Combating the Blue Cast

The biggest issue in underwater photography is the physics of light. As water depth increases, warm wavelengths are absorbed, leaving images dominated by cool blue and green tones.

The foundation of any underwater edit starts with White Balance.

The fastest approach is using the Eyedropper Tool. Click on a neutral area in the image—something black, white, or gray—and Lightroom will instantly correct the color cast.

If the result still feels off, fine-tune manually by pushing the Temperature slider toward warmer values and nudging the Tint slider toward magenta. This helps counteract the overwhelming blue-green dominance of the water.

 

Fixing Unrealistic Color Shifts

In some cases, Lightroom may misinterpret the color of the water itself, shifting deep blues into unnatural purples.

To fix this, open the Color Mixing panel. Select the problematic color (often purple or magenta) and adjust the Hue slider back toward blue. This keeps the water looking natural and believable instead of surreal.

 

Targeted Editing with Masks

Global adjustments can only take you so far. To make an underwater image truly stand out, you need to separate the subject from the environment using Masking.

Create a mask for your main subject—such as a diver, fish, or shark. This allows you to boost contrast, clarity, and warmth on the subject without degrading the surrounding water. You can even restore natural skin tones or scale colors independently.

Next, apply a separate mask to the background water. Slightly lowering exposure and contrast in the background helps hide floating particles and naturally draws the viewer’s eye toward the subject.

 

The Underwater Secret Weapon

For underwater photographers, the Dehaze slider is an absolute game changer.

Water introduces haze and reduces contrast, even at shallow depths. Increasing Dehaze cuts through this murkiness, instantly adding depth, clarity, and punch to your image.

Combine Dehaze with moderate adjustments to Texture and Clarity on the subject to reveal fine details—like the texture of coral or the skin of a shark—that are often lost in underwater conditions.

 

Final Polish and Cleanup

Even with perfect color and contrast, underwater images often suffer from backscatter—small floating particles that reflect light and create visual distractions.

Use the Healing Brush to carefully remove larger particles. While this step can be time-consuming, it’s essential for achieving a clean, professional final image.

 

Key Takeaways

• Warm the Image: Water absorbs red light. Push White Balance toward warmer and magenta tones to restore natural color.
• Mask Intelligently: Edit the subject and background separately for better control and realism.
• Use Dehaze Strategically: It cuts through underwater haze and restores lost contrast.
• Correct Color Shifts: Ensure blues stay blue by fine-tuning individual color channels.