Topic awaiting preservation: Color correction question... If I may?

Just out of curiosity, has anyone played with colored layers and opacity to adjust scanned faded photos? And if so, does it work better than the other nifty PS image adjustment tools?

For instance;

Suppose I took a photo that was faded from years of UV exposure and decided to punch the colors up.
I was playing in PS on another photo and needed some subtle color changes.

So, I took the image as one layer, added a red layer, blue layer and green layer. I then set the opacity to 20% on the colored layers and fussed with the blending properties. I ended up using Multiply on the three color layers and then added a white layer set to Screen, and a black layer set to Soft Light.

Like this;


I was happy with the end reults, and it seems to have a finer degree of control for me...

But, my question lies in this;

Am I overthinking this and making it squrrel nuts complicated, or is this something other people do as well?

And, will this be an efficient way to make color changes to most photos?

Thanks for your input.


[edit] Doh! Damn typos! [/edit]

______________
Is This Thing On?

Webbing; the stuff that sticks to your face.

(Edited by UnknownComic on 02-06-2005 09:50)

Well, Photoshop allows you to edit extremely precisely the colors of your image thanks to color balance, levels and curves.

These tools are very effective when you've taken the habit to use them. I think you're complicating a bit the problem by using several colored layers. In my humble opinion, you will loose the power of these filters. And learning how to use them will save up your time.

Nonetheless, keep in mind that Photoshop is great in that you can achieve the same effect by several different methods. If you feel a lot more comfortable with using colored layers, there's nothing wrong with it.

----
If wishes were fishes, we'd all cast nets.

If it works for you and makes sense, it's all good.

What I recommend is menu surfing under Image > Adjustments, pick one, and get to know it. Take each in turn and spend some time getting to know them.

Chances are a few things under Adjustments will click for you and you can easily work them into your flow.

Some even allow for individual channel treatment, like Curves and Levels.

Thanks!

I defintiely need to get better at using the curves adjustment... But, to me it seems so random.
I've pretty much learned photoshop by hit or miss, trial and error. And, I've fiddled with some tutorials.

But, I have been able to age a person in a photo, reconstruct an old arcade type square photo into a decent size, and create some pretty cool things. I've used the color balance adjustments quite a bit.

I guess my issue lies in the precision of the sliders... it seems to me that I can get lost in the sliders.

Thank you both for your responses...

Would curves and levels be the optimum adjustment tools for recovering faded colors in an old photo?

______________
Is This Thing On?

Webbing; the stuff that sticks to your face.