Photshop tutorial 1

Color Correction 1-2-3

STEP 1: Open Image

File --> Open (Ctrl-O) Open your image

STEP 2: Set up your tools

Choose the Eye Dropper Tool (I) from the Toolbox. In the Options Bar, make sure your sample size is either 3x3 or 5x5.

STEP 3: Set up you Curves dialog box

Ctrl-M (Image--> Adjustments --> Curves) Too open up the Curves dialog box.

Now we need to set our values.

First double-click on the left eyedropper in the dialog box to set our black point. This will bring up your Color dialog box.

In the Color dialog box, set your R, G and B values to 10. Click OK.

Now double-click on the right eyedropper in the dialog box to set our white point.

This time set the RGB values to 245. Click OK.

Now we need to do the same thing with the middle eyedropper, setting our RGB values to 133 this time, and click OK.

When the ‘Save the new target colors as defaults’ dialog opens, click Yes.

STEP 4: Find our Highlight, Shadow and Mid-tone values

Click on the Create New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette.

Choose Threshold from the pop-up menu.

With the Threshold dialog box open, slide the slider all the way to the left. Then start sliding it back to the right until you start seeing black. These are the darkest points on our image.

Holding down the Shift key, click in the dark area. This will set our black point (#1).

To set our white point, drag the slider all the way to the right. Then bring it back a bit until you start to see some white. Holding down the Shift key, click in the white area. This will set our white point (#2).

Click Cancel. We no longer need the adjustment layer

The real trick has always been to find the neutral gray, but don’t worry. I have any easy way for doing this too.

Create a new layer by clicking on the ‘Create a new layer’ button on the bottom of the layers palette.

With the new layer active hit Shift-F5 (Edit---> Fill) to bring up the Fill dialog box. Set ‘Use’ to 50% Gray, ‘Blending’ to Normal and ‘Opacity’ to 100%. Click OK.

With the new layer active, we need to change the blend mode to Difference.

Once again create a Threshold adjustment layer.

Click on the Create New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette.

Choose Threshold from the pop-up menu.

With the Threshold dialog box open, slide the slider all the way to the left. Then start sliding it back to the right until you start seeing black. These are the mid-tone points on our image. Holding down the Shift key, click in the dark area. This will set our mid-tone point (#3). Click Cancel. Now that our mid-tone point is set, we can trash-can our 50% gray layer.

STEP 5: Add a Curves Adjustment Layer

Click on the Create New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette.

Choose Curves from the pop-up menu.

With your Curves dialog box open, click on the left (black) eyedropper. You should still have the eyedropper tool open. With Caps Lock on (to create an easy to see ‘target’), hover over point #1, and click. Select the right (white) eyedropper in the Curves dialog box, hover over point #2, and click. Repeat with the mid-tone eyedropper. Click OK.

That’s it. You can click on the ‘eye’ symbol next to the Curves adjustment layer to toggle it on and off to see the difference.