Add more colour with tinting techniques
DISCOVER A QUARTET OF POWERFUL METHODS TO SPLIT-TONE YOUR PHOTOS BEAUTIFULLY IN PHOTOSHOP, CAMERA RAW OR LIGHTROOM.
USE COLOR LOOKUP
Photoshop’s Color Lookup adjustment lets you apply a range of easy presets, including several split-tone treatments. Open your image into Photoshop then go to the Layers panel, click the ‘Create Adjustment Layer’ icon and choose ‘Black & White’. Click the same icon again and choose ‘Color Lookup’. Click Abstract, then choose from split-toning effects like Cobalt-Carmine (used here), Green-Red or Sienna-Blue. If you like, use the layer’s Opacity setting to control the strength of the effect.
LOAD GRADIENT PRESETS
Photoshop’s Gradient Map adjustment offers an array of presets that mimic traditional processes like Cyanotype, Selenium and Sepia. Click the ‘Create Adjustment Layer’ icon in the Layers panel and choose ‘Gradient Map’. Click the preview to open the Gradient Editor, then click the cog icon in the top-left and load in the Photographic Toning set. Click Append, and the new presets will appear at the bottom of the list. Click through the presets — here, we’ve used Gold-Copper at 50% opacity.
SPLIT-TONE WITH CURVES
The Curves command is a fantastic tool for split-toning. First convert your photo to black and white (as in Tip 1), then add a Curves Adjustment Layer. Use the RGB dropdown to target the Red, Green or Blue channel. Start by tweaking the very top or bottom points on the diagonal line to introduce colour shifts to the highlights and shadows. On the Blue curve here, dragging the bottom point up adds blue to the shadows, while dragging the top point down adds yellow to the highlights.
CUSTOMISE A GRADIENT
As well as using Photographic Toning gradients, you can also use a Gradient Map Adjustment Layer to customise your own toning presets. As in Tip 3, add a Gradient Map Adjustment Layer and click the preview to open the Gradient Editor. Double-click the little boxes below the colour strip to choose colours to map onto different parts of the tonal range (shadows on the left, highlights on the right). Here, we’ve mapped blue to the shadows, red to the midtones and yellow to the highlights.