Automotive photography is all about controlling color, reflections, contrast and light. But what happens when you photograph a car using wavelengths beyond what our eyes normally see?

The TruColor® Extreme IR 470 Camera Filter (TCIR470) offers a creative way to completely reinvent automotive photography. Designed for use with a full-spectrum or infrared-converted camera, the TCIR470 combines visible and infrared wavelengths to produce bold false-color images with dramatic color separation.

While infrared photography is often associated with glowing foliage and surreal landscapes, the TCIR470 can be just as striking when the subject is made of paint, metal, chrome and glass. The result? Automotive images that look less like a traditional car shoot and more like something from another world.

Why Use the TCIR470 for Automotive Photography?
Cars are excellent subjects for creative infrared photography because they combine so many different materials in one scene. Glossy paint reflects the surrounding environment. Windshields and windows introduce darker tones and reflections. Chrome and polished metal create bright highlights. Tires and trim provide strong contrast. Meanwhile, pavement, sky and surrounding vegetation respond differently to the mix of visible and infrared light.

With a conventional camera, these elements are familiar. With the Extreme IR 470, their relationships can change dramatically.

The TCIR470 is especially suited to photographers who want to experiment with high-impact false-color IR photography. Because the filter begins transmitting at a shorter wavelength than traditional 590nm, 720nm or 830nm infrared filters, it retains more visible-spectrum information that can be manipulated during post-processing. That gives you tremendous freedom to create intense blues, yellows, golds, reds, cyans and other unexpected color combinations.

Choosing the Right Car and Location
Start with a car that has strong lines, interesting curves or highly reflective paint. Sports cars, vintage vehicles and motorcycles can all make excellent subjects. Then think about the environment. Instead of placing the vehicle in front of a wall or studio backdrop, look for a setting with multiple surfaces and textures. An empty downtown street, parking structure, industrial building, racetrack paddock or roadside overlook can all work well.

For an especially dramatic result, include some sky and vegetation around the vehicle. They don't need to dominate the composition. Instead, they provide additional infrared information that can contrast with the vehicle's harder surfaces.

How to Photograph a Car with the TCIR470

1. Use an IR-Converted or Full-Spectrum Camera. The TCIR470 should be used with an infrared-converted or full-spectrum camera. Standard digital cameras typically have an internal IR-blocking filter over the sensor. This significantly reduces the infrared light reaching the camera and limits the effect you're trying to create. With a compatible converted camera, attach the TCIR470 to your lens just as you would another photographic filter.
2. Shoot in Bright Sunlight. Infrared photography often performs exceptionally well under the kind of bright midday sunlight photographers normally try to avoid. Take advantage of it. Strong sunlight provides plenty of infrared radiation and can create pronounced separation between the vehicle, pavement, sky and surrounding vegetation. For automotive photography, pay attention to the direction of the sun as well. Position the vehicle so its body lines catch the light without creating distracting reflections across the entire side of the car.
3. Watch Your Reflections. This becomes especially important with cars. Automotive paint, windows and chrome are highly reflective, so carefully inspect the vehicle before taking the photograph. Move yourself, the car or the camera slightly to control unwanted reflections. At the same time, don't eliminate every reflection. Reflections of an infrared sky or nearby vegetation across a glossy hood, roof or door panel can become one of the most interesting parts of the final image.
4. Shoot RAW. RAW is the best choice for TCIR470 photography. The image you see directly from the camera is only the starting point. RAW files retain far more information for adjusting white balance, individual color channels, exposure and contrast later. With an extreme false-color filter like the TCIR470, that flexibility is particularly valuable.
5. Experiment with White Balance. Don't worry if the initial photograph looks strange. That's the point. Experiment with a custom white balance either in-camera or during RAW processing. Try sampling pavement, concrete, a neutral surface or even vegetation and compare the results. Different white-balance choices can dramatically alter the colors available for the next stage of editing.

Take It Further with Channel Swapping
Post-processing is where the Extreme IR 470 really earns its name. Manipulating the red and blue channels can produce dramatic shifts throughout the image. You can also experiment with individual RGB channels, hue adjustments and selective color to create a look that fits the vehicle.

