Hi there,

Following on from a previous thread where I was evaluating some Photoshop shadow enhancement plug-ins, what is the best way to boost the shadow area in Photoshop.

Obviously, Shadow/Highlight is a good place to start, but I don't seem to get very good results with that. Is there a simple process with S/H and blends (which I don't really understand) or something else.

Many thanks,

Rex

In Photoshop CS3, you can adjust "Fill Light" in CameraRaw plugin (If your image is not "raw", open it via "File > Open As").

try converting your image to cmky and edit the color levels individualy.

Thanks gentlemen; I'll give cmyk a try. Have to think about upgrading to CS3, CS does pretty much everything I want.

Rex

Rex, you definitely should NOT convert your image to CMYK for ANY reason. It is the worst colour space for editing. Possibly Lab mode is a better option.

I've always had good success with the Shadow/Highlight filter. Always use it in Advanced mode, and you need to practice a lot to get the hang of it. Oh, and be careful not to over-use it. It can be a butcher if used ruthlessly.

Damo,

Yeah, didn't like CMYK. In fact, I tend to use LAB quite a lot but it is esay to get a good looking image on the screen with LAB, only to find that the highlights in one channel are clipped back in RGB.

I think you're right about playing with Shadow/Highlights in Advanced. Just need a lot more practice. I have found that too much makes that shadows very blotchy, which was not happening with the Shadow Illuminating software that I was evaluating.

Only reason I'm not in favour of the shadow plug-ins, is that they are only using PhotoShop, so there is a way to achieve a similar effect without the plug-in.

Rex

Damo77 said "It is the worst colour space for editing". the Truth, CMYK an advanced way of editing.
Its a great way to edit an images. A little advice for anyone, there is never a wrong way to edit an image. So Rex dont rule out cmyk. In fact study editing image in the mode. Many magazines and add agencys still require images to be cmyk. Plus you can get amazing results using CMYK. Many Many People ask how i make my images so amazing. editing in cmky is one of my secreats. :)

You should give us an example of what your trrying to work on. Maybe i can help more from an actual image example.

Rex, you definitely should NOT convert your image to CMYK for ANY reason. It is the worst colour space for editing. Possibly Lab mode is a better option.

I've always had good success with the Shadow/Highlight filter. Always use it in Advanced mode, and you need to practice a lot to get the hang of it. Oh, and be careful not to over-use it. It can be a butcher if used ruthlessly.

Here's a link to a tutorial on advanced use of Shadows/Highlights. It base on Dan Margulis's book Professional Photoshop: The Classic Guide to Color Correction Fifth Edition. It goes into extracting details from shadows and highlights. I haven't used the tutorial yet but I'm reading the book.

http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/1777665

BTY - He gives a very good description of the color spaces and the pros and cons of each. I work mostly in RGB and some LAB but Dan is a strong advocate of separating contrast from color. Curves seem to become much more powerful if they can be applied to color independent of contrast. Here's a link to the book contents including chapter-by-chapter detailed summary.

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=48066

Duwayne,

Thanks for those links. The tutorials are great, probably just what I'm looking for.

Regarding the DM LAB book, I do have a copy but find it somewhat heavy going. Recently invested in CurveMeister as a Photoshop plug-in and like it a lot.

Rex

the Truth, CMYK an advanced way of editing.
Its a great way to edit an images.

Matthew, I'd advise against recommending CMYK editing.

I have worked with operators like yourself who cling to the old ways, and in fairness, they produce good work. But CMYK conversion is ruthlessly destructive, and CMYK editing is contrary to modern colour-management practices. It's certainly true that many magazines still require CMYK submissions, but as more publishers implement proper RGB workflows, fewer and fewer will accept CMYK files.

There is zero benefit for new Photoshop users to attempt CMYK editing. Even if CMYK is the ultimate destination, the conversion should be the final step. You can never go back.

I have been submitting for too many years, images to various photo-libraries. The have all gone digital (or closed down) now, so I have to either shoot digital of scan. At the moment, I am choosing the latter.

Whatever the final output colour space, an almost universal requirement is RGB, 50mb, 8 bit, A3 size. So I work in RGB and LAB for that extra 'boost' if needed. I sharpen and occasionally adjust curves in LAB.

Rex

the reason for online photo-libraries asking for an rgb file is because web browers (untill lately) could not show Cmyk Files. everyone has there way of editing an image. Just to let you all know, im not an idiot. Editing in cmyk is not a "Old Way" of doing things. Editing in cmyk is not "ruthlessly destructive". When i started out with my digital press company. We used to just send files away to the press in RGB. My thinking was just like damon. One day, a cleint introduced me to the concept of using cmky to edit images. Holy cow what a change. Not just with printing but all the cool tricks you can do when editing in this mode. Your original goal was to work on editing images dark areas, you found a plugin if i remember corectly so your set to go. so all this cmyk to rgb stuff is way off subject. lol

i have to agree with Damo on this one, and i come from a cmyk background...you do lose a lot of information once you make the conversion, at the very least keep a copy of the original RGB file...