Identifying the mid-tone of an image

DC
Posted By
d_cole
Feb 8, 2009
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431
Replies
5
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Closed
As a preliminary to a digital painting I need to identify the overall mid tone (tonal value, not hue) of a color photograph and then reproduce that mid tone in the CS4 Color Picker (or somewhere) so that there is a choice of color tints that can be given to that particular (overall mid) tone. It will then be used to simulate an imprimatura transparent wash treatment over a white canvas (layer).

It should be easy I’m sure but I haven’t been able to find a way to do it. I had hoped that Levels might be used to identify the mid tone, and then give it an identifier (?like an RGB number)which could be used in the Color Picker to choose a color with the mid tone value.

Grateful for any help with this.

Thanks.
Related Tags
image tone

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NM
norman_mcdonald
Feb 8, 2009
Open your colour image.
From the bottom of the layers palette, create a new layer. Then edit>fill and fill that new layer with 50% grey
Change blend mode of that layer to difference.
From bottom of layers palette get new adjustment layer and choose threshhold. When that opens, push slider all the way to the left…..the image should turn completely white. Now slowly drag slider to the right, the first area to appear pure black is the mid-tone. Then shift-I to get colour sampler tool and click that on the area of black. Now your midtone is marked……..trash the fill and adjustment layers and the mid-tone is marked on the colour image.
Now control-m to get the curves, click the mid-tone dropper on the ,mark you created above and you have your midtone shown in curves.
From there, assess the midtone "recipe" in the colour picker dialogue.
DC
d_cole
Feb 8, 2009
Thanks very much for this.A lot of thought must have gone into it. I was expecting it to be easier. I am ok up to:

"Now control-m to get the curves, click the mid-tone dropper on the ,mark you created above and you have your midtone shown in curves."

In curves, where is the mid tone dropper? When I just open the color picker without looking in Curves, the selection is for pure black at the bottom left diagonal.

Thanks.
NM
norman_mcdonald
Feb 8, 2009
By that I meant, in the curves dialogue you have at the bottom the three eyedroppers for black, white and mid point and meant to select that midpoint dropper.

However, have just realised that you don’t want to go to curves at all.

Having used the colour sampler to make your mark as my first post, and having trashed the two layers, simply click on the colour swatch icon in the tool box and when that opens use the colour picker tool…click it on the sampler mark as made above and the colour picker box will open with the "colour recipe" of the mid tone shown.
DC
d_cole
Feb 8, 2009
No, when I do this action I still end up (in the color picker) with the selected spot bottom left just above the "Only Web Colors" box – ie selecting black.

At no point am I making a selection that falls anywhere else in the color picker. I’m still doing something wrong but I can’t see what.
DC
d_cole
Feb 8, 2009
Norman – Sorry. Completely my fault. I was using the eye-dropper not the color sampler. Your advice was excellent – thank you.

How to Master Sharpening in Photoshop

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