adjust tonal range and correct color with photoshop elements · and adjustment layers to correct...

Adjust Tonal Range and Correct

Color with Photoshop Elements

The vast majority of problems from whichdigital photographs suffer fall into twocategories: tonal range and color. Suchinterrelated problems include not havingenough contrast, having too little detail ineither the shadow areas or the highlight areas,dull colors, or colors that are simply notcorrect. Whether the problems result from badlighting, incorrect camera settings, or poorexposure, you can often improve your imageswith Photoshop Elements.

Photoshop Elements offers an array of featuresthat you can use to adjust your digital images.By far, the most popular tool for makingcorrections is Levels. Levels enables you tofine-tune the dark, midtone, and light pixels inan image and view the results immediately.You can use the Levels dialog box to fix bothtonal range and color problems.

You can also apply a variety of specific filtersto lighten, darken, and blend layers in animage. You can apply lighting commands suchas Shadows/Highlights or use layer blendmodes such as Multiply or Screen to improvethe appearance of a photo.

When deciding how to fix a tonal range orcolor problem, start by duplicating theBackground layer. Adding layers enables you toexperiment with various features and editingtechniques without making permanent changesto the original image. You can even useadjustment layers that will enable you to goback and make adjustments to settings youmade earlier in the editing process withoutsuffering any image degradation.

10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM 40

Check Exposure with the Histogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Check for Color Casts with the Info Palette. . . . . . . . . . 143

Fix Under- and Overexposed Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Understanding Contrast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Improve Image Contrast by Setting Black and White Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Improve Image Contrast with a Levels Layer. . . . . . . . . 150

Reveal Highlight Detail with the Shadows/HighlightsCommand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Reveal Shadow Detail with the Shadows/Highlights Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Lighten or Darken a Selected Portion of an Image . . . . 154

Remove a Color Cast with the Color Cast Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Adjust Color with a Hue/Saturation Layer . . . . . . . . . . . 158

10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM Page 141

142

CHECK EXPOSURE with the histogram

Before you begin making edits, you should firstexamine your photo carefully and determine anoverall editing strategy. One of the first things tocheck is the tonal range using Levels.

The Levels dialog box gives you a good graphicalrepresentation, called a histogram, of how well orhow poorly your image was exposed. The histogramplots out the light and dark pixels in an image interms of their brightness level. It also shows youhow much contrast the image has, displaying how

many pixels are in each of 256tonal ranges. The more intense thegrouping of pixels in an image, thetaller the histogram reading for that particular tonalarea of the image. For example, a histogram showinga large reading of dark pixels may need adjustmentsin tone or contrast to correct the image.

As you examine the histogram shown in the Levelsdialog box, be aware that there is no such thing asa perfect histogram.

44 66

11

VIEW RGB LEVELS

1 Click Enhance.

2 Click Adjust Lighting.

3 Click Levels.

The Levels dialog box opens anddisplays the tonal range for allthree RGB channels by default.

l This histogram indicates that theimage is dark without pureblacks and without any lighttones.

VIEW A COLOR LEVEL

4 Click here and select a colorchannel.

The Levels dialog box displaysthe selected channel tonalrange.

5 Note approximately where themain tonal range begins andends.

l You can adjust the tonal rangeby dragging the tonal markersfor each color channel.

6 Click OK.

Elements applies your changes.

10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM Page 142

CHECK FOR COLOR CASTS with the Info palettePhotoshop Elements includes a handy tool called theInfo palette that you can use to evaluate the colorvalues in a digital image. The Info palette enablesyou to check different pixels in an image to compareRed, Green, and Blue channel values. One of thebest uses of this tool is to compare the color casts oftwo photos, such as an edited photo and an originalphoto. For example, you may check how your editsaffect skin tone color from one photo to the other, or

you may check how much of a color boost occurs ina particular area of the photo after applying a filter.

As you move the mouse pointer over an image, theInfo palette displays the numeric values for colorsthat appear beneath the pointer at any given spot onthe photo. By default, the Info palette uses RGBmode to read a photo. You can also view Grayscale,Web, and HSB color values.

Chapter 8 143

44

4433

22

55

1 Display the Info palette.

l You can display the Info paletteby clicking Window ➪ Info.

2 Click View ➪ Actual Pixels tozoom to 100%.

3 Click the Hand tool and movethe image to where you can seean area that should be white orneutral gray.

4 Click the Eyedropper tool andmove the mouse pointer overthe image where you want itwhite or gray.

5 Read the RGB values in the Infopalette.

This image has a blue castbecause the Blue value is muchhigher (242) than the Red (234)or Green (237) values.

