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Exposure and Color Toning

Exposure, Color Toning, Special Effects, Sharpening

Your photograph, Is it a work of Art? Or is it a picture of reality?
Place your pointer on the photo below
Press and hold the (left) mouse button to see the "art" version...



You need to decide whether your photos are a work of Art, or it's just a photo

Exposure Controls
Photoshop Elements	PS CS2	PS CS3
The controls in PSE are NOT obscure, or confusing. They are straight forward using less technical terms...	Exposure: Darkens or lightens Highlights Offset: Darkening shadows and midtones Gamma: Sets luminence values	In CS3 "Exposure" is available as an adjustment layer! Menu Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Exposure...

Jpeg/TIFF Precision toning in Photoshop Elements and Photoshop
Okay, so you need to enhance .jpeg's or .Tiff photos	In PSE use Levels	Before After	In CS series use Curves
	The key is using layers to do "non destructive" editing by using adjustment layers		Here's a link that defines the layer pallet (pane's) parts Layers Defined
Step 1	Set Sampler eye dropper in the tool box to a 3 x 3 sample		Set Sampler eye dropper in the tool box to a 3 x 3 sample
Step 2	Duplicate the photograph's background layer to get a "background copy" layer and turn on the "info" pallet (Window/info)	PSE does not have a color picker tool like the Photoshop CS series... so that's why we need the (Window/info pallet in PSE) You'll also need a pencil and paper...	Duplicate layer to get a "background copy" layer
Step 3	In PSE Pop up the "levels" pallet...  The Keyboard shortcut: Windows(Control l) - Mac (Command l) That's an "L" for layers, does not create an adjustment layer.  We are doing this step to make sure the  R, G, B values for the black. grey and white eye dropper (sampler tools) are set properly...		In CS3 Pop up the "curves" pallet, the Key board short cut  is Windows(Control m)   mmm? Mac (Command m), Note: This does not create an adjustment layer.  We are doing this step to make sure the R, G, B values for the black. grey and white eye dropper (sampler tool) are set properly...
Step 4	Open each eye dropper, black, mid-grey and white by double clicking on them and set the following: Black: R = 10, G = 10, B = 10 White: R = 244, G = 244, B = 244 Grey: R = 133, G = 133, B = 133 Click Okay Save as the new default values	These settings prevent pooling of black  ink and bare white spots when using an ink jet printer... The Mid Gray values should help remove color cast and boost the colors a bit... Here are some on-line tutorials that explain "curves" Matt Greer Photography Cambridge Colour	Open each eye dropper, black, mid-grey and white by double clicking on them and set the following: Black: R = 10, G = 10, B = 10 White: R = 244, G = 244, B = 244 Grey: R = 133, G = 133, B = 133 Click Okay Save as the new default values
Note:	Since we want to do Non-destructive editing the menu choice is Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels... (As shown in the illustration on the right)  Or in the layer pallet use the button to select the adjustment layer  > you want to use...		Since we want to do Non-destructive editing the menu choice is Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves...  (As shown in the illustration on the right) Or in the layer pallet use the button to select the adjustment layer  > you want to use
Step 5 (Finding the black point)	In the layers pallet click on the black & white circle and choose "Threshold"		In the layers pallet click on the black & white circle and choose "Threshold"
Step 6	In the threshold dialogue box move the slider all the way to the left. Look for the darkest pixels in your photograph and mark them...		In the threshold dialogue box move the slider all the way to the left. Look for the darkest pixels in your photograph and mark them...
Step 7	In PSE use the "info" pallet to locate the co-ordinates of the darkest pixels and write down the values... Another useful keyboard short cut: Windows(Control + space bar) -- Mac (Command + space bar) the pointer turns into a zoom tool (Click and drag) Zoom back out to the fit the picture on the screen Also, holding down the Windows (Control key + space bar) Mac (Command key + space bar) and pressing the right mouse button pops up a zoom menu. Double clicking on the hand tool in the tool bar returns the zoomed screen to "fit" the page .		In Photoshop, use the color picker to set the blackest pixels: The caps lock key changes the eyedropper to a circle with cross hairs Caps Lock Key = Cross hair pointer (toggles back and forth) and the shift key changes the pointer to a color picker. Shift Key = Color Picker (also Toggles) Clicking on the darkest pixel sets a color marker (labeled #1) There are 4 color markers available at any one time Another useful keyboard short cut: Windows (Control + space bar) Mac (Command + Space bar) turns the pointer into a zoom tool Click and drag) Also, holding down the Control key + space bar and the right mouse button pops up a zoom menu.
Step 8 (Finding the white point)	Move the slider all the way to the right and repeat the procedure to find the whitest area of your photograph. Write down the coordinates		Move the slider all the way to the right and repeat the procedure to mark the whitest area of your photograph.
Step 9	Cancel/delete the threshold pallet.		Cancel/delete the threshold pallet.
Step 10	In the layers pallet double click on the "levels" dialogue window. Click on the black eye dropper and use the info pallet to locate the blackest pixels and click on them with the left mouse button. repeat for the whitest pixels... Click okay in the levels dialogue box		In the layers pallet double click on the "curves" dialogue window. Click on the black eye dropper, use the caps lock key to change the eyedropper into cross hairs, match with your picked color black and click the left mouse button. Do the same for the white eye dropper. Click okay in the Curves dialogue box
Step 11 Finding mid grey...	Make a new blank layer Go to Menu item Edit > Fill and choose 50% gray		Make a new blank layer Go to Menu item Edit > Fill and choose 50% gray
Step 12	In the layers pallet change the 50% gray layer "blend" mode  from Normal to Difference		In the layers pallet change the 50% gray layer  "blend" mode from Normal to Difference
Step 13	In the layers pallet click on the black & white circle and choose "Threshold"		In the layers pallet click on the black & white circle and choose "Threshold"
Step 14	Move the slider all the way to the left The remaining pixels are your mid grays. Use the info pallet to write down their location		Move the slider all the way to the left The remaining pixels are your mid grays. Use the color picker to set which pixels are your mid-gray
Step 15	Cancel and delete the threshold layer and the fill layer		Cancel and delete the threshold layer and the fill layer
Step 16	Open the levels dialogue box and set the mid-gray point by choosing the mid-gray eye dropper and clicking on the co-ordinates you chose in the info pallet.	PSE V 6  has  parametric curves, try them out!	Open the "curves" dialogue box and set the mid-gray point using the mid-gray eye dropper and matching it to the mid gray selection...
Step 17	In the levels dialogue box you can fine tune any of the selections. for black, white and Mid-gray by clicking on the slider pointer and using the up and sown arrow keys		In the curves dialogue box you can fine tune any of the selections. for black, white and Mid-gray by clicking on the slider pointer and using the up and sown arrow keys
Step 18	Rename and Save your edited photo as a PSD layers file. This will allow you to go back and fine tune your photo at any time.	After	Rename and Save your edited photo as a PSD layers file. This will allow you to go back and fine tune your photo at any time.
NOTE:	To delete the color sample picker markers do this Select the Color Sampler tool  To move a color sampler, Click and drag (hold down the mouse button and drag) the sampler to its new location. To delete a color sampler, "drag" the sampler out of the document window. Or try, holding down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) until the pointer becomes a scissors and click on the sampler. To delete a color sampler while an adjustment dialog box is still open, hold down Windows (Alt+Shift) or Mac (Option+Shift) and click on the sampler.

