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Correct by Numbers

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EDU SUMMIT
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17 views4 pages

Correct by Numbers

Uploaded by

EDU SUMMIT
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Adobe Photoshop

Color Correction by the Numbers in Photoshop with Julieanne Kost


Software needed Adobe Photoshop 5.0 or later

Unwanted color casts can be introduced into images from a variety of sources including – the time of
day that the photo was taken, the film that the photo was captured on, the reflected lighting illuminating
the scene or, incorrect developing, printing or scanning of the film. Fortunately, these color casts can
easily be eliminated by making a few simple numeric adjustment in Photoshop. This tip and technique
demonstrates how to expel a color cast using a combination of Adjustment Layers, Color Samplers and the
Info palette. By making numeric adjustments instead of trusting our eyes or the monitor, we can achieve
more consistent and reliable results .

Open the file. Select File > Open to navigate


and open the RGB file that contains a color
cast and needs to be corrected.

Using the Color Samplers. It’s necessary to


set the options for the Color Sampler tool to
measure from either a 3 x 3 or 5 x 5 pixel
average. Note: if you base all of your color cor-
rection on a point sample, and that one point
isn’t representative of the rest of the image, you
might get unexpected results.

Measuring color values. Select the Color Sam-


pler tool and click in the highlight area of the
image. Setting a color sampler allows you to
measure the values of the highlights in the
Info palette and make the necessary changes.
Click again to set a Color Sampler in the
shadow area. In this example, the highlight
area is along the edge of the plate, and the
shadow area is in the darkest area of the spa-
ghetti sauce.

1
Study the color values. Select View > Show Info if the Info palette
isn’t showing. The lower portion of the Info palette displays the
color values for each of the Color Samplers that were set in the high-
light and shadow areas of the image. Notice that there are different
values of red, green and blue for each of the samplers. If the high-
light or shadow values are all the same, the image wouldn’t have a
color cast since equal amounts of RGB results in neutral tones. Note:
sometimes images have desirable color casts such as an image taken at
sunset which don’t need to be removed. However, in this image, the red
color cast needs to be eliminated for the food to look appetizing.

Find the lowest value. In the Info palette, look


at the values for red, green, and blue for Color
Sampler number one (the highlight area of
the image). Find the color with the lowest
value. In this example, the lowest value is for
G (green).

Add an Adjustment layer. Select Layer > New


> Adjustment layer. For the adjustment type,
choose Levels and click OK. From the Chan-
nel menu, select the channel that had the
lowest measured value from the previous step
(in this case Green).

Neutralizing the highlights. While watching


the values from the Color Sampler number
one (the one in the highlights), in the Info pal-
ette, begin dragging the white triangle in the
Levels adjustment layer dialog box to the left.
The Info palette displays an adjusted value for
the color samplers. Keep dragging the triangle
in the Levels adjustment layer dialog box until
the value matches the highest value for the
highlights.

2
Correct the other channel. Select the remain-
ing channel who’s values don’t match (in this
case blue), and move the white triangle to the
left until it equals the other channels in the
Info palette. When all three of the red, green
and blue values are equal, any color cast that
was in the highlight area will be removed.

Neutralize the shadows. While still in the


Levels adjustment layer dialog box, select the
channel that has the highest value for the
second Color Sampler (the one in the shad-
ows). Drag the black triangle to the right until
it matches the lowest value in the Info palette.

Correct the other channel. Select the remain-


ing channel who’s values don’t match and
move the black triangle to the right until it
equals the other channels in the Info palette.
When all three of the red, green and blue
values are equal any color cast that was in the
shadow area will be removed. Click OK.

Neutralize the midtones. Even with the


shadow and highlights neutralized, a color
cast still remains in the image’s midtones. Add
another Color Sampler in a midtone area of
the image that should have a neutral value. In
this example, the place mat.

3
Adjusting the Curves. Select Layer > New
> Adjustment layer. For the adjustment type,
select Curves and click OK. While watching
the Info palette, select and modify each of the
channels by raising or lowering their curve
until they all match in value. In this case I low-
ered the Red channels curve and raised the
Green channels curve to match the blue chan-
nels measured value. Click OK.

Final Adjustments. To add a stylized effect, I


flattened the adjustment layers and selected
Filter > Distort > Diffuse Glow to add some
character to the otherwise boring image. For
the finishing touch I selected the green herb
and lightened it slightly using Curves.

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