10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM Page 143

ADJUST UNDEREXPOSURE

This photo of a seaside buildingappears a bit underexposed.

1 Create a copy of the Backgroundlayer in the Layers palette.

Note: You can create a quicklayer copy by selecting Layer ➪Duplicate Layer and clicking OK.

2 Click here and select the Screenmode.

Fix

UNDER- AND OVEREXPOSEDPHOTOSOne of the most common problems with photos isthat they are either underexposed or overexposed.Although this is often a subjective determination,you can quickly lighten or darken an image bytinkering with a few of the layer blending modesavailable in Photoshop Elements. Blending modesenable you to change the way pixels mix betweentwo layers of an image. For example, the Screenblending mode, when applied to an underexposedphoto, always makes the image colors appear lighter.The Screen blending mode examines each channel’s

color and multiplies the inverse of the blend layerand the base layer.

The Multiply blending mode makes the image colorsdarken, which is ideal for overexposed photos. TheMultiply blending mode examines each channel’scolor values and multiplies the base color by theblend layer color. You also use the Multiply blendingmode to intensify image colors.

With either blending mode, you can fine-tune theexposure lighting by adjusting the layer’s Opacitysetting.

11

22Screen

Background copy

Elements immediately lightensthe image.

l To make the blending effectmore subtle, click and drag theOpacity slider to adjust exposurebrightness.

Elements reduces theunderexposure by lighteningthe image.

144

10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM Page 144

ADJUST OVEREXPOSURE

This photo of asnowscape appearsa bit overexposed.

1 Create a copy of theBackground layer.

Note: You can createa quick layer copyby selecting Layer ➪Duplicate Layer andclicking OK.

2 Click here and selectthe Multiply mode.

11Background copy

22

Did You Know?Although you may be tempted to apply the Brightnessand Contrast feature in Elements to correct exposureand contrast problems, this feature does not correctoverly light or dark images. Instead, it either raises thebrightness values in an image to make all the pixelsbrighter or lowers the values to make all the pixelsdarker. For most photos, you do not need to adjustall the pixels, just the ones affected by the exposureproblem. For best results, use the blending modesand adjustment layers to correct exposure problems.

Elements immediately darkens the image.

l To make the blending effect more subtle,you can click and drag the Opacity sliderto adjust the exposure brightness.

Elements reduces the overexposure bydarkening the snowscape.

Chapter 8: Adjust Tonal Range and Correct Color with Photoshop Elements 145

10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM Page 145

In this photo, the lack ofcontrast results in a soft, almostblurred look to the trees.

Understanding

CONTRASTA good technique for improving many digitalphotographs is to look for ways to enhance thecontrast in the images. By definition, contrast is thedifference between the darkest and lightest areas ina photo — the greater the difference, the higherthe contrast. Photos with low contrast can appear abit muddy or blurred, without any clear distinctionsbetween details in the images.

Contrast in black-and-white photos works a bitdifferently than contrast in color photos. Grayscaleimages display contrast in terms of brightness levels,

or luminosity. Color images also have luminosity, butit shows up in color hue and saturation.

It is often amazing how a few tweaks of an image’shue and saturation levels can enhance contrast.Photoshop Elements includes several useful tools foradjusting image contrast, one of the best being theLevels dialog box. To open the Levels dialog box,click Enhance ➪ Adjust Lighting ➪ Levels. By makinga few adjustments to the shadows, midtones, andhighlights in a photo, you can quickly achievecontrast that was previously lacking.

l In this example, the contrast isenhanced slightly by intensifyingthe highlights by sliding thisslider to the left.

146

10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM Page 146

l Next, the shadows areintensified to createclearer contrastbetween the light anddark areas by slidingthis slider to the right.

Did You Know?Learning to read the histogram, thegraphical diagram in the Levels dialogbox, is a great way to understandcontrast issues in your photos. Thehistogram displays the tonal range ofvalues in your image and shows youexactly where shadows, midtones, andhighlights are at the strongest orweakest in the image. See Task #72for more information.

Did You Know?Sharpening filters can also help to improvethe appearance of contrast in your photos.The most popular filter for sharpeningimages in Photoshop Elements is UnsharpMask. Using this filter takes a bit ofexperimentation using the three availablecontrols. To apply the filter, click Filter ➪Sharpen ➪ Unsharp Mask. This opens theUnsharp Mask dialog box, in which youcan make and preview adjustments.

l The midtone slider can also be used toadjust contrast by clicking here anddragging toward the left or right.

