This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Using color creatively
After the image color looks balanced, if you want, you can move on from color correction to color grading: Alter the colors creatively, based on your creative goals for the image or to fit a mood or the art direction of a project.
Earlier you used the Curves adjustment for tone and color correction. Many of the other options in the Adjustments panel are also useful for expressive color and color grading.
In Photoshop, choose File > Browse In Bridge.
In the Content panel, compare the files 02_CreativeColor_Start.jpg and 02_CreativeColor_End.psd. Notice that color looks different in the file 02_CreativeColor_End.psd, and also the people in the background are gone.
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Double-click the 02_CreativeColor_Start.jpg thumbnail to open the file in Photoshop. Click OK if you see the Embedded Profile Mismatch dialog box, and close any messages that might appear about new features.
In Photoshop, choose File > Save As. Choose Photoshop from the Format menu, and name the file 02_CreativeColor_Working.psd. Then click Save.
The people in the background are distracting, so let’s remove them first in the way you just learned.
Make sure the Remove tool is selected, then in the options bar click Find Distractions, and then click the People button.
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This time it worked differently: The people in the background are highlighted, but the foreground people aren’t. If the Remove tool thinks foreground people might be the subjects you want to keep in the image, it won’t propose removing them.
In the options bar, click the Apply To Current Strokes icon (
). The Remove tool takes out the people in the background.
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Now try some different color looks using the Adjustments panel. The many choices can be overwhelming; fortunately Photoshop offers ways to easily explore them and learn what’s possible.
Click the Adjustments panel tab to bring it forward. If you can’t see it, choose Window > Adjustments.
In the Adjustments panel, make sure Presets is underlined; if it isn’t, click it to display the Presets list.
Hover the pointer over the Presets list (without clicking), and pause the pointer over each one to preview how the image looks with that preset. This is a great way to decide whether you want to apply any of them.
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Click the Warmth preset in the Portraits category. Clicking applies the preset by adding a layer group to the Layers panel. The new layer group contains one or more adjustment layers. The image was already color balanced; making it warmer is a creative color decision.
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The advantage of applying a preset as a group of adjustment layers is that you can easily customize the look. Select any adjustment layer and its options appear in the Properties panel. The Warmth preset uses a Photo Filter adjustment layer, so if you want it to look slightly different, select the Photo Filter layer that was added. In the Properties panel, you can adjust options such as which photo filter is applied as well as its Color and Density. You can add more adjustment layers if you want.
