how to desaturate color – unconventionally?

fgphotog wrote:

Other than simply using the desaturation slider in hue/saturation, can any one suggest different working methods?

Convert to Lab and decrease the slope of the a and b curves. Keep the center point of each line in the same place or you will add a color cast.

—

Mike Russell
http://www.curvemeister.com
http://www.zocalo.net/~mgr
http://geigy.2y.net

"fgphotog" wrote in message

Other than simply using the desaturation slider in hue/saturation, can any one suggest different working methods?

Maybe working on a separate layer and using different blending modes?
here’s one example of the "monochromatic look" http://www.gdelin.com/view.php?catID=1&phoID=105
and here’s another
http://www.photo.net/bboard/uploaded-file?bboard_upload_id=1 4521284

If your intent is to end up with something that is primarily a colorzied B&W (as in your second example), the selective use of the history brush is ideal.

—–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–== Over 100,000 Newsgroups – 19 Different Servers! =—–

On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 22:53:47 -0400, "fgphotog" wrote:

Other than simply using the desaturation slider in hue/saturation, can any one suggest different working methods?

Maybe working on a separate layer and using different blending modes?
here’s one example of the "monochromatic look" http://www.gdelin.com/view.php?catID=1&phoID=105
and here’s another
http://www.photo.net/bboard/uploaded-file?bboard_upload_id=1 4521284

Another way would be to create a new layer and set the blend mode to COLOR. Set your foreground color to black and paint the area you want o desaturate. I use this technique if I want to desaturate only part of an image….

//Õ¿Õ\\

DosBoss57

Imagine all the people living life in peace !

Other than simply using the desaturation slider in hue/saturation, can

any

one suggest different working methods?

Maybe working on a separate layer and using different blending modes?
here’s one example of the "monochromatic look" http://www.gdelin.com/view.php?catID=1&phoID=105
and here’s another
http://www.photo.net/bboard/uploaded-file?bboard_upload_id=1 4521284

===========================

If your intent is to end up with something that is primarily a colorzied

B&W

(as in your second example), the selective use of the history brush is ideal.

==========================
maybe the 2nd image was not a great example after all (colorizing b&w is not what I’m after) – try this
http://www.odysseyphotography.com/sa_vietnam/sa_4.htm
or this
http://www.gdelin.com/view.php?catID=2&phoID=120
or this
http://www.gdelin.com/view.php?catID=10&phoID=283
or even this
http://www.gdelin.com/view.php?catID=12&phoID=314

Other than simply using the desaturation slider in hue/saturation, can any one suggest different working methods?

=======================

Convert to Lab and decrease the slope of the a and b curves. Keep the center point of each line in the same place or you will add a color cast.

====================
….mmmmm…..I seem to introduce a col cast even by dragging straight down on the centre point…….maybe just practice. Getting some unexpected "effects"

Would you elaborate a little on what is happening here with the a & b curves – I’m dragging them but "shooting in the dark" without really knowing what i’m doing.

"fgphotog" wrote in message

Other than simply using the desaturation slider in hue/saturation, can

any

one suggest different working methods?

Maybe working on a separate layer and using different blending modes?
here’s one example of the "monochromatic look" http://www.gdelin.com/view.php?catID=1&phoID=105
and here’s another
http://www.photo.net/bboard/uploaded-file?bboard_upload_id=1 4521284

===========================

If your intent is to end up with something that is primarily a colorzied

B&W

(as in your second example), the selective use of the history brush is ideal.

==========================
maybe the 2nd image was not a great example after all (colorizing b&w is

not

what I’m after) – try this
http://www.odysseyphotography.com/sa_vietnam/sa_4.htm
or this
http://www.gdelin.com/view.php?catID=2&phoID=120
or this
http://www.gdelin.com/view.php?catID=10&phoID=283
or even this
http://www.gdelin.com/view.php?catID=12&phoID=314

Maybe it’s just me, but those appear to be just regular photos taken in flat lighting situations. I don’t see any major manipulation.

—–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–== Over 100,000 Newsgroups – 19 Different Servers! =—–

fgphotog wrote:

[re adjusting a and b curves in Lab mode]

…mmmmm…..I seem to introduce a col cast even by dragging straight down on the centre point…….maybe just practice. Getting some unexpected "effects"

Would you elaborate a little on what is happening here with the a & b curves – I’m dragging them but "shooting in the dark" without really knowing what i’m doing.

It will be a very dramatic overall color change provided you are dragging on either the a or b channel.

Is it possible you have a different layer selected? Another possibility is you’re changing the L channel . which will change brightness withoug affecting color.

—

Mike Russell
http://www.curvemeister.com
http://www.zocalo.net/~mgr
http://geigy.2y.net

ok – getting better.
What do the a & b channels actually represent & how does it relate to the r , g & b and their saturations or muted tones ?

