Gradient maps have many different uses and I think its probably one of the most versatile tools in photoshop.

Heres a few of they ways I use them.

You can use them to change and shift colour dramatically with precise control over the colours that you want to use.
You can use them for effects such as solarization and tints.
Default black to white can be used for desaturate on saturation blend mode
at a low opacity.
It can also be used for luminosity as discussed in my last thread.

I'd be very interested in hearing any other techniques and uses people have for this great tool

With Elements, gradients can be used in luminosity mode to replace curves. I have a set of gradients to create very flexible masks to target highlights, midtones and shadows. I often prefer a gradient to a threshold to feather a mask. I recently tried a gradient to replace solar curves, which have been discussed in recent threads...
They are probably the best tool to colorize a black and white photo.

i have limited experience with Gmaps but i have used it to simulate the split toning technique without having to duplicate the image into another layer..that may not sound like a big deal but when you are starting with images that are over 1 gig in size it makes production move along quicker...

When Chris mentioned Gradient maps could be used for masking i was quite interested. I was able to create a very nice hair mask quickly that needed only a little bit of refinement with the dodge and burn tools. Otherwise i use them to target tonal ranges.

When Chris mentioned Gradient maps could be used for masking i was quite interested. I was able to create a very nice hair mask quickly that needed only a little bit of refinement with the dodge and burn tools. Otherwise i use them to target tonal ranges.
Chris is known to have ways to use tools that are outside of their intended purposes. I gave it a try as well, and I was able to create a fairly complex mask that includes tree branches, leaves, and a chain link fence in a much shorter time than using channels. Although I still get slightly better result with calculations. I just need to spend more time with the tool. Very cool.

How did you guys use it to get the masks? I have just started playing with gradient maps and would really like to hear how you made intricate masks with it.

I use them for colourizing / toning skin because you can make hue and saturation vary with the base luminosity.
Set up a mask for the skin then just go clicking through a bunch of your skin gradients until you find one that pleases.

(Well, not exactly "just", coz you've got to create them first :bigthmb: )

Rô

1. Choose black to white gradient
2. Apply gradient from top to bottom of a layer
3. Apply a Posterize adjustment layer

...instant B->W step wedge.

Might come in handy for monitor or printer calibration.

How did you guys use it to get the masks? I have just started playing with gradient maps and would really like to hear how you made intricate masks with it.
I'm not sure if there's a correct way to apply it in masking, or you just mess with the settings until you find what's best for you. What I did here was very straight forward and it literally took less than 10 seconds. I simply applied the B+W gradient, opened up the slider and bumped up the H/S. It takes some D+B to clean up from here. This image contains tree branches and leaves against the sky up top that also get masked out very nicely, but I can't show the whole picture here. I bet there are more tweaking involved to create more complex masks, but it's amazing to be able to achieve an overall start-up mask this quick. It'd be great if someone with more experience could shed some light into this area.

I will guys. I'm just really really busy right now. There are a lot of people pm'ing me also that I am finding it hard to get back to.
This is actually going to be the first part of a quarterly article online that I am writing for PMA. That post though doesn't happen until June.

Chris

Putting black at both ends and white in the middle can create a mid-tone mask that can be fine tuned by sliding the two midpoints as well as the white point.

One of my favorites Edgework.

You might just save me the time from doing this!

Chris

One of my favorites Edgework.

You might just save me the time from doing this!

ChrisI'm really glad to see Gradient maps finally getting some exposure (and picking up some new applications for them in the process). They're one of the most powerful tools no one knows about (besides the posters here, of course). I actually got canned once for using them to match clothing colors. The results were fine but no one knew what I was doing and got annoyed when I suggested that they ought to learn.

Professional doesn't mean smart.

I actually got canned once for using them to match clothing colors. The results were fine but no one knew what I was doing and got annoyed when I suggested that they ought to learn.

It's great for matching colours like that as you can pick colours by pantone or whatever breakdown you want. I've used it in the same way as you before at work

I was wonder how you were able to match colors so precisely. I believe I am missing a step or two because I can apply different types of gradients but a B+W or skin tone gradient will not be a very precise color correction.

Its more for changing the colours of a product or a clothing garment than skin. If you need the colour to be precise as in a pantone you need to start with with a fairly dense tone before you use the gradient. Then you just assign the colours to the the gradient that you need.

Let me ask a question about the gradient maps and skin tones ...

I usually color skin with curves nowadays. I find it more precise and managable. However, when I used to use gradient maps for skin toning, the one thing I always ran into was a saving issue.
The first few times I created complex, fifty-color skin tone gradients for mapping, I saved them ... but when I went to use them the next time on a black and white image, pulling up the loaded gradients gave me nothing but the presets.
Since I didn't have the patience to try doing all that work again, I just made an action out of it. Nevertheless, I would be interested in knowing if there is a way to save the created gradients for use with future gradient maps. A way that they can actually be used. Obviously you can save them. I did that. The problem is accessing them and making them function.

