How to match colour exactly

[shellby]

Hello

I have been given an image to retouch and a reference image that I need to match the colour to. I am trying to do it by the numbers using the eye-dropper tool and shift clicking to get two readings in the same place on each image - then use curves to match the colour. I just don't seem to be getting it correct.

I tried Image>Adjustments>Match Colour but that did not give the correct result either.

Please see images attached. (please note: these images do not belong to me they are the copyright of the photographer)

Thanks

[bart_hickman]

I'm not quite sure which is which. You posted two copies of a pair of images. The first copy has dark shadows. The second copy has brightened shadows. Are you trying to get the colors of the "straight-head" photo to match the colors of the "tilted-head" photo? Do you want to do this for the dark or light versions?

Bart

[byRo]

Are you in RGB(CMYK) mode or LAB?

Matching colour in RGB mode is very difficult. In LAB, tweaking just the AB curves should make things easy.

Rô

[shellby]

The colour needs to match the first image (purple/cooler colour). I had named the jpgs but I didn't realise that you cannot see the file names.

[pjstaley]

Shellby, you can see the file names if you hold the mouse pointer over the image for a second.

[shellby]

Ok then it is the one called MATCH_THIS_COLOUR.jpg

[shellby]

Oh yes - sorry - It is in RGB mode

[Caitlin]

Originally Posted by pjstaley

Shellby, you can see the file names if you hold the mouse pointer over the image for a second.

Only in IE - I switched to Firefix a couple of weeks back and don't get that anymore.

[shellby]

I have firefox on the Mac and it seems to work for me


Anyone have any ideas on matching colour in RGB?

[twinkissed]

I doubt I'm being helpful here so please forgive me. I'm not even sure if I'm understanding... You want the skin tone to match but not sure about the background. I tried matching the background just incase and then the skin but not the eyes or hair. When I checked the color I was 2 numbers off. Like instead of 233... 231. Is that close enough or no. What I did was use match color first to get it as close as I could, then I duped that layer, used the replace color function, added a mask to bring out the correct colors in the hair. This is what I got. Even though it was 2 numbers off though it is so hard to get the exact same spot every single time and on skin it's so variable. I think I had the most trouble because of the darkness in the other photo. Sorry it's not perfect but maybe it will give you an idea.

[Panpan]

I tried by the numbers but I got nowhere, so I eyeballed it.

I think there is a difference in saturation. A hue/saturation adjustment layer with -1, -6, -4 to the right-side image gave me good results.

Pierre

[rnbluvva]

Shellby,

I have no advise to offer regarding your problem but I wanted to say that I think what you did with burning shadows in here and with the retouch in general is gorgeous.

Great work!

[Stroker]

Matching colour in RGB mode is very difficult. In LAB, tweaking just the AB curves should make things easy.

Mostly agree about RGB, but slightly don't. Possible, but have to get rather hardcore. What's really fun is doing 3 point translation and using the Histogram. Bit long winded considering that there are easier options.

Yeah, easier options like Lab. Definitely agree with that. In Lab, rather trivial to pull out Lightness, tweak, and put back in.

Now, doing the colour work in Lab might be tricky if you're not familiar with the ideas. Read Steve's Intro to Curves. On the 3rd page, Steve gives an excellant example of translating colours to get rid of colour cast, but the idea for matching fleshtones is the same.

I also have some home-brew Lab filters that would make short work of this kind of Lab colour stuff. If you've got the yarbles for it, try Major ab Balance or 3Pxab Trans. One of these days I'll work on some real tutorials for those.

[byRo]

shelby, I'm going to insist a bit here....

This is what I would do:
1) Change to 16 bit mode (maybe not strictly necessary, I just feel more comfortable when in LAB);
2) Change to LAB mode;
3) Take a reading of the A and B numbers from some representative mid-range point in the target photo. The exact place doesn't matter because the AB numbers don't vary much;
4) Take a reading of A and B from a similar place in your working photo;
5) Use one point on each curve to fix the A and B numbers, don't touch the L(uminosity) channel;
6) If you are correcting an overall colour cast then you're done. If just the skin tones, then put in another point at 0,0 on both the A and B curves.

(worth a try )
Rô

[shellby]

Thanks!

I didn't do the retouching... I will be working on the original unretouched image actually....