One processing approach might produce a deep blue sky behind a bright yellow or gold environment. Another could push the scene toward cyan and orange. A third could retain a nearly natural-looking car while transforming everything surrounding it.

There isn't one "correct" TCIR470 look. That's one of the filter's biggest creative advantages.

Keep the Car Natural—or Transform It Too
Here's another experiment worth trying. Use masks or selective adjustments during editing to separate the car from its surroundings. You can preserve some of the vehicle's original paint color while allowing the TCIR470 effect to dominate the sky, pavement and vegetation. This creates an image where the car appears almost normal inside an otherwise surreal environment.

Or do the opposite. Push the entire image into false color and let the vehicle transform along with the scene. A red sports car might shift into a completely unexpected hue. Chrome can take on unusual reflections. Dark glass can provide dramatic contrast against intensely colored surroundings. The goal isn't accurate color reproduction. It's creative interpretation.

Try Detail Shots, Too
You don't need to photograph the entire vehicle. Move closer. Photograph a hood ornament against an infrared sky. Capture reflections across a polished fender. Frame a wheel and brake assembly against pavement. Photograph a vintage chrome grille with trees reflected in the metal.

The TCIR470 can turn these small details into abstract compositions where shape, texture, reflection and color become more important than the vehicle itself.

A New Way to Photograph a Familiar Subject
The TruColor® Extreme IR 470 (TCIR470) isn't designed to make the world look exactly as your eyes see it. It's designed to give photographers another way to interpret it.

For automotive photographers, that opens an entirely new creative direction. Cars already combine complex shapes, reflective surfaces and contrasting materials. Add visible and infrared wavelengths to the equation, and those familiar surfaces can produce completely unexpected results.

Grab an IR-converted or full-spectrum camera, attach the TCIR470 and take your favorite car somewhere with strong sunlight, open sky and an interesting environment.

Then forget what color everything is supposed to be. With the TruColor® Extreme IR 470, that's where the fun begins.

Infrared photography doesn’t have to mean sprawling landscapes and glowing trees. Take the TruColor® Ultimate IR 590 into the city, and familiar streets, buildings and architectural details can become something completely unexpected.

With its combination of infrared and visible-light transmission, the TruColor® Ultimate IR 590 Camera Filter (TCIR590) is an especially creative choice for photographers who want to experiment with bold false-color photography. Instead of simply removing color, the 590nm wavelength leaves photographers with substantial color information that can be manipulated during post-processing. That makes it an ideal filter for an entirely different kind of IR photography: surreal urban and architectural images.

Why Use the TCIR590 for Architecture?
Cities offer something landscapes don’t: a huge variety of materials, textures, shapes and reflections packed into a single frame. Glass. Concrete. Brick. Steel. Asphalt. Clouds. Trees. Signs. Cars. Each can react differently when photographed with infrared light, creating unexpected separation between objects that may look relatively similar in a conventional visible-light photograph.

The TCIR590 is particularly well suited to this type of experimentation because it is a 590nm IR-pass filter designed for full-spectrum or IR-converted cameras. Unlike deeper infrared wavelengths that remove most visible color, 590nm photography retains more visible red, orange and yellow wavelengths.
The result is an image with plenty of information for creative color processing. Instead of trying to reproduce reality, you can completely reinterpret it.

Try This: Create a False-Color IR Cityscape
For this project, look for an urban scene that combines several different elements. A great composition might include a modern glass building, older brick architecture, a few trees, a sidewalk or street and a large section of sky. The vegetation is still useful, but it isn’t the main subject. Instead, it becomes an accent against the harder architectural surfaces surrounding it.

With the right processing, you can create an image where the sky becomes a rich blue or cyan, vegetation shifts toward gold or yellow and buildings retain dramatic neutral, metallic or warm tones.
The contrast between natural and manufactured materials can make the scene look almost futuristic.

