DPC Mentorship - Digital Color - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

08/03/2005 07:49:48 PM · #101

Lesson #2 B:

Another try at the cool/warm lesson. I think the cool one worked better. Perhaps the color range was too limited to get a good warm image, everything just turned pink buildings and all. Perhaps the Levels, Curves, and Color Balance tools aren't quite enough to get the effect I wanted. I want the sunset to look like dusk (cool) but I want the neon star to be very yellow (warm).

DustDevil

Canon EOS-70D

08/03/2005 08:52:52 PM · #102

Here is a picture I took a about 8 days ago of some toads/frogs we captured. They are about the size of a dime.

The edited version I made a "cool gray" tritone. The adjusted the levels on each color. Also levels on the final peice and tried a little dodge and burning.

08/03/2005 09:01:49 PM · #103

Lesson #3A

Selective Color Tool - I can't get my mind around what this does. It doesnt make sense. I am an scientist not an artist. I need to know what is happening and I don't. Anyways I managed to make this drive look like I wanted it to, but the concept still eludes me.

This is what I learned:
1. I don't get it
2. playing with selective color is waaay frustrating
3. Cool stuff does happen
4. I wont give up, I think I need to start slow - maybe just play with blacks for a while, then what? whites, then colors?

Nick offered the following advice:
Selective color is all about modyfing one color group at a time. It gives you control of 6 color channels (red, yellow, green, cyan, blue, magenta) and 3 tonal channels (white, grey, black). The easiest way to see what it does is to make an image where you fill half of it with yellow and the other half with blue. Then go to selective color, then into the yellow channel and for the most pronounced results decrease the yellow slider. Depending on the shade of blue you choose the blue should remain relatively unaffected. Now try playing with the cyan control in the blue channels. And in the cyan channel as well.
Take a look at Heida's use of selective color in this thread //www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=250772 (6th post from the top)

Message edited by author 2005-08-03 21:03:39.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

08/03/2005 09:05:09 PM · #104

Lesson #3B

I am working on selective color, slowly, blindly. This time I used only the Blacks, Whites, Neutrals. Clearly it makes a big difference. Clearly, also, it is not something you learn to do overnight.

This is what I learned:
1. Damn, this is hard.

Message edited by author 2005-08-05 22:07:07.

brianlh

Canon EOS-450D Rebel XSi

08/05/2005 03:07:05 PM · #105

Finished my duotone thing, but I'm not sure if my conversion was very effective. Let me know what you guys think.

The first is the original.. can you tell I did an extraordinary amount of editing to get to the next version? I don't remember everything, since I just kind of kept doing stuff until I liked it.. but I had a Curves layer for the whole image, another curves layer applied only to the sign, a dodge/burn layer to darken everything but the sign and person... painted over some distracting elements above the sign (though the curves darkened it pretty well and only left a few things to remove).. and then ran an action over the whole thing to get a bit more of that glowing feel to it.

Message edited by author 2005-08-05 15:17:48.

08/05/2005 10:09:29 PM · #106

Lesson #3C

Selective Color - I did somemthing with the reds that made the background pinker, then something with the magentas that make the foreground flowers lighter. Something with the blacks that increased the contrast, whites didnt do anything at all. Then levels to make it lighter overall.

This I learned:
1. I LIKE selective color, SamIam.
2. I will use it.
3. But I still feel like I am stumbling in the dark.

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM

08/05/2005 10:15:07 PM · #107

Lesson #4 - Dodge and Burn

I converted this to black and white first (it didnt have much color anyways) and then worked on it with Levels and the Burn/Dodge tool. I have years and years of wet sink experience with burning and dodging the old fashioned way so I understand the concept. But my work has all been scientific, not artistic so this is all new in a way. It's not as easy as Heida makes it look.

This is what I learned:
1. go slowly, very very slowly/
2. work on a duplicate layer so you can occasionally go back to the original to see where the clouds used to be.
3. if you dont like it, back up to where you went wrong
4. It's not as easy as Heida makes it look.

oOWonderBreadOo

Canon EOS-5D

08/06/2005 12:59:10 AM · #108

Ok here is my tritone attempt... I was really trying to go for a wood tone but I don't know- it looked good in Photoshop but now when I toggle between her original very pink body the image looks more green than i had thought.

