PhotoshopSchool
MAKE SELECTIVE COLOUR TWEAKS
Learn the lingo
Posterisation
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Open in Camera Raw
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Open colour_start.dng, supplied on your disc. As the file is an uncompressed digital negative (DNG), it will automatically open in the Adobe Camera Raw editor, where you can experiment with plenty of colour information packed into the file. At this stage, the colours are fairly desaturated, so the shot lacks impact.
Boost Vibrance
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By boosting the strength of the Saturation slider you’ll change the strength of the colours by an equal amount. This can lead to some already strong colours, like the red flowers, becoming over-saturated. Instead, increase Vibrance to +45. This creates a more selective colour boost, without blowing-out detail.
osterised colours tend to jump from one version of a colour to another in noticeable and abrupt bands, whereas the original scene may have featured a gentle graduated blend from one colour to another. You’re more likely to get posterised colours if you shoot in JPEG format, as this describes the colours in shorthand compared to the full story told by an uncompressed raw file.
E X P ER T TI P
Tweak tone and colour
Compare before and after
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While in ACR, move the Clarity slider up to +60. This gently increases the midtone contrast in the wheat field to emphasise the texture of the stalks. By increasing Blacks to 16 you’ll create darker shadows. This helps boost the saturation of the distant trees.
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Optimise for printing
Get better blues
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Go to Edit>Colour Settings. If you plan to print your work, it’s worth ticking the Always Optimise for Printing button. This forces Elements to use the printer-friendly Adobe 1998 colour space, which helps keep your edited colours within a range that a printer can reproduce. Click OK to confirm your change.
The changes you make in ACR are non-destructive. Tick the Preview icon to toggle between the original and edited version of the scene. The shot’s colours already look more striking. Click Open Image to continue editing in the standard Elements editor.
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The light blue sky looks washed out when compared with the rest of the shot. To selectively boost the blues, choose Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Hue/Saturation. Click OK. Set the Hue/Saturation palette’s drop-down menu to Blues and boost Saturation to +57. For a deeper blue, set Hue to +20.
“When you edit a standard raw file (like a Canon .CR2 file or a Nikon .NEF file), Photoshop will record all the Camera Raw slider adjustments that you make in a separate .XMP file that sits in the same folder as your raw image. However, this file can become separated from the raw file. If you click Save Image and choose a .dng (digital negative) format, the slider settings will be stored inside the .dng file.” George Cairns, technique writer
Digital Camera June 2012
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