Balancing Colors

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.

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———————————————————- Keep dancing … no one is watching!