BTW Ellen- I felt the same way about selective color, I think it just takes some getting used to until you know it well. It was like feeling around in the dark and I looked all over the web & found no tutorials that said much more than mess around with it until you get what you like! But it really is usefull once you get the hang of it... :0)

DustDevil

Canon EOS-70D

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

08/08/2005 12:32:53 PM · #109

Here are my B/W conversion the long method.

I actually really like this way. I did noticed when I switched between the colored and desturated layers thats the color version was out of whack but looked great in b/w. Is that normal?

Took these on Saturday at a place near me called "angel peak". Never been but I did find it to be a nice place.

DustDevil

Canon EOS-70D

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

08/08/2005 04:50:04 PM · #110

I think I am going to take some time off for a few days. Will try to keep updated so I dont miss anything. If more room is needed you can remove me from the list.

nico_blue

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM

08/08/2005 09:16:39 PM · #111

Originally posted by DustDevil:

I noticed when I switched between the colored and desturated layers thats the color version was out of whack but looked great in b/w. Is that normal?

If one of your hue/sat layers was still active then it would show the result of adjusting each individual channel. In black and white it would all look b/w with variations in tones, i think what you were seeing was how those tones translated back into colors.

Your b/w edit looks very nice.

Enjoy your timeoff, your spot in the group is safe and secure.

oOWonderBreadOo

Canon EOS-5D

08/09/2005 07:54:01 PM · #112

okay so here they are- I know you asked for only the way the tutorial did it but I was trying to get the blanket less bright so in the last version I added a selective color adjustment layer and it worked pretty well, just thought I'd give you guys a look...

original> greyscale only> color adj.> selective color adj.

By the way, I wanted to apologize for having a lapse in commenting. I just finished my taxes UGH! So I will try and catch up his week. :0)

sheapod

Canon EOS-20D

08/09/2005 10:01:40 PM · #113

Lesson 6
Here's my attempt.
First thing I learned: this is pretty difficult. Even little adjustments make a difference and it's hard for me to know how much to adjust, especially when I tried to adjust each color channel individually. I guess that comes with time...I hope so anyway. I read the tutorial and followed it closely. It really does seem like the hard way, but the added control might make it worth it. Assuming I ever learn what I'm doing that is. lol
In the tutorial it said you could either do a second hue/sat layer or a channel mixer layer. I decided to try both once I saw how dark the photo looked with the second hue/sat layer. The original itself was pretty dark, so it probably wasn't the best choice of photos to begin with, but it wasn't until recently that I began to save my originals so I didn't have a lot to choose from.
original, hue/sat, channel mixer

I had more luck keeping the whites white with the channel mixer layer but I'm not happy with the contrast on either one. They both seem to be lacking something.
Thanks Nick, this was a good lesson. I've got a lot to learn. I think I'll be practicing this quite frequently until I get the hang of it.
-Laura

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

08/10/2005 12:07:40 AM · #114

My long b&w conversions

I also liked this way. But, I don't think I would use it every time. I actually tried to use this method on another photo (a challenge entry) but I did not like how it turned out. So I think that this method may work better on some pics than others.

brianlh

Canon EOS-450D Rebel XSi

08/11/2005 04:03:18 PM · #115

Sorry that it's a couple days late - I have been busy with helping my girlfriend move into her new apt and a few other things. I did it just now and really liked the flexibility it provided. I found that I could easily change the emphasis from the artist to the graffiti itself by a couple simple hue adjustments. Somehow I still preferred the Channel Mixer version I prepared after I finished the assignment. Perhaps as I learn to use the Hue/Sat better, it'll work out better.

Color | Grayscale only | Channel Mixer only | Hue/Sat only

Message edited by author 2005-08-11 16:03:42.

