Photoshop® CS3 Channels and Masks Bible

Chapter 5. Adjusting Color

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Understanding adjustment dynamics

• Using the auto adjustments Working with levels

• Adjusting curves

• Balancing color

• Remapping color

• Creating adjustment layers

Pick up a copy of any glossy, commercially published magazine and notice that the images on the cover and within are always bright, crisp, and clear. In fact, a picture rarely appears in a commercial publication that is not, well. . .picture perfect. Tonality, color, contrast, and focus are always at their best, and the images pop off the page.

Virtually every photograph that finds its way into commercial print media whether it is scanned, copied from a Photo CD, captured with a digital camera, or downloaded from the Web has been processed and adjusted to improve its appearance.

Images need color adjustments for several reasons. Image contrast could be too low. Areas can be over or under exposed. The focus might be soft. Color can be flat or inaccurate. Photographic techniques, such as lighting, exposure, shutter speed, or depth of field can cause color aberrations in images. Image capture devices such as scanners and digital cameras can also contribute to the changes in color and tonality. Most commonly, the conversion from one color mode to another can also be responsible for color distortion.

This chapter is about the tools and commands in Photoshop that are best suited to correcting and improving the color. It reveals methods for recognizing color deficiencies beyond what you see on the screen ...