Chapter 4. Understanding Colors, Histograms, Levels, and Curves
IN THIS CHAPTER
Understanding color and how Photoshop uses it
Understanding how to use histograms to analyze colors
Using the Curves tool to adjust tones
Selecting a color mode for an image
Selecting colors in Photoshop
Color is the basic element for everything that you do with images. The purpose of this chapter is to help you understand how Photoshop perceives color so you can use the tools in subsequent chapters more effectively.
Photoshop provides some very powerful tools to analyze, adjust, and select colors in your images. This chapter discusses using the histogram to understand the color composition in an image. Understanding the histogram is a basic necessity to make the most out of tools such as the Levels and Curves adjustments.
Another important aspect of this chapter is discussing the color modes provided in Photoshop and how to select colors based on those color modes. The color modes give you an insight into how Photoshop perceives color and consequently how to make the most out of the editing tools provided.
Color Basics
Color is the basic element of all images. The purpose of this section is to discuss the nature of color in relation to the human eye to give you a good foundation to work from. Understanding color helps you make better adjustments and corrections to your images. Also, because Photoshop gives you the option of working in several different color models, understanding color helps you choose the best ...
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