Note the levels of intensities throughoutthe tonal range.


10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM Page 147

This photo lacks contrast andtonal range, with no clear whiteand dark pixels in the image.

1 Click Enhance.


3 Click Levels.

The Levels dialog box opens.

IMPROVE IMAGE CONTRAST by setting black and white points

You can use the Levels dialog box to specify blackand white points within a photo. Targeting thedarkest and brightest pixels in an image can help yourestore image detail, tonal range, and contrast. Afterspecifying new black and white points in an image,the full tonal range stretches out between the twosettings to increase contrast. The result is often adramatically improved image.

For example, when you target a white area in aphoto, Photoshop Elements remaps and redefines thetonal information throughout the image, changing a

dingy image into one with clearer white and blackareas. All the other pixel values in the image alsoadjust in proportion to the new highlight values.

The eyedropper tools help you target colors forhighlights, shadows, and neutral grays. Because thetools target color changes, they work best for colorcorrection problems rather than exposure problems.The key to setting black and white points is firstidentifying representative shadows and highlights inyour image.

44

11

4 Click the Set White Pointeyedropper.

148

10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM Page 148

5 Click the whitest areain the image.

Photoshop Elementsimmediately establishesa new white point andadjusts other lighterpixels accordingly.

55

66

77

Caution!Be careful where you click the Levels eyedropper tools. Ifyou click the Set White Point eyedropper over an area thatis not representative of white in your photo, for example,other lighter tones in the image are affected and maybecome overly whitened. This may result in a loss ofdetail in your image and an excessively contrasty image.The same problem can occur if you click an area that isnot truly black with the Set Black Point eyedropper.Picking the wrong areas when setting the black and whitepoints can result in strange and inaccurate colors.

Did You Know?You can use the Set Gray Point eyedropper in the Levelsdialog box to assign neutral gray colors in an image. Thiseyedropper is not available for grayscale images.

6 Click the Set Black Point eyedropper.

7 Click the blackest or darkest area in theimage.

Elements immediately sets the new blackpoint and adjusts the other darker pixelsaccordingly.

The photo now displays tonal range andimproved contrast.


10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM Page 149

This photo appears a bit dulland lacking in contrast.

1 Display the Layers palette.

Note: You can activate the Layerspalette from the palette well orclick Window ➪ Layers.

2 Click here and select Levels.

IMPROVE IMAGE CONTRAST with a Levels layer

You can create a Levels adjustment layer to improvethe contrast in an image. You can use adjustmentlayers in Photoshop Elements to make changes to aphoto without altering the underlying original image.With adjustment layers, you can apply all kinds ofchanges to color, tonal range, and contrast to a copyof the original image layer. The original imageremains intact. After you are happy with youradjustments, you can flatten the image and applythe changes to the actual image layer. If you do

not like the changes, you can simply discard theLevels adjustment layer. To learn more aboutcreating adjustment layers, see Task #66.

A Levels adjustment layer is directly connected to theLevels dialog box. As such, you can easily summonthe Levels dialog box at any time to make changes tothe shadows, midtones, and highlights of an image.The Input sliders in the dialog box enable you toremap black and white points in your image to makeimprovements to the image’s overall contrast.

22

33

22

Levels...

Elements adds a new adjustmentlayer to the Layers palette, andthe Levels dialog box opens.

3 Drag the Input Levels highlightslider to just inside of where thelightest image informationbegins.

The pixels in the highlightsimmediately lighten.

150

10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM Page 150

4 Drag the Input Levelsshadow slider to theright a small amount.

The pixels in theshadow areasimmediately darken.

5 Click OK.44

55

Did You Know?To keep your edits organized, considernaming any new adjustment layers thatyou add to the Layers palette. Forexample, if you use a Levels adjustmentlayer to correct contrast problems, namethe layer “Contrast” to remind you of thepurpose of the layer. To name a layer,double-click the default layer name in theLayers palette and type a new name. PressEnter, and Elements saves the new name.

Did You Know?You can apply an adjustment layer topart of your image instead of the entireimage. To do so, make a selectionwith a selection tool before creatingthe adjustment layer.

Elements applies the changes made in theadjustment layer, and the photo’s contrastimproves.

l To return to the Levels dialog box atany time for more adjustments, simplydouble-click the Levels thumbnail.

l To switch between the before and afterimage, click the eye icon to turn on oroff the visibility of the adjustment layer.