Gradients are not something I personaly find very good for skin tones

I was worried with this problem too... the trick is not to use 'save', but 'new' to add your gradient to the existing ones.
I formerly used a workaround, saving my gradients in a PSD file, from which I could drag the adjustment layers into my working file. With a small file size, the PSD is not huge, and you can use your layers in any version of Photoshop or Elements.

Okay, good ... so it wasn't just ME! Saving is, in fact, an issue.

Gradients are not something I personaly find very good for skin tones

I have to agree with you. That's why I stopped using them. They were too much work.

To really make the gradient map good for skin tones, you have to separate the skin from the rest of the photo onto its own layer. The problem with the gradient map is that it shades the whole image, dark to light (or reverse), from the darkest pixel to the lightest. Since your blacks and whites aren't always in the skin tone, the colors you use don't always end up being the colors you get. Point of fact, your "skin tone" ends up being whatever you put in the middle of the gradient scale, making every colorization you do "peach."
You can get closer results if the gradient map is working purely on skin pixels, and not on the skin, the tree, the woman's black dress, etc., which throws everything off.

So again, I have to agree with you. With curves, all you need is three pixels and three color samples. Make a new layer, adjust the curves with the droppers, fine tune the levels or opacity, and mask.

Okay, good ... so it wasn't just ME! Saving is, in fact, an issue.

No, saving isn't an issue.
Saving a gradient will create a *.grd file with all presets currently in the
preset window so you can load your gradients on another computer with Photoshop,
or if you have to re-install, etc.

Creating a 'new' gradient will put it into the current presets.
So you would want to press new to put it into current presets,
then save if you wanted a backup etc.

Hope this helps.

.........
You can get closer results if the gradient map is working purely on skin pixels, and not on the skin, the tree, the woman's black dress, etc., which throws everything off.

So again, I have to agree with you. With curves, all you need is three pixels and three color samples. Make a new layer, adjust the curves with the droppers, fine tune the levels or opacity, and mask.

Now that's strange. On my machine the Gradient Map layer can be masked too. :bigthmb:
Lucky me!

Rô

Yes Rô, the gradient map can be masked an used just like any other adjustment layer.

As it should on any other machine, it is standard on all versions of Photoshop. Ever since the good old days when you held down a special key and saved a gradient map to a location and loaded that map into curves. Then the next version they created it as a correction tool anyone can fine.

Adjustment layer can be used on flesh tones to great extent. It is all in how you apply them.

Just stuff to look forward for the future online posts here, my blog, and at PMA.

Chris

No, saving isn't an issue.
Saving a gradient will create a *.grd file with all presets currently in the
preset window so you can load your gradients on another computer with Photoshop,
or if you have to re-install, etc.

Creating a 'new' gradient will put it into the current presets.
So you would want to press new to put it into current presets,
then save if you wanted a backup etc.

Hope this helps.

I've tried it both ways. I tried making new ones, and I tried saving modified ones. I know what you mean about .grd files. I've accessed them, loaded them, etc. But what I save and what I pull back up for reuse on new projects is never the same. It will load the file, but produce black and white gradients. It's quite maddening.
I'll have to experiment when I have some time to play with them. Like I said before, I just didn't have the patience to do all that work just to have it get lost a second time (or rather, have it get found, but be worthless).

Now that's strange. On my machine the Gradient Map layer can be masked too. :bigthmb:
Lucky me!

Rô

I wasn't saying that you couldn't mask a gradient map layer. The problem is that the adjustment is wholesale on the gradient map.
The curves adjustment with the eyedroppers is more specific to the pixels you select. So you can mask either, but you can make a better adjustment with the curves. With the gradient, you won't get as nice (or as true) of a color adjustment unless you separate (not merely mask) the pixels you want to change from the rest of the image so that they represent the full range of darks and lights the image offers the gradient. In curves, you pick the dark, mid, and light point yourself, so there is no need to do any such thing ... only to mask out what you don't want showing (since the curves adjustment will also effect the whole image, just in a different way).

AFrazier

You can do this with the transparency sliders in the gradient map editor.

Chris

I use gradient maps on skin quite often.

Chris ~ PMA = ?

CaptainHook

Here is a link as to where the articles will appear. First one actually turns out to be for July.

http://www.pmai.org/index.cfm/ci_id/32910/la_id/1.htm

Chris

To expand a little on my comment about the transparent sliders in the gradient Maps editor.