"Mike Russell" wrote in message

fgphotog wrote:

[re adjusting a and b curves in Lab mode]

…mmmmm…..I seem to introduce a col cast even by dragging straight down on the centre point…….maybe just practice. Getting some unexpected "effects"

Would you elaborate a little on what is happening here with the a & b curves – I’m dragging them but "shooting in the dark" without really knowing what i’m doing.

It will be a very dramatic overall color change provided you are dragging

on

either the a or b channel.

Is it possible you have a different layer selected? Another possibility

is

you’re changing the L channel . which will change brightness withoug affecting color.

—

Mike Russell
http://www.curvemeister.com
http://www.zocalo.net/~mgr
http://geigy.2y.net

Here’s another technique to tinker wth. It yields R=G=B, which may leave a color cast on some printers.

1) In the PS Toolbox, set foreground color to black and background color to white.
2) Create a Gradient Map adjustment layer (4th icon at bottom of layers palette). In "Gradient Used for Scale Mapping," choose the "Black, White" thumbnail.
3) Click OK and you have a pseudo gray scale image.

I don’t know if this is as good as using Mode gray scale or as good as using Lab mode as someone else has suggested, or other techniques, but it seems to be one of the easiest to do.

–David

On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 22:53:47 -0400, "fgphotog" wrote:

Other than simply using the desaturation slider in hue/saturation, can any one suggest different working methods?

Maybe working on a separate layer and using different blending modes?
here’s one example of the "monochromatic look" http://www.gdelin.com/view.php?catID=1&phoID=105
and here’s another
http://www.photo.net/bboard/uploaded-file?bboard_upload_id=1 4521284

fgphotog wrote:

ok – getting better.
What do the a & b channels actually represent & how does it relate to the r , g & b and their saturations or muted tones ?

They are the color coordinates on a square whose center is no color at all, and whose edges represent pure magenta, green, yellow, and blue.

Here’s a cool web page that introduces the various color spaces, with interractive sliders so you can play with the different values, and see how they relate to RGB:
http://www.cs.rit.edu/~ncs/color/a_spaces.html

—

Mike Russell
http://www.curvemeister.com
http://www.zocalo.net/~mgr
http://geigy.2y.net

Try this technique .

(I don’t take credit for this but I can’t for the life of me remember which resource I found it in …)

1. Start with a flattened image.
2. Add a "Color (or Colour) Balance" adjustment layer to the image and click "OK" without applying any changes.
3. Add a "Hue and Saturation" adjustment layer as well and make sure that this layer is ABOVE the colour adjustment layer. Move the saturation slider all the way to the left to fully desaturate the image. click OK

…. now here’s where it gets fun ..

4. Go back to the Colour Balance adjustment layer and start playing with the sliders until you get the effect you want (don’t forget to play in all areas of brightness)

Have fun!

SB

"Mike Russell" wrote in message

fgphotog wrote:

Other than simply using the desaturation slider in hue/saturation, can any one suggest different working methods?

Convert to Lab and decrease the slope of the a and b curves. Keep the center point of each line in the same place or you will add a color cast.
—

Mike Russell
http://www.curvemeister.com
http://www.zocalo.net/~mgr
http://geigy.2y.net

Oh yeah, BTW … after you’ve done that for a while, go into the Colour Balanace adjustment and change the setting to "colorize" … now you can intorduce any number of colours to make a duotone image.

Enjoy!

"Steven Blake" wrote in message

Try this technique .

(I don’t take credit for this but I can’t for the life of me remember

which

resource I found it in …)

1. Start with a flattened image.
2. Add a "Color (or Colour) Balance" adjustment layer to the image and

click

"OK" without applying any changes.
3. Add a "Hue and Saturation" adjustment layer as well and make sure that this layer is ABOVE the colour adjustment layer. Move the saturation

slider

all the way to the left to fully desaturate the image. click OK
… now here’s where it gets fun ..

4. Go back to the Colour Balance adjustment layer and start playing with

the

sliders until you get the effect you want (don’t forget to play in all areas of brightness)

Have fun!

SB

"Mike Russell" wrote in message

fgphotog wrote:

Other than simply using the desaturation slider in hue/saturation, can any one suggest different working methods?

Convert to Lab and decrease the slope of the a and b curves. Keep the center point of each line in the same place or you will add a color

cast.

—

Mike Russell
http://www.curvemeister.com
http://www.zocalo.net/~mgr
http://geigy.2y.net

Mike,
In a nutshell,, are you describing that in Lab mode you can affect contrast & col separately. In other modes when you change contrast, you change col too ?
frank

"Mike Russell" wrote in message

fgphotog wrote:

ok – getting better.
What do the a & b channels actually represent & how does it relate to the r , g & b and their saturations or muted tones ?

They are the color coordinates on a square whose center is no color at

all,

and whose edges represent pure magenta, green, yellow, and blue.
Here’s a cool web page that introduces the various color spaces, with interractive sliders so you can play with the different values, and see

how

they relate to RGB:
http://www.cs.rit.edu/~ncs/color/a_spaces.html

—

Mike Russell
http://www.curvemeister.com
http://www.zocalo.net/~mgr
http://geigy.2y.net