Lightroom-like split toning

[undavide]

Hello to you all,
I'm wondering how to simulate in Photoshop the Adobe Lightroom Split toning for grayscale colorizing (for those who don't know it, Lightroom has a channel mixer grayscale conversion followed by a Highlights/Shadows hue/sat sliders) and I need help...

The first obvious way (two sat colorizing adj. layers with alpha mask: select, color range, highlights the first and shadows the second) gave horrible posterisation, compared to the Lightroom smooth result.
So I tryed again the two sat adj layers with different alpha mask (a luminosity mask and an inverted one) but again no luck. Better, but not as subtle effect as Lightroom's one -- and if you switch the sat layers you get different colors!

I can't figure out how to proceed... I'd like to avoid messing around with duotones etc. It must be an easier way, but I'm not able to find it. Any clue? All suggestions greatly appreciated!
Best regards,

unDavide

[undavide]

Gradient map adj. layer in color blending mode maybe?

unDavide

[PhotoVagrant]

I'm not familiar with Lightroom so I'm not sure the effects are the same but 1click have toning and split toning actions for Photoshop that work well and I can recommend. The split tones are in volume 2

[NancyJ]

Originally Posted by PhotoVagrant

I'm not familiar with Lightroom so I'm not sure the effects are the same but 1click have toning and split toning actions for Photoshop that work well and I can recommend. The split tones are in volume 2

Call me an old cynic if you like but 11 of your 12 posts here have mentioned 1 click - sounds like thinly veiled advertising to me.

[Photo678]

Im sure you know this, but split toning is passing a print through two sets