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In our latest Photoshop tutorial we take an in-depth look at the Photoshop Lab Color mode and how you can use it to retouch scenes with incredible precision, giving your photos a professional quality.
In our latest Photoshop tutorial we take an in-depth look at the Photoshop Lab Color mode and how you can use it to retouch scenes with incredible precision, giving your photos a professional quality.
Lab Color mode is one of those digital terms that can be misunderstood, or deemed too advanced for the average Photoshop user. However, it’s actually a very simple mode that lets you target and adjust color and light separately from one another.
Before we get into Lab, first a little background on color modes. Most images (on your monitor, TV, phone and so on) are in the RGB color mode, standing for Red, Green and Blue.
Why these colors? Because they’re the colors of light, and millions of other colors can be made using different combinations of these three.
Assuming that your image is in RGB (it says so next to the image name at the top) Photoshop displays these three colors as separate Channels within the Channels panel. Switch to CMYK mode (used mainly for printing) and the channels change to show Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (CMYK).
By contrast, if you convert your image to Lab Color mode (pronounced as L-A-B) the Channels change to show ‘Lightness’, ‘a’ and ‘b’. Lightness is like a black-and-white version of the image, while ‘a’ and ‘b’ represent all the color.
Crucially, this means that you can enhance color and detail independently of one another, producing a vibrancy of color that wouldn’t be possible in RGB mode.
Here we’ll show you how to use Lab Color mode to enhance colors and reveal detail. We’ll start by removing a few distracting areas, then make a Lab Color adjustment that remains completely non-destructive.
So read on to discover how to give your images a polished, professional finish and make those colors sing!
How to use the Photoshop Lab Color mode: steps 1-2
Make basic tweaks
Download our start file. Navigate to the lab_before.dng start file in Bridge then right-click it and choose Open in Camera Raw. Go to the Basics panel and set Highlights to -60, Shadows to +10, Whites to -22, Blacks to -2 and Vibrance to +10. Grab the Crop tool from the toolbar then drag a box to crop a bit tighter. Click Open image.
Download our start file. Navigate to the lab_before.dng start file in Bridge then right-click it and choose Open in Camera Raw. Go to the Basics panel and set Highlights to -60, Shadows to +10, Whites to -22, Blacks to -2 and Vibrance to +10. Grab the Crop tool from the toolbar then drag a box to crop a bit tighter. Click Open image.
Make a rough selection
Before we work on the tones in Lab Color mode, we’ll improve the composition by replacing the distracting background on the left with a portion of the right side of the frame. Grab the Lasso tool and use it to draw a rough selection along the right side that’s the same size as the area you need to fix.
1.
Before we work on the tones in Lab Color mode, we’ll improve the composition by replacing the distracting background on the left with a portion of the right side of the frame. Grab the Lasso tool and use it to draw a rough selection along the right side that’s the same size as the area you need to fix.
1.
steps 3-4
Flip and position
Right-click, choose Feather, set Radius to 2px and hit OK. Press Cmd/Ctrl+J to copy the selection to a new layer, then Cmd/Ctrl+T to transform it. Right-click and choose Flip Horizontal, then drag the piece over to the other side. Drag outside the box to rotate so the shoreline matches, then hit Enter.
Right-click, choose Feather, set Radius to 2px and hit OK. Press Cmd/Ctrl+J to copy the selection to a new layer, then Cmd/Ctrl+T to transform it. Right-click and choose Flip Horizontal, then drag the piece over to the other side. Drag outside the box to rotate so the shoreline matches, then hit Enter.
Clone the rest
Grab the Clone tool from the Tools palette, then set Sample to All Layers. Choose a soft-edged brush tip, then use the Clone tool to cover any messy parts missed by the copied portion. Hold Alt to sample the area next to the part you need to fix, then paint over it. Don’t worry about going over the edges.
Grab the Clone tool from the Tools palette, then set Sample to All Layers. Choose a soft-edged brush tip, then use the Clone tool to cover any messy parts missed by the copied portion. Hold Alt to sample the area next to the part you need to fix, then paint over it. Don’t worry about going over the edges.
2.
steps 5-6
Mask and reveal
Go to the Layers palette (Window>Layers), then hold Alt and click the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom to add a full black mask that hides the entire layer. Next, grab the Brush tool, set the color to white and paint precisely to reveal the layer just over the messy figures in the background.
Go to the Layers palette (Window>Layers), then hold Alt and click the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom to add a full black mask that hides the entire layer. Next, grab the Brush tool, set the color to white and paint precisely to reveal the layer just over the messy figures in the background.
Make a Smart Object
Press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E to merge a copy of the layers, double-click the layer name and call it ‘Lab Color Copy’, then right-click the newly-created layer in the Layers palette and choose Convert to Smart Object. Double-click the image thumbnail on the layer, then hit OK to open it in a new window.
Press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E to merge a copy of the layers, double-click the layer name and call it ‘Lab Color Copy’, then right-click the newly-created layer in the Layers palette and choose Convert to Smart Object. Double-click the image thumbnail on the layer, then hit OK to open it in a new window.
3.
steps 7-8
Convert to Lab
Once the Smart Object layer has opened in its own window, go to Image>Mode>Lab Color. Next, click the Create Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette and choose Levels. In the Levels settings, go to the drop-down at the top that says Lightness and choose the ‘a’ channel.
Once the Smart Object layer has opened in its own window, go to Image>Mode>Lab Color. Next, click the Create Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette and choose Levels. In the Levels settings, go to the drop-down at the top that says Lightness and choose the ‘a’ channel.
Set the shadow point
The ‘a’ channel represents greens and magentas. You can boost the saturation of these colors by increasing contrast on the ‘a’ channel. Start by clicking the left of the three boxes below the histogram and input 25, note how this moves the black slider inwards and gives the image a slight cyan cast.
The ‘a’ channel represents greens and magentas. You can boost the saturation of these colors by increasing contrast on the ‘a’ channel. Start by clicking the left of the three boxes below the histogram and input 25, note how this moves the black slider inwards and gives the image a slight cyan cast.
4.
steps 9-10
Equalise the colors
You’ll need to even out the cyan color shift by moving the white point the same distance inwards as the black point. The black point was set at 25, so subtract 25 from 255. Now click on the right-hand box and input 230. Note how this intensifies the color of the orange scarf.
You’ll need to even out the cyan color shift by moving the white point the same distance inwards as the black point. The black point was set at 25, so subtract 25 from 255. Now click on the right-hand box and input 230. Note how this intensifies the color of the orange scarf.
Repeat on the b channel
Click on the channel drop-down again and choose ‘b’. This channel affects the blues and yellows in the image. Once again, bring the black and white points inwards by the same value. This time we’ve set the black point 35 and the white point 220. Note how this boosts the blue clothes.
Click on the channel drop-down again and choose ‘b’. This channel affects the blues and yellows in the image. Once again, bring the black and white points inwards by the same value. This time we’ve set the black point 35 and the white point 220. Note how this boosts the blue clothes.
5.
steps 11-12
Burn the Lightness channel
Highlight the Background layer in the Layers palette, then go to the Channels window and click Lightness. Grab the Burn tool from the Tools palette and set Range to Shadows and Exposure to 10%. Zoom in close, choose a small soft brush tip and paint along the lines and shadows to gently darken.
Highlight the Background layer in the Layers palette, then go to the Channels window and click Lightness. Grab the Burn tool from the Tools palette and set Range to Shadows and Exposure to 10%. Zoom in close, choose a small soft brush tip and paint along the lines and shadows to gently darken.
Dodge the highlights
Switch to the Dodge tool and set Range to Highlights and Exposure to 10% before painting with the tool over the lighter parts of the face. Continue working over the face (especially the eyes) with the Dodge and Burn tools to emphasise detail. Use the ] and [ keys to resize your brush tip as you go.
Switch to the Dodge tool and set Range to Highlights and Exposure to 10% before painting with the tool over the lighter parts of the face. Continue working over the face (especially the eyes) with the Dodge and Burn tools to emphasise detail. Use the ] and [ keys to resize your brush tip as you go.
6.
steps 13-14
Emphasise the folds
Use the Dodge and Burn tools to add depth to the clothes by darkening the folds and brightening the highlights. You can hold Shift while using one tool to switch to the other. Click on the Lab channel to return to the color version if you want to check the results of your work.
Use the Dodge and Burn tools to add depth to the clothes by darkening the folds and brightening the highlights. You can hold Shift while using one tool to switch to the other. Click on the Lab channel to return to the color version if you want to check the results of your work.
Apply sharpening
The Lightness channel can also be useful for sharpening, as you can sharpen the blacks and whites without sharpening color pixels. Make sure that Lightness is highlighted, then go to Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask. Set Amount to 84, Radius to 1.2 and Threshold to 2, then hit OK.
The Lightness channel can also be useful for sharpening, as you can sharpen the blacks and whites without sharpening color pixels. Make sure that Lightness is highlighted, then go to Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask. Set Amount to 84, Radius to 1.2 and Threshold to 2, then hit OK.
7.
steps 15-16
Tone down face
The colors are too intense over the face and buildings, but you can paint with black on the Layer Mask of the Levels layer to tone them down. Highlight the Levels Mask thumbnail, grab the Brush tool, choose a soft-edged brush tip, hit 3 for 30% opacity then paint with black to tone down the color.
The colors are too intense over the face and buildings, but you can paint with black on the Layer Mask of the Levels layer to tone them down. Highlight the Levels Mask thumbnail, grab the Brush tool, choose a soft-edged brush tip, hit 3 for 30% opacity then paint with black to tone down the color.
Save the Smart Object
Highlight the Lab channel, then click the X to close the image, selecting Yes when asked if you want to save. In your original document, click the Eye icon to toggle the visibility of the Smart Object layer on and off. If any areas look a little too strong, you can use another mask to tone them down.
Highlight the Lab channel, then click the X to close the image, selecting Yes when asked if you want to save. In your original document, click the Eye icon to toggle the visibility of the Smart Object layer on and off. If any areas look a little too strong, you can use another mask to tone them down.
8.
steps 17-18
Mask the layer
Highlight the Lab Color Copy layer, then click the Add Layer Mask icon in the Layers palette. Once again, grab the Brush tool, choose a soft-edged brush tip, set color to black and the Opacity to 30%, then paint over the building to gradually hide the layer and tone down the tonal change.
Highlight the Lab Color Copy layer, then click the Add Layer Mask icon in the Layers palette. Once again, grab the Brush tool, choose a soft-edged brush tip, set color to black and the Opacity to 30%, then paint over the building to gradually hide the layer and tone down the tonal change.
Finishing touches
Click the Create Adjustment Layer icon in the Layers palette and choose Curves. Make two points along the curve, one dragged down in the lower half and another dragged up in the top half to boost contrast. Click the Blending Mode drop-down. Choose Luminosity so the colors don’t change.
Source:http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2013/08/04/photoshop-lab-color-how-to-retouch-images-for-a-professional-finish/9/
Click the Create Adjustment Layer icon in the Layers palette and choose Curves. Make two points along the curve, one dragged down in the lower half and another dragged up in the top half to boost contrast. Click the Blending Mode drop-down. Choose Luminosity so the colors don’t change.
Source:http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2013/08/04/photoshop-lab-color-how-to-retouch-images-for-a-professional-finish/9/
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