10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM Page 151

152

REVEAL HIGHLIGHT DETAIL with the Shadows/Highlights command

If your photo suffers from an overexposedbackground, such as a sky that is brighter thanthe subject matter, you can make corrections usingthe Shadows/Highlights command. This commandenables you to reduce the brightness from thesun or other reflective light sources and to bringout background details. For example, reducing thebrightness of the sky in some photos can revealdetails in clouds.

The Shadows/Highlights filter works by darkeningoverexposed areas in an image. Tonal variations forthis filter are measured in values that range from

0 to 100. The larger the valuesetting number, the darker theimage’s background appears.

If you prefer to keep the foreground or subjectmatter unaffected by the filter, select it and copyit to another layer in the Layers palette beforeapplying this technique to the layer containing theoverexposed background.

To precisely fix exposure problems, you can use theLevels dialog box to fine-tune the shadows,midtones, and highlights.

33

11Enhance

Adjust Lighting Shadows/Highlights...

55

22

44

1 Click Enhance.


3 Click Shadows/Highlights.

The Shadows/Highlights dialogbox opens.

4 Click and drag the DarkenHighlights slider to bring out thecloud detail in the sky.

5 Click OK.

Photoshop Elements applies youradjustments.

10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM Page 152

REVEAL SHADOW DETAIL with the Shadows/Highlights commandYou can use the Shadows/Highlights filter inPhotoshop Elements to lighten the shadows in aphoto. Pictures that you take in bright light oftenproduce very dark shadows in the foregroundobjects, resulting in very little detail. For example,if you take a picture of someone against a brightbackground, the person’s face often turns into asilhouette with shadows obscuring the details of hisface. Using the Shadows/Highlights filter, you can

bring out the shadow details andenhance the overall imageappearance.

With the Shadows/Highlights command, you cancreate the illusion of a fill flash, which professionalphotographers use to fill in light for darker lightingconditions. You can use this command to adjustphotos that suffer from poor foreground lighting.

Chapter 8 153

33

11Enhance

Adjust Lighting Shadows/Highlights...

55

22

44

In this photo, a lot of details onthe plane are lost in theshadows.

1 Click Enhance.


3 Click Shadows/Highlights.

The Shadows/Highlights dialogbox opens.

4 Click and drag the LightenShadows slider to increase theshadow lighting.

5 Click OK.

The plane’s details now appearmore clearly.

10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM Page 153

1 Use a selection tool to select thearea or portion of the photo thatyou want to edit.

2 Set Feather to 5px to make asoft edge selection.

LIGHTEN OR DARKEN a selected portion of an image

In some cases, only certain areas of your photomay need lightening or darkening to improve thephoto’s appearance. Perhaps only a portion ofsomeone’s face needs lightening or a specifichighlight needs toning down. You can select anarea of your photo to edit in Photoshop Elementsand then make adjustments to the shadows,midtones, and highlights using the Levels dialogbox. The remaining portions of the image are notaffected by any changes that you apply.

Depending on the level of detail in your photo, youmay find selecting a specific portion of the image foredits time-consuming. Photoshop Elements offers avariety of selection tools to assist you. To learn moreabout using the selection tools in the toolbox, seeTask #64.

For the best results, make a copy of the backgroundor other layer that you want to edit, and then makeyour changes to the layer copy. This leaves theoriginal photo layer intact in case you do not like theresults of your changes.

55

33Enhance

Adjust Lighting

Levels Ctrl+L

44

11

22

3 Click Enhance.


5 Click Levels.

154

10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM 4

The Levels dialog boxopens.

6 Click and drag theshadows, midtones, orhighlights sliders tolighten or darken theselected portion of thephoto.

This example showsincreased contrast inthe foreground wallwhile the building andsky remain the same.

7 Click OK.

77

66

88

Did You Know?You can quickly create an inverse of a selectedarea in a photo to select the remaining portionof the image. To do so, click Select ➪ Inverse.

Did You Know?You can save yourself some time and effort bysaving your selections. For example, if youpainstakingly trace a detailed subject in a photo,you can save the selection to reuse again withother edits. To save a selection, click Select ➪ SaveSelection. The Save Selection dialog box opens.In this dialog box, type a name for the selectionand click OK. To reuse the selection again, clickSelect ➪ Load Selection and specify whichselection to apply.

Photoshop Elements applies yourchanges to the photo.

8 Click Select.

9 Click Deselect.

The selection marquee is removed.


10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM Page 155

REMOVE A BLUE COLOR CAST

In this example, the photo hasa bluish color cast.

1 Click Enhance.

2 Click Adjust Color.

3 Click Remove Color Cast.

The Remove Color Cast dialogbox appears.

