MASTER TARGETED COLOUR PROCESSING

TJ Drysdale guides us through his usual processing workflow, for dramatic yet natural colour

1

COLOUR CASTS

I typically apply the Paint Bucket tool as my first step. I find a colour within the image, apply it to a new layer, change the blend mode to

Soft Light to cast an overall warm hue to the image and lower the opacity, to make the effect gradual.

2

B&W LAYER Next I add contrast using a Black & White adjustment layer. I’ll often play with the reds and yellows to add drama. I create a vignette with the Elliptical Marquee Tool, and change the blend mode to Soft Light.

3

LEVELS ADJUSTMENT I’m almost satisfied with the colours I have, but I definitely want to add a little more pop to the image. I use the Levels adjustment layer to add a little more life to the image.

4

COLOR LOOKUP Using Color Lookup, with the Candlelight.CUBE option, creates a warm atmosphere and adds a matte finish. Using the mask, I’ll erase this effect on the subject, as I want her to stand out.

5

SELECTIVE COLOR My last step in the colouring process is to use the Selective Color adjustment layer. I mostly use the red and yellow sliders to bring out more detail in the foliage.

6

CURVES ADJUSTMENTS I use Curves to brighten specific areas of the image. For the curve, I drag up in the centre to brighten, add one more point a little higher up the curve and drag it up to create contrast.

7

LUMINOSITY CURVE I create another Curves layer and change the blend mode to Luminosity. I drag down in the centre of the curve until I reach my desired look. I finish by erasing the effect in areas I want to stand out.