Colour Grading is a method used in many blockbuster movies. It is the process of adding color (in most cases, complimentary colors) to your footage to add emotion and tone to your film. This method can also be used on Photographs to achieve the same results. This is a surprisingly easy to do in Adobe Photoshop! Your photos will never look the same again.
In this class I will go over 3 methods of adding Colour Grading (or colour, for my American friends) to your (or downloaded) photographs. They are all really easy to use, and you will find it difficult to not use this method in all of your photos moving forward.
Be warned though, you will never look at movies the same again!
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Class Outline
- Introduction. Color grading is a commonly used movie effect that adds mood and tension to the atmosphere through the use of complementary color schemes. Graphic designer Jon Brommet has created one of the best Photoshop tutorials on color grading to show you how to use Photoshop to bring this same movie magic to your own photos with just a few quick steps. You’ll learn the science behind the color choices, as well as three different methods for accomplishing this Hollywood effect. No matter your skill level, this quick series of basic Photoshop tutorials will show you how to quickly add depth to any portrait or landscape photos. You will also learn how to apply these color correction Photoshop techniques with control so you can choose the level of color grading, from extreme to subtle, depending on your needs.
- Color Grading Examples. To get you started, Jon shows you several examples of how color grading has been used in popular movies like “The Matrix” and “Mad Max.” He’ll go into the psychology behind this technique and show you the differences between what the original footage looked like and how it changes through color grading. Once you understand the theory behind it, you can then use primary and complementary color grading to get the same effect in Photoshop.
- Gradient Map Method. The first method you will cover uses Photoshop gradient maps and is also the easiest. Taking just a few moments, this method is perfect for new learners who might only know how to apply drop shadow Photoshop effects. In just a few minutes, you will easily adjust the tone and mood of nearly any photo using color grading, adding depth and dimension to your images.
- Selective Color Method. The next method adds a higher element of control, but is still easy enough for beginners to follow. Here, Jon shows you how to use layer masks and adjustment layers to selectively target individual colors in your image so that you can fine-tune the effect to your liking. He’ll also show you a few shortcuts to make this process even faster and allow you to fine-tune the colors as you apply the effect. You’ll also learn how to use layer masks to remove the effect from areas you don’t want to change, such as skin, to create a more realistic image.
- Curves Method. The most popular method of color grading is also the most complex, but only slightly. In this lesson, Jon gives you an in-depth look at how to use two different curves adjustments to bring an unprecedented level of control to your image. He’ll show you how to adjust individual color channels, target the dark and light areas of the photo selectively, and how to use a second curve for luminosity. He’ll walk you through several examples so you can see the differences between the before and after so that you can better understand how the effect works and apply it to just about any photo.
