Guides
Choose where you are in the process: making the photograph, selecting a method, or correcting the result.
01
Shoot better underwater
Improve distance, camera handling and lighting before the shutter fires.
Why getting closer improves underwater photos
Learn why camera-to-subject distance affects underwater colour and contrast, and how a wide lens and closer viewpoint produce cleaner photographs.
GoPro underwater photography tips that improve the file before editing
Practical ways to get clearer, steadier and more recoverable underwater photos with any recent or rented GoPro.
Ambient light, strobes and video lights underwater
Identify how an underwater photograph was lit, make better capture decisions, and edit the foreground and distant water without forcing one correction across both.
02
Choose the right method
Understand what file formats, optical filters, white balance and restoration each can—and cannot—change.
RAW or JPEG for underwater photos?
Choose the right file format for underwater colour correction, difficult highlights and a practical Five Meters workflow.
Red filter or editing? What to use underwater
Decide when a red or magenta filter is worth its light loss, when editing is the better option, and when the subject needs artificial light.
Why white balance alone fails underwater
See when temperature and tint are enough, when underwater colour loss needs restoration, and why the two jobs should happen in the right order.
03
Fix an existing photograph
Restore the file in the right order, then diagnose colour casts, haze and visible particles separately.
How to colour-correct underwater photos in Five Meters
A practical workflow for restoring underwater colour, then refining exposure, contrast and detail without making the water or subject look artificial.
Fix a blue or green cast without ruining the water
Work out what is causing an underwater colour cast, which parts of the frame should stay blue or green, and how to correct the subject without neutralising the water.
Underwater haze and backscatter: how to tell them apart
Identify veiling haze, particle backscatter and bubbles, reduce them while shooting, and avoid edits that make the problem more obvious.