How to Shoot with the TruColor® Ultimate IR 590

1. Start with an IR-Capable Camera. The TCIR590 is intended for use with a full-spectrum or IR-converted camera. A standard digital camera contains an internal filter designed to block much of the infrared spectrum. An IR-converted or full-spectrum camera allows the infrared wavelengths needed to create the effect to reach the sensor. Attach the TCIR590 to your compatible lens and camera setup before composing your shot.
2. Look for Strong Sunlight. Bright sunlight can be your friend in infrared photography. Try shooting in the late morning or early afternoon when sunlight is strong. While photographers often avoid these hours for conventional photography, infrared can transform that harsh light into something much more interesting. Direct sunlight also helps bring out the dramatic IR response of any vegetation in the scene.
3. Include a Dramatic Sky. Don’t crop the sky out. Blue skies and scattered clouds can become some of the strongest elements in an infrared architectural photograph. The contrast between a processed IR sky, bright clouds and sharp geometric buildings can give the finished photograph tremendous depth. Try composing from a lower angle and letting a building extend upward into the sky.
4. Experiment with Reflections. Glass buildings, windows and water provide another creative opportunity. Infrared wavelengths don't necessarily interact with reflective and transparent materials exactly as visible light does. Reflections can therefore add another layer of unpredictability to the photograph. Look for mirrored buildings, storefront windows, parked cars or water features that reflect the surrounding architecture and sky.
5. Shoot RAW. For the TCIR590, RAW is strongly recommended. The real creative power of 590nm photography often appears during post-processing. RAW files preserve significantly more image information, giving you greater flexibility when adjusting white balance, color channels, contrast and individual hues.

The Creative Step: Channel Swapping
This is where the TCIR590 really begins to separate itself from deeper infrared filters. A 590nm image straight from the camera will often have a strong warm red or orange cast. That isn't the finished photograph – it's your starting point.

One popular approach is a red/blue channel swap.

By exchanging or manipulating the red and blue channels during post-processing, you can dramatically change the relationship between the sky, architecture and vegetation.
Depending on the scene and processing style, you might create:

• Deep blue or cyan skies
• Gold, yellow or cream-colored foliage
• Bright white clouds
• Neutral or metallic architecture
• Strong separation between natural and manufactured surfaces
• Bold complementary color combinations

Don't feel obligated to stop at a traditional channel swap, either.

Try selective hue adjustments, split toning or individual color-channel modifications. The TCIR590 gives you a broad creative starting point, so two photographers can shoot the same building and produce completely different final images.

Go Beyond "Correct" Infrared Color
There really isn't one correct color palette for false-color infrared photography. That's part of the appeal.
Try pushing your photograph toward a blue-and-gold cinematic palette. Or create an almost sci-fi combination of cyan skies and pale yellow vegetation. Desaturate the architecture while keeping selected IR colors intense. 

You can even take the image in the opposite direction and reduce most of the color, leaving only subtle false-color accents.

Think of the TCIR590 image as raw material rather than a finished photograph.

What Subjects Work Best?
Once you start looking for urban IR compositions, you'll find opportunities almost everywhere. Modern glass architecture can create dramatic reflections. Historic brick buildings provide texture and contrast. Bridges offer repeating structural patterns. City parks combine architecture and IR-reflective vegetation. Downtown streets introduce signs, cars and people into the composition.

Even abandoned industrial buildings can become compelling subjects when photographed against an infrared sky. 

The goal isn't simply to document the building. It's to photograph a familiar place in a spectrum our eyes can't normally see – and then decide how you want that invisible information to look.

A Different Side of the Ultimate IR 590
The TruColor® Ultimate IR 590 (TCIR590) is one of the most flexible choices for photographers interested in colorful infrared photography. Its combination of IR sensitivity and higher visible-light transmission creates extensive possibilities for channel swapping, false-color processing and experimental editing.

And you don't need to travel somewhere exotic to use it.

Take your full-spectrum or IR-converted camera downtown. Walk through an industrial neighborhood. Photograph a bridge. Look up at a glass skyscraper. Find the places you've photographed dozens of times before.
​
Then see what happens when you photograph them at 590nm.
The city you know might suddenly look like somewhere else entirely.

