wrong color balance

I have been using Levels and Threshold to color correct all my images. I just don’t feel comfortable using my eyes to change the colors to what they should be so I use Threshold to locate the black/white points on the image first. I then open the info pallet(under window) to allow me to find the middle gray area, using levels, which gives me the correct color balance in the midtones.

If there’s an easier, more accurate way then then please let me know. I’m sure there is but this is the only way, other than variations, to correct color casts that I know of.

I can give you a step by step walkthrough if you, or anyone, are unfimiliar with using levels and threshold together.

No, you can do a lot towards fixing them. Try the Color cast command from the Enhance menu and the photo filters (filters>adjustments) if that doesn’t work. You’ll probably need to run levels after you get rid of the color cast.

It’s much tougher given that you shot jpeg rather than raw (in which case it would simple be a "whoops!"). I’m trying to remember what to do about this. If I recall correctly, it’s something like sampling a point that should be white with the eye dropper. Using that foreground color as a fill (use the paint bucket) on a new layer (this obscures the original image) with the sampled color. Now invert the color and change the blend mode to color dodge (you can use the arrow key to run through the different blend modes; you might find a mode you like better). Give that a shot.

"Photo filters" work surprisingly well, though not nearly as good or easy as Raw files.

Photoshop has amazing color correcting tools and abilities. The tools usually I play with in this capacity include:

Feathered selections
Levels
Brightness/Contrast
Color Balance
Hue/Saturation
Curves
Layer masks

For some examples:
http://tinyurl.com/9cbog

Peadge 🙂

wrote in message

I’m sure I’m not the first nor the last to do this: shoot a couple of

dozen important

outdoor shots with the wrong color balance (jpegs, not raw; used tungsten,

not

auto or sunny).

Should I even try to correct to acceptable color with these in PSE3 and

OSX, or just give it up and learn from my mistake?

If something can be done, what tools would you recommend first: color

variations?

levels in each color mode? photo filters?

Thanks!

jcddwilliams,
Yes, please give walkthru using threshold/levels.

I would certainly recommend trying Photo filters – this is a very close analogue of what you’d do if you used daylight film in tungsten light [or vice versa].

wrote in message

jcddwilliams,
Yes, please give walkthru using threshold/levels.

Ditto!!

If someone can fine tune this then by all means do so. This method works for me so I trust it!

All this may seem a little much to do at first but after you have all your default values in place then it actually goes pretty quick each time you have to use this method.

You might want to use “variations” to remove some of your more extreme color casts before doing this. If your image is very red in color then you may want remove as much red as possible before continuing.

1. Open the image that’s in question

2. Open your palette bin

3. Click on “windows” at the top of the editor and open your “info” palette

4. Click on Layer at the top of the editor and create a levels adjustment layer. Call it what you want and click OK.

The levels dialog box should now be open and ready to modify. If you haven’t already set your black/white/gray points then lets go ahead and do that now. If you already have your own preset values then skip this step and go to # 6

5. Double click the left eye dropper (black) and set the following:

R=8
G=8
B=8

Absolute black is “0” so I use the “8” value to allow for a little detail in those black areas.

Double click on the right eye dropper (white) and set the following:

R=244
G=244
B=244

Absolute white is “255” so I use the “244” value to allow the printer to print white with a touch of detail and without colorcast.

Double click the middle eye dropper (gray) and it should already read:

R=128
G=128
B=128

Click OK and if it asks you to save these values as the default you can say yes if you want to keep them. I do for my own use. OTHERS MAY HAVE OTHER VALUES THEY USE so these are only what I use.

6. Click OK to close the levels dialog box.

7. Over in the tools bar (on the left) select your eye dropper tool and make sure the “sample size” reads “Point Sample”.

You’ve just set all the defaults you’ll need for this process. I have yet to ever change them so they will always be there when I need them and won’t have to go through this again.

8. Click on Layer at the top of the editor and create a Threshold adjustment layer. Call it what you want and click OK. Your image turns to black and white.

The threshold command is an easy way to help pin point values in an image by masking out and isolating shadows and highlights with a simple drag of the slider in its histogram to the left and right.

9. Click on the slider in the middle and drag it all the way to the left. Everything goes completely white. Slowly move it back to the right just enough to see the locations of the blackest parts of the image. Remember where this black point is because your going to click on it later in Levels.

10. Drag the slider all the way to the right. Everything goes completely black. Slowly move it back to the left just enough to see the locations of the whitest parts of the image.

Remember where this white point is because your going to click on it later in Levels.

11. Now that you know where your blackest black and whitest whites are you can just click cancel to close out the threshold dialog box.

12. From the palette bin double click your levels icon to open up the dialog again.

13. Select the left eye dropper and click on your blackest point that I hope you haven’t forgotten where it was.

14. Select the right eye dropper and click on your whitest point that I also hope you remember where it was.

15. This is where your “info” palette comes into play. Select the middle eye dropper and move your mouse around the image to find your middle gray. Use the info palette to find it. In the top left corner of the info palette you will see values for R G B. Everytime you move your mouse the values change to reflect the color values your pointing at. Try to get as close to the values of “128” in all three colors. You may or may not be able to get 128 in all three so get as close as you can. When you think your as close to 128 as possible then click on it and your done. Your image SHOULD be restored to the right colors.

Good luck!

"jcddwilliams" wrote

If someone can fine tune this then by all means do so. This method works

for me so I trust it!
……….

Your image SHOULD be restored to the right colors.

jcddwilliams,

You described your method very clearly… thanks for making the effort to share it with us!!

I will be interested in trying this process, and am always glad to have another tool in my belt.

Byron

Try the "AGD Color Temperature and Exposure Correction" plugin. t is available as a *shareware* download from the Adobe Studio site, or directly from the Author(s) at

http://plugin.artdesign.ru/

The Russian site also has the documentation in PDF format.

wrote in message

I’m sure I’m not the first nor the last to do this: shoot a couple of

dozen important

outdoor shots with the wrong color balance (jpegs, not raw; used

tungsten, not

auto or sunny).

Should I even try to correct to acceptable color with these in PSE3 and

OSX, or just give it up and learn from my mistake?

If something can be done, what tools would you recommend first: color

variations?

levels in each color mode? photo filters?

Thanks!