REMOVE A COLOR CAST with the Color Cast command

One of the most common color problems from whichphotos can suffer is unwanted color cast. Thisproblem frequently occurs when shooting indoorscenes with improper ambient lighting using thewrong color balance setting on a digital camera. Theresult is often a photo with a displeasing tint. Youcan also introduce color cast problems by shooting incolored light, such as that found early in the morningor near sunset. In many cases, these color castsare favorable, and in other cases, they need to beremoved. Photoshop Elements includes several toolsfor eliminating color cast problems. This task focuses

on using the Remove Color Cast command to correctunwanted color casts.

The key to using the Remove Color Cast command isto apply it to areas of the image that should be gray,white, or black. Doing so causes Photoshop Elementsto change the overall mixture of colors in the imageto compensate for the improper color cast. PhotoshopElements checks the sampled area to which youapplied it and adds equal amounts of red, green, andblue. Elements also shifts the remaining colors tocreate a neutral state.

33

11Enhance

Adjust Color Remove Color Cast...

55

22

44

4 Click an area in the image thatshould be gray, white, or black.

Note: Clicking a white area inthe image produces a warmercolor cast.

5 Click OK.

Photoshop Elements removesthe blue color cast.

156

10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM Page 156

REMOVE A GREEN COLOR

CAST

In this photo, the greencolors in the leaves andferns give the image agreenish cast.

1 Perform the earliersteps 1 to 4.

11

22

Did You Know?Sometimes, you can use the Color Variations feature to correctsimple color cast problems — and to add a pleasant color cast suchas the warm glow that you often see near sunset. The ColorVariations feature enables you to adjust color balance, contrast, andsaturation. To use this feature, click Enhance ➪ Adjust Color ➪ ColorVariations. This opens the Color Variations dialog box. Next, click atonal range to apply adjustments to different tones in your image.To add a color or subtract a color, click one of the thumbnails. TheAfter preview area shows the results. You can continue clickingthe thumbnail to increase or decrease the adjustment.

2 Click OK.

Photoshop Elements applies the changesto the photo.


10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM Page 157

1 Display the Layers palette.

Note: You can activate the Layerspalette from the palette well, orclick Window ➪ Layers.

2 Click the Create AdjustmentLayer button in the Layerspalette and chooseHue/Saturation.

Note: See Task #66 to learn moreabout adjustment layers.

ADJUST COLOR with a Hue/Saturation layer

You can create a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer tomake adjustments to the colors in a photo. You usethe Hue/Saturation filter controls to change the hueof a photo, to increase or decrease color saturationthroughout the image, or to adjust the lightnessvalues of the colors. A Hue/Saturation adjustmentlayer is directly connected to the Hue/Saturationdialog box.

The Hue level control enables you to change colorsbased on Elements’s color wheel and set differentcolor hues. Moving the control’s slider represents a

move around the color wheel. The Saturation controlenables you to adjust the purity or intensity of thecolors. The Lightness control lets you set abrightness level for the colors.

You can choose to edit all the colors at once, or youcan edit preset color ranges, such as the yellow orgreen colors in a photo. The Master settingencompasses all the colors in a photo and appears bydefault in the Hue/Saturation dialog box. To edit aspecific color instead, you must first specify the colorbefore adjusting the slider controls.

22

22

Hue/Saturation...

33

Elements adds a new adjustmentlayer to the Layers palette, andthe Hue/Saturation dialog boxopens.

3 Click and drag a slider to adjustthe hue, saturation, or lightness.

In this example, the Hue sliderchanges the color of the image,particularly the leaves.

158

10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM Page 158

l In this example, thesaturation level isincreased to intensifythe colors.

44Master Ctrl+~

Did You Know?You can use the Levels dialog boxto intensify selected color channelsin an image. For example, if youwant to boost the colors in theRed channel only, you can specifythe channel first and then adjustthe shadows, midtones, andhighlights sliders. See Task #77to learn how to create a Levelsadjustment layer.

Did You Know?You can also use the Multiplyblending mode to strengthen colorsin a photo. Duplicate the layer thatyou want to adjust and then applythe Multiply blending mode byclicking the blending mode buttonin the Layers palette and selectingMultiply. You can then adjust thecolor intensity of the effect with theOpacity control.

l To edit specific colors in the image, clickhere and select a color.

4 Click OK.

Photoshop Elements applies the changesto the layer.


10_596160 ch08.qxd 6/22/05 8:48 PM Page 159

adjust tonal range and correct color with photoshop elements · and adjustment layers to correct...

Documents