Why Use a Neutral Density Filter?
An ND filter reduces the amount of light reaching your camera sensor without changing the colors of the scene. This allows you to:

• Create long exposures during daylight
• Blur waterfalls and rivers
• Smooth ocean waves
• Capture moving clouds
• Remove crowds through long exposures
• Shoot wide-open apertures in bright sunlight
• Control exposure when photographing in infrared

For photographers using full-spectrum cameras, maintaining balanced visible and infrared transmission is especially important for achieving consistent results.

Designed for Full-Spectrum Cameras
Most traditional ND filters are designed only for visible light. When used on a full-spectrum converted camera, they may transmit infrared differently than visible light, causing exposure inconsistencies or unwanted color shifts. The TruColor® NeutraLight™ Series is engineered specifically for full-spectrum imaging by reducing both visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths together, helping preserve natural color balance while extending exposure times. 

Choosing the Right NeutraLight Filter
ND2 (1 Stop): Ideal for photographers who need just a small reduction in light. Best for:

• Slightly longer exposures
• Bright overcast conditions
• Portrait photography
• Everyday shooting

Light Reduction: 50%

ND4 (2 Stops): A versatile option that offers more flexibility while maintaining manageable shutter speeds. Perfect for:

• Streams
• Small waterfalls
• Landscape photography
• Cloud movement

Light Reduction: 75%

ND8 (3 Stops): One of the most popular strengths for landscape photography. Ideal for:

• Waterfalls
• Rivers
• Coastal scenes
• Moderate daytime long exposures

Light Reduction: 87.5%

ND16 (4 Stops): For photographers looking to create dramatic motion effects. Excellent for:

• Ocean photography
• Large waterfalls
• Busy city scenes
• Long daytime exposures
• Artistic infrared landscapes

Light Reduction: 93.75%

How to Use the NeutraLight Filters

1. Mount the NeutraLight filter on your lens.
2. Compose and focus before beginning the exposure.
3. Switch to manual exposure or shutter priority mode.
4. Increase shutter speed to compensate for the reduced light.
5. Use a tripod for maximum sharpness.
6. Trigger the shutter using a remote release or self-timer.
7. Experiment with different exposure lengths to achieve the desired motion blur.

For full-spectrum cameras, these filters make it easy to extend exposure times while maintaining balanced visible and infrared transmission.

Why Photographers Choose NeutraLight
✔ Designed specifically for full-spectrum converted cameras
✔ Even attenuation of visible and near-infrared light
✔ Preserves natural color balance
✔ Creates beautiful long-exposure effects
✔ Ideal for landscapes, waterfalls, rivers and coastal photography
✔ Available in multiple strengths to match your shooting conditions

Which Filter Is Right for You?
ND2: 1 Stop | Everyday photography, portraits
ND4: 2 Stops | Landscapes, streams
ND8: 3 Stops | Waterfalls, rivers, coastal scenes
ND16: 4 Stops | Dramatic long exposures, moving clouds, oceans

Capture Motion Like Never Before
The TruColor® NeutraLight™ filter family gives photographers using full-spectrum cameras complete creative control over exposure. Whether you're adding a subtle blur to flowing water or creating dramatic long-exposure landscapes, NeutraLight filters reduce visible and infrared light evenly for consistent, natural-looking results. Choose the density that matches your style and discover how slowing down your shutter can transform an ordinary scene into extraordinary imagery.

​Without a visible bandpass filter, full-spectrum cameras often produce images with unusual color casts caused by IR contamination. Greens may appear dull, skin tones can look unnatural and overall color accuracy suffers.

With the TruColor® VISBand 485 installed:
Before (Full-Spectrum Camera Without VISBand 485)

• Color shifts caused by IR and UV light
• Inaccurate white balance
• Unnatural foliage colors
• Reduced color fidelity

After (With VISBand 485)

• Natural greens and vegetation
• Accurate sky and cloud colors
• Realistic skin tones
• Improved contrast and color clarity
• True-to-life color reproduction

A side-by-side comparison often reveals just how much unwanted IR light can affect image quality.

Ideal Applications
The VISBand 485 is an excellent choice for:

• Landscape photography
• Travel photography
• Family and portrait photography
• Product photography
• Street photography
• Architectural photography
• General everyday shooting

If your goal is natural color from a full-spectrum converted camera, the VISBand 485 should be one of the first filters in your kit.

