Anyone who has edited a photo knows that sometimes strange colors can show up along the edges of objects in a photo. This is called chromatic aberration, or purple fringing. In this article, we will explore what purple fringing is, what causes it, and how to remove it from your photos.
What is Purple Fringing?
Purple fringing is a type of chromatic aberration that occurs when light waves are not able to refract properly through a lens. This results in an effect where blues and greens appear as purples along the edges of objects in a photo. In some cases, reds can also appear as oranges or yellows.
While purple fringing is most commonly seen in areas with high contrast, like the edge of a dark object against a bright background, it can also be seen in low-contrast situations. It is more likely to occur when using lower quality lenses, when zooming in on an object, or when taking photos in low light conditions.
What Causes Purple Fringing?
As we mentioned, purple fringing is caused by light waves not being able to refract properly through a lens. This can be due to a number of factors, including:
- The type of lens being used
- The aperture size
- The focal length
- The distance between the lens and the subject
- The amount of light available
- The color of the light
How to Reduce Purple Fringing When Shooting Photos
There are a few things you can do to reduce the amount of purple fringing in your photos:
Use a higher quality lens
This is especially important if you are using a zoom lens. Lower quality lenses increase the chances of chromatic aberration occurring in photos.
Avoid using a wide aperture
A small aperture will help to keep light from entering the lens at an angle, which can cause purple fringing.
Increase the distance between the lens and the subject
This will help to reduce the amount of light that is able to enter the lens.
Use a purple fringing filter
As a last resort, using these filters are designed to reduce purple fringing by blocking certain colors of light from entering the lens.
How to Remove Purple Fringing
Despite being a relatively common phenomenon, purple fringing can be quite distracting in photos. Luckily, there are several ways to remove it in post-processing.
Adobe Photoshop Editing
If you’re using Adobe Photoshop, the first step is to create a duplicate layer. Next, go to Filter > Camera Raw Filter > Defringe. In the dialog box that pops up, use the drop-down menu to select “purple” as the color you want to remove. Then, adjust the amount slider until the purple fringing disappears from your photo. Hit “OK” and you’re done!
Adobe Lightroom Editing
If you’re using Lightroom Classic CC, the process is similar. First, create a new developed module by selecting “Edit Developed Copy” from the drop-down menu at the top of your interface. Next, go to the “Effects” panel and check the “Enable Profile Corrections” box. Under “Lens Corrections,” select “Chromatic Aberration.” Adjust the amount slider until the purple fringing disappears and hit “Done.”
Conclusion
Purple fringing is a type of chromatic aberration caused by light waves not being able to refract properly through a lens. It appears as purples along the edges of objects in a photo and can be quite distracting. Luckily, there are several ways to remove purple fringing in post-processing, including using Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom Classic CC.