You really can't apply a gradient map to adjust skin tones at 100%. It is usually quite a bit less, say @40% or so. When used with the transparency sliders set to where you want only a minimum of the GM to hit and using Hue as your blend mode you can get some great results. I will post something tonight if I can showing this.

Chris

Thanks for the link Chris!
I've often got the gradient map for skin anywhere from 10%-50% depending.
Would be interested to see what you do for sure. :)
p.s how's the dvd coming?
Any 'color stuff' on it? ;)

I understand and agree. I have used gradient maps. You're right. Just adjust the transparency, perhaps adjust the hue, or sometimes the saturation if the color is too strong ...

That's not the point I'm trying to make. All I'm saying is that curves work better and are more true to the colors you are using during the initial colorization. All the rest of the steps are exactly the same. You mask the same, adjust the opacity the same, adjust the hue the same, etc. You just start differently to accomplish a final color truer to what you are starting with. To accomplish the same thing with a gradient map (which I can and have done) involves more work. That has been my experience in the matter.

Perhaps others have had better luck.

I know the point you were making. I was just pointing out that the use of the transparency sliders within the gradient map editor (not layer opacity/transparency) gives you tremendous control over how the color interacts with the image. Being able to have it transparent at the 25% mark and have it fade out 5 degrees from there, and have it have no transparency at 30%, but fade out at 40% is something you can't get with masking or layer level transparency. Being able to nail it down to specific areas is a simple mater of clicking in the image to find out the density and adjusting the midpoints between each color slider and adding a possible transparency to that area.

Once you have a setup for certain densities you can save that gradient for reuse later and just change the colors to suit your needs.

I am not saying this is for everyone, just pointing out ways that perhaps have not been used before by some. Most people do not realize that they have transparency abilities within the gradient map itself.

It was not meant to be personal AFrazier. Sorry that you took it that way. Did not mean to knock your experience of the tool.

Chris

Can't wait to see some screen shot before and afters, Chris. I know you're busy though. This is just one of the most compelling threads in freakin months.


I can grasp what you're saying in theory but I'd love to see visually a density problem area in a photo being corrected by a gradient map with sliders.

I know the point you were making. I was just pointing out that the use of the transparency sliders within the gradient map editor (not layer opacity/transparency) gives you tremendous control over how the color interacts with the image. Being able to have it transparent at the 25% mark and have it fade out 5 degrees from there, and have it have no transparency at 30%, but fade out at 40% is something you can't get with masking or layer level transparency. Being able to nail it down to specific areas is a simple mater of clicking in the image to find out the density and adjusting the midpoints between each color slider and adding a possible transparency to that area.

Once you have a setup for certain densities you can save that gradient for reuse later and just change the colors to suit your needs.

I am not saying this is for everyone, just pointing out ways that perhaps have not been used before by some. Most people do not realize that they have transparency abilities within the gradient map itself.

It was not meant to be personal AFrazier. Sorry that you took it that way. Did not mean to knock your experience of the tool.

Chris

No brother, I didn't take anything badly. Forums are sometimes bad mediums for expression, lacking tone of voice, body language, etc. I wasn't offended, or under the impression that you were being condescending, personal, or anything like that. We're all just trying to share experiences and tips to get the best possible end results, and that's exactly how I took you. I hope you viewed my posts the same way.
My way is not the only way, or necessarily even the best way if you've mastered a technique of your own. It's just another way ... and I've found that it works better for me than the other after plentiful use of both.

It's all good. :)

Most people do not realize that they have transparency abilities within the gradient map itself.

Though I did know that, I can't remember ever using it.
Need to play with this. :)

Thanks for the "heads-up" Chris. :bigthmb:

Rô

Rô

It is more like color opacity than transparency, just to be clear.

Chris

I tried the opacity adjustment in the Gradient Map - doesn't work.

Looked up some tutorials - they say that the opacities only work for the Gradient Tool (drawing gradients).

Shame, would have been good. :(
Still, can always use "blend-if" for simple luminosity-based opacity control.

To brighten up ... here's another use for the Gradient Map:

Put black or white at the end points and a fully saturated colour at the mid-point.
Set the blending to Saturation.

Now, by varying the layer opacity, you have a useful saturation control, good for fixing flatness in colourizations.

Rô

Nice one Rô. Hadn't thought about that one.

I am going to get the lowdown exactly about the opacity in gradient maps. I haven't seen this myself all these years, but it could just be my eyes.

By the way, what are the links to those tutorials? Always looking for something new.

Chris

By the way, what are the links to those tutorials? Always looking for something new.
Nothing special - just Googled around.

In fact, "nothing special" is in itself sort of special, because there are very few tutorials about the Gradient Map (most will start by saying that it is an under-used tool).

Mostly: Colourizing, masking and curve substitute for Elements.

Rô

OK anyone have a good tutorial on how to use this technique...Gradient Masks?