The Best of Both Worlds
The beauty of a full-spectrum camera is versatility. One day you can photograph brilliant white IR foliage, and the next you can capture realistic color scenes that look completely natural. The TruColor® VISBand 485 makes that transition simple by restoring true visible-light photography whenever you need it. For photographers who want the flexibility of infrared imaging without sacrificing natural color capability, the VISBand 485 is an essential filter that unlocks the full potential of a converted camera.

How to Shoot with the UV Blue IR 395 / 870
Because this filter captures a unique mix of wavelengths, technique matters.

1. Shoot Midday: Bright sunlight produces the strongest IR response and enhances foliage glow.
2. Use Custom White Balance: Setting a custom white balance in-camera helps control overly warm or magenta tones and gives cleaner blues.
3. Shoot RAW: RAW files preserve the full color data needed for channel swaps and advanced IR editing.
4. Experiment in Post: Many photographers swap red and blue channels in editing software to refine sky color and create the signature blue IR appearance.

Why Photographers Love This Filter
​The TruColor UV Blue IR 395 / 870 offers a look that stands apart from traditional infrared photography. It combines the dreamlike qualities of IR with vibrant blue color rendering for images that feel almost otherworldly.

Benefits include:

• Unique artistic color palettes
• Strong foliage glow effects
• Dramatic skies and cloud contrast
• Creative infrared color separation
• Cinematic landscape rendering
• Ideal for experimental fine art photography

Push Beyond Traditional Infrared
If you already own an IR-converted camera and want to explore something more creative than standard IR photography, the TruColor UV Blue IR 395 / 870 delivers an entirely new visual experience. From glowing landscapes to surreal urban scenes, this filter transforms ordinary light into bold, artistic imagery that immediately stands out.

The TruColor Ultimate IR 590 (TCIR590) Filter is designed to block most visible (VIS) light below 590nm while allowing longer wavelengths – primarily near-infrared (NIR) light – to pass through to your camera sensor. Here’s what that means in practice:

• VIS light is reduced, especially blues and greens
• IR light is captured, which reflects strongly off vegetation
• Color channels shift, enabling dramatic false-color effects

Because 590nm sits on the lower end of the IR spectrum, it allows more VIS light than deeper IR filters (like 720nm or 830nm). This gives you:

• More color data to work with
• Easier white balancing
• Greater flexibility for color swapping in post-processing

How the “After” Image Was Created
To achieve that signature IR 590 look, a few key steps are involved:

1. Use the Right Camera Setup: The TCIR590 performs best on a full-spectrum or IR-converted camera. On a standard camera, the internal IR-cut filter blocks most IR light, resulting in long exposures and muted effects.
2. Attach the TCIR590 Filter: Once mounted on your lens, the filter immediately begins isolating IR wavelengths while suppressing VIS light.
3. Adjust White Balance: A custom white balance – often set using grass or foliage – helps neutralize the strong red cast typical of IR images straight out of camera.
4. Capture the Scene: Bright, sunny conditions work best. Vegetation reflects IR light intensely, creating the glowing foliage effect seen in the “after” image.
5. Post-Processing Magic: This is where the transformation really happens:
   
   1. Channel swapping (typically red and blue channels) creates the iconic blue skies and red foliage.
      
   2. Contrast and saturation adjustments enhance the surreal look. 
      
   3. Fine-tuning tones brings out detail in skies, water and textures

Why Choose the TruColor IR 590?
The TCIR590 stands out as an “entry point” into creative IR while still offering serious artistic depth:

• Vibrant false colors without going fully monochrome
• Brilliant foliage glow for landscapes and nature shots
• More forgiving workflow compared to higher-wavelength IR filters
• Versatility across landscapes, architecture, and even portraits

If you’re looking to explore IR photography without losing all color, the TruColor IR 590 is the perfect balance. It opens the door to a world where trees glow, skies deepen and familiar scenes become something entirely new.

Whether you’re shooting lakeside landscapes, suburban parks, or urban environments, the TCIR590 transforms your perspective – proving that sometimes, the most compelling images come from light you can’t even see.