (daylight, shade, cloudy etc) or, even better, you can set the white balance from a selected area.

It’s important to notice that it is highly suggested to shoot in RAW because you will not have any loss of quality in the editing process (not so with JPG).

White Balance can be also a great module to get creative with colors in darktable.

For example, changing the WB of a photo of a sunny day to Cloudy will add a warm tonality to the photo

It’s a pity we do not have parametric masks in the White Balance module. Hopefully, it will come with the next release.

#2 Basic Adjustments for Saturation and Vibrance

The Basic Adjustments is probably one of the most used modules in darktable, especially when you start using this software

In this module, you have the possibility to control the saturation and the vibrance

If needed, I usually decrease the saturation and increase the vibrance by about the same amount.

Why?

If in a photo I notice 1 or more colors that are too vivid then I decrease the saturation for all.

However, at the same time, I increase the Vibrance by the same value and I boost the intensity of colors that are now too soft while leaving the other colors unchanged.

In doing that, I balance the overall color palette.

#3 Color Zones to control the single color

Color Zones is the go-to module to control single colors in darktable.

The workflow is very intuitive. You have 3 tabs:

lightness: to control the brightness of the selected color
saturation: for the saturation of the color
hue: to swap the selected color

Double-click on the curve resets the curve

There are also single-color picker and area color picker to select the color from the photo

The Color Zones is the module you want to use to change colors into your photo, together with the parametric mask.

In this video below you can check how I easily changed the color of a car

#4 Color Balance to add color into the Shadows, Highlights and Midtones

The Color Balance module is my favorite one when I process urban and street photography.

I usually take down the whole saturation, almost in black & white, and then I insert 2 opposite colors (in the RGB color wheel) in the shadows and highlights.

This is how I process, for example, the typical teal and orange look into street photography (there is already a preset for it).

Should you insert color in the midtones?

It’s totally up to you.

The important thing, in my opinion, is that you pick one of the colors you used either for the shadows or the highlights.

Adding a third color, usually, creates more of a distraction than an interesting tonality.

Here is a video I have done about processing urban photography with the Color Balance module

#5 RGB Curve for total control of colors

At first glance, the RGB Curve module may look complicated.

One of the reasons, in my opinion, is that it’s so easy to create artifacts when you start working on the curve.

This is a module that is so powerful however, changes have to be subtle. Big changes create artifacts

You can either work on the combined RGB channels or, to have full control, select Mode=RGB, Independent Channels.

In this way, you can control the primary colors to add Red, Green and Blue pixels into your photos.

An important tip here.

You can insert Cyan, Magenta and Yellow pixels by decreasing the Red, Green and Blue channels.

This is because Cyan is the opposite color to Red in the RGB color wheel. The same for Magenta/Green and Yellow/Blue.

You can also combine the color to create secondary and tertiary colors, for example, Orange (Yellow + Red).

The previous Color Balance module may be more intuitive, but it allows only to add one color in the shadows/highlights/midtones.

With the RGB Curve module, you have more control over the colors, however, I feel it’s harder to master it.

Here below a video on the RGB Curve, with all you need to know.

#6 Color Calibration for the magic

I love the color calibration and I use it a lot with colorful landscape photos

The colorfulness tab is my go-to place.

You can work on the Red, Green and Blue to influence both the primary and secondary colors.

I made a video about Color Calibration which I highly suggest watching.

In this video, you can also see how the color wheel is affected by every single change

Color Calibration has experienced some issues, however, they seem to be all fixed with the new version of darktable

#7 Colorize for effects

Colorize is one of the most underestimated modules in my opinion to control colors in darktable.

At first glance, it does not look like it has much of an application.

It’s more like applying a color slide on top of the photo and this may work for a few photos you want to give a tint.

However, use the Colorize module together with the parametric mask and suddenly it becomes so powerful.

I use it a lot, for example, to add a light source.

In the below video, you can check the easy workflow to add a light source

Do you have darktable 3.4 or above?

If you do, check out the new Global Color Picker

Stefano Ferro - MEL365.com Founder and Editor

About the Author

Stefano is a seasoned travel expert and the visionary founder of MEL365.com, a leading travel website with traffic across 6 continents. With a rich background in the travel industry, Stefano spent four pivotal years at Amadeus Travel Distribution System, gaining invaluable insights into travel technologies and distribution.