We have known that if we wish to increase the contrast then we need to use contrast enhancement filters, and when we want to decrease the contrast we can use diffusion filters, but what do you do if you want to increase the tone of a particular colour in your frame?

Well the answer lies in the use of colour enhancement filters. Colour enhancement filters, as the name suggests, help to increase the tonal value of specific colors in the frame. All primary and secondary colours have colour enhancement filters available for them, such as the Cokin P 050 blur colour filter. Red colour enhancement filters enhance the reddish tones in the frame, green colour enhances the greens and blue enhances the sky, water and ice.

However, there is one disadvantage of shooting with color enhancement filters. If you see the pictures above and to the right, the one above on the left has been taken without the filter. The image is high on contrast but the colour of the red leaves in the frame seems to be washed out. Now if the same image is taken with a red colour enhancement filter, then the results are as seen in the image on the right. If you notice clearly then the image has a slight reddish cast in the entire frame. The red is enhanced, but other colours like green and yellow seem to have been lost. This is the disadvantage of using colour enhancement filters. Filters have always been useful equipment for photographers, but with the use of digital softwares, the need for filters is decreasing. If you wish to process your image digitally before taking the output, then it is suggested not to use colour enhancement filters as then you would need to correct the unacceptable tones( like the magenta cast in above image), which would any how compromise the benefits of your colour enhancement filter to start with!