Photoshop's Camera Raw.

"Photoshop is a great plugin for Camera Raw," Photographer and Camera Raw Guru, Jeff Schewe
It is easier and quicker than using Photoshop Elements or Photoshop.
If you have the latest Photoshop CS3 or Photoshop Elements 6  The Camera Raw  (V4.3 )plugin will load .jpg's and .tiff photos.

In Camera Raw you will find terrific tools for fine tuning white balance (Color Temperature) and exposure
Here's an interesting article on why you should shoot in raw format. It shows you the limitations of editing a .jpg file in Camera Raw.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/jpg-follies.shtml

The Editing tools in CR are layed out in implied order of use from top to bottom and through the tabs from left to right. However as editing does not change the photograph directly (All edits are saved to a seperate file that is applied to the original data) theoretically you can "edit" with any of the tools, in any order to enhance your pictures.

Note:  In the camera raw  preferences choose Save image settings in: Camera Raw database
That way you only have to deal with one file... The file contains the image data, EXIF camera data, and your edits.
Caveat: If you use Lightroom you need to keep the the two files seperate  (The Camera's raw file and the .xmp edit file)

Camera Raw - PS Elements	PSE 4 - 6	Camera Raw - PS	PS CS series
	The Basic Controls in Photoshop Elements Camera Raw are the same as in the Basic controls in  the Photoshop  CS series of Camera Raw. This is Camera Raw 3.7		Up to CS2 you had to use photoshop to remove dust and  noise. CS3 Camera Raw has tools for removing dust, but  any serious compositing must still be done in photoshop.
	PSE 6 and CS3 let's you load .jpg and .tiff files into the Camera Raw editor. You can now crop, straighten and do red eye. Advantage: gives you access to Adobe's exposure controls, mid tones, highlights  and mid-tone contrast (Clarity). This is Camera Raw V 4.1		In CS3 Camera Raw you can do dust removal. Parametric curve controls have been addded. Use of clipping indicators make toning easy and quick.
	Budda No Clarity, No Vibrance	Budda with Clarity and Vibrance

Click here to see the difference between no clarity, no vibrance and calrity and vibrance...