08/11/2005 05:02:17 PM · #116

Brianlh - I actually like best the one where you did hue/saturation to make the changes. I think the channel mixer one runs a close second. Good job.

nico_blue

08/12/2005 01:09:32 AM · #117

Good job everyone so far! Lesson 7 is posted, its a free study and Im looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with.

gaurawa

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

08/12/2005 02:08:23 AM · #118

I think this is my first post on this thread. I wanted to spend more time, but wasn't lucky. I had read the first 2 lessons and got too busy after that. I will try to go through all the lessons and well post my assignment#7 as soon I am through the lessons.

gaurawa

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

08/15/2005 02:01:24 AM · #119

so this is my attempt at assignment #7. Let me know if I am mistaken..
Original

Edited

Taken at ISO800 as the light was too low, so had to use neatimage to get ride of some noise other processing steps
- Select background, darken
- Select background, desaturate a little
- Dodge some parts of background which stand out too dark
- Select foreground and increase saturation
- Burn red, on her pants, dodge skin
- Saturate lips, dodge teeth
- saturate hat
- dodge face, and burn around eyes to add contrast
- USM, 10, 100,0 for a very contrasty feeling on a different layer, adjust opacity

will post a b/w version soon...

brianlh

Canon EOS-450D Rebel XSi

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

08/15/2005 01:12:02 PM · #120

Nice one Gaurawa, I'll comment later when I have some more time (my time is running out on the parking meters at school right now).

Just wanted to give an update for everyone: I'm in my new apartment right now, but look to be without internet for a few days or possibly a week. I've been unpacking and buying new things for the place, but if I find time to work on a photo I'll try to submit it through the computers at school. Otherwise, my posting might be late. I'll look forward to part 2 of the workshop as well. As for specific topics, I think I'd like to perhaps learn of any special looks (ie: aged film, etc - although I do like spectacular colors and wonderful sharpness, there are also times where these seem to detract.. there are other examples that maybe i'll think of later on) and how to achieve them, or perhaps learn more about blending modes.. or any other creative/unique ways to work with colors and whatnot (of course).

Gotta run, meter's almost out!

08/15/2005 03:55:04 PM · #121

Wow, this was a difficult assignment! With free studies I always have trouble knowing what to do. After a few ideas, I finally came up with this. Basically, another attempt to get that grass looking respectable.

Original -

Full color -

As far as suggestions for future topics, I have the following ideas: how to maximize the effects of color when using tone on tone such as the white on white challenge, more on the use of layers in manipulating color and this dragonian (spelling?) effect that is becoming popular (I think that is what it is called - I am referring to processing being used by Joey and Heidi). If these are two different processes that I would be interested in both.

Message edited by author 2005-08-16 16:34:25.

sheapod

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM

08/15/2005 04:48:53 PM · #122

Lesson 7 - Free Study

original edited

Levels and curves to darken and add contrast. Selective color to lighten the green a bit by dropping down the black. Hue/sat to boost the color of the bird. Burned to tone down the bright spots where the sun was peaking through the trees. Dodged the bill to brighten it some. Cloned out some spots and applied USM. I know the edited version seems a little dark, but I didn't like the lighter version as much. The white on the bird's neck was blown out. Also cropped to get rid of the blown out section above the bird's head on the left.

Future topic suggestions: gradients, filters, layers, masks. I have a particulary hard time with masks and gradients. -- how to use and when to use. I also have no idea how to use the replace color adjustment.
I agree with Brian and Jeileen's ideas as well.
- Laura

Message edited by author 2005-08-15 16:49:58.

oOWonderBreadOo

Canon EOS-5D

08/15/2005 09:07:25 PM · #123

I think I went a little crazy on the vertical but you guys can let me know! :0)

I don't know how much channel mixer is used but I'd like to check that out as well as what the others are saying. Also is there is any in camera techniques I'd love that too!

nico_blue

08/17/2005 03:55:46 PM · #124

Hey guys, as usual the next assignment is going to be a few days late :-)

But heres the great news... none other than our very own resident DPC progidy, Joey Lawrence is going to guest mentor lesson 8. He will post sometime in the next few days with a tutorial on achieving the grung-ish joey look.

Thanks Joey!