No lens is perfect, and every lens suffers from chromatic aberration to some degree. It is such a common occurrence in photography that many DSLRs have in-camera post-processing technologies to help correct chromatic aberration as it happens.

Now that you know what chromatic aberrations are and how to get rid of them, they can never tarnish your photos again. Whether you are fixing them in post or avoiding them altogether, take comfort in knowing how to fix the issue, in camera or in post!

Chromaticaberrationeffect

Chromatic aberration is aggravated in high contrast situations where there are extreme shadows and highlights in the same image. High contrast situations include:

This type of chromatic aberration occurs when color wavelengths do not join at the same point after passing through a lens.

How to fixchromaticaberration

Every evening from sundown until 10 p.m., both bridges are illuminated with state-of-the-art LED lights in exciting patterns and bright colors. Even better, on holidays and special occasions, you can expect themed light shows, like red, white, and blue lights for Memphis’ 4th of July celebration, blue lights for University of Memphis Tigers games, and special shows for big events like the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend and Memphis In May. The shows begin every hour, on the hour. It’s totally free to enjoy Mighty Lights.

In photography, a phenomenon occurs when the color wavelengths in light are separated and rejoined as they pass through a lens. When light is bent incorrectly as it passes through an imperfect lens, it can cause a color blurring effect along the edges of an image. This effect is called chromatic aberration.

Chromatic aberration occurs because the lens of your camera is virtually a prism. As light passes through the prism, the light is bent and the color wavelengths become separated. Lens imperfections can cause the light to bend incorrectly, and certain wavelengths to change their speed or angle. This results in unsynchronized wavelengths and consequential color blurring and abnormalities in the image.

Chromaticaberration example

If your camera does not have this ability, if your lens is visibly displaying chromatic aberration, or if you simply want tips on how you can control chromatic aberration, read on for an overview on the two types of chromatic aberration and a few ways you can reduce or eliminate it; in camera, and in post processing.

Chromaticaberration in eyes

If you’ve ever played with a crystal or prism in science class, then you may remember that light is composed of color wavelengths that represent all the colors of the rainbow.

Why not take in the view of the bridges while traversing the parks and pathways of Memphis riverfront parks? You can always take a walk, but Memphis now offers Explore Bike Share bike-renting program or electric scooters offered by Bird and Lime companies. You can find scooters placed in various locations downtown; download the apps on your smartphone to locate and rent. There are dozens of Explore Bike Share stations around downtown, including at Big River Crossing, Beale Street Landing, and Tom Lee Park. You can use the station kiosk or smartphone BCycle app to rent a bicycle.

Memphis’ riverfront offers a series of parks with wonderful views of the river and Mighty Lights. Bring the family to enjoy the renovated River Garden playground at Mississippi River Park, and stay for the sunset and light show on the Hernando de Soto bridge. A stroll through the newly transformed Tom Lee Park will give you great views of both bridges. For the best view of the lights at Big River Crossing, post up at Martyrs Park to the south.

Are you wondering how to remove chromatic aberrations in Adobe Lightroom? Here are step-by-step instructions on how you can fix it.

After you’ve completed Steps 1-3, zoom out and look at your image. For most images, this simple process will do the trick to cure chromatic aberration in Lightroom, and you can move on to other editing.

Chromatic aberration occurs frequently in photography; but thankfully, there are some straightforward strategies for reducing, eliminating, and fixing chromatic aberration. These solutions are also quite simple. With the power to restore otherwise unusable images, knowing how to manage chromatic aberration is a valuable skill for every photographer.

Chromaticaberration in glasses

Before we jump into how you can fix chromatic aberration, it may be helpful to know that there are actually two different types. Understanding the two different types and what makes them different will lead you to the best way of fixing it.

There are some things you can do as a photographer to reduce or eliminate chromatic aberration in camera, and this can also reduce your editing time in post.

Chromaticaberration

There are a handful of public rooftops where you can catch a glimpse of Mighty Lights on the Hernando de Soto bridge. The Hu Hotel’s (Relaunching July, 2021) rooftop bar has a fantastic view of this bridge with indoor and outdoor seating. It’s open from 3 p.m. - 8 p.m. Mon.; 3 p.m. - 11 p.m. Tues. - Thurs.; 3 p.m. - 12 a.m. Fri. - Sat.; 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. Sun., reservations are recommended. You can also see the Mighty Lights in the distance while enjoying a Memphis-made cocktail from Old Dominick Distillery’s rooftop, open in the evenings Thursdays through Sundays.  For a stunning view of the Mighty Lights (plus downtown Memphis, and the River) ride the glass elevator after to the top of the Memphis Pyramid. The Pyramid is home to Bass Pro Shops and the Big Cypress Lodge hotel. There's a $10 fee to ride the elevator. ​

Mighty Lights is a new way to experience the Mississippi River in downtown Memphis! Join us for a nightly light show on the iconic Hernando de Soto and Big River Crossing bridges. The Hernando de Soto - sometimes called the “M” bridge due to its double arches - is a major auto thoroughfare across the river, and Big River Crossing at the Harahan Bridge is the popular walking and biking pedestrian bridge on the south end of downtown.

Remedies: Faster aperture lenses are typically more prone to longitudinal chromatic aberration than slower lenses, so stop down your aperture. This may reduce it or fix it completely. To compensate for light when you stop down, remember that you can slow your shutter speed, boost your ISO, or add a flash or other light source.

Chromaticaberration in games

Want to learn more Lightroom tools? Read our post about 5 Amazing Lightroom Tools for faster, more efficient and confident editing.

Spherical aberration

What better way to take in the majesty of the Mississippi than to take an evening riverboat cruise? Memphis Riverboats offers evening dinner cruises on Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., so you can catch a few Mighty Lights sessions and enjoy a Memphis barbecue dinner and music.

Zoom lenses can exhibit various degrees of chromatic aberration, especially at their most extreme short and long focal lengths. If your zoom lens is showing chromatic aberration, you can usually reduce it by zooming towards the middle of the focal range.

Head over to Mud Island - actually a peninsula - to Greenbelt Park to observe the river and bridge for Mighty Lights. This quiet park adjacent to the Harbor Town community has a clear view of the bridge from the north. Enjoy dinner before or after at one of the restaurants in Harbor Town.

Take in the city’s riverfront, the mighty Mississippi, and Mighty Lights from the heights of the Bluffwalk. This paved pathway leads you along the top of the Bluffs, past smaller parks and homes, and connects to Tom Lee Park and Martyrs Park. The Fourth Bluff at Memphis Park is located on Front Street between Court and Jefferson and offers great views of the Hernando de Soto Bridge. At the Fourth Bluff, there’s a lit bridge that leads to the promenade behind the University of Memphis Law School as well.

Light wavelengths (colors) are bent and pass through the lens at an angle, refocusing on different places along a focal plane.

Remedies: This effect will not be affected by stopping down the lens aperture. To remove lateral chromatic aberration, you must correct it in a post-processing program, like Lightroom.

Whenever possible, try to fix chromatic aberration in-camera. Fixing it in post is just going to add more time to your editing process. The good news is that if you absolutely have to save the fix for later, you can usually remove chromatic aberration effectively in post if the image was originally shot in RAW.

Signs: If your image has color fringing around objects throughout the image, even in the center, and if the colors that appear are red, green, blue, or a combination of all of them.

Although this effect is common, it’s not ideal. The good news is that there are ways you can get rid of chromatic aberration. Before we jump into how to fix it, we’ll explain exactly how and why it happens in the first place.

Chromatic aberration is a very common problem in lenses, and is sometimes also referred to as “color fringing” or “purple fringing”. Chromatic aberration can present itself as blurring or coloring of red, green, blue, yellow, purple, or magenta around the edges of an image. These colors are especially likely to appear in high-contrast photos with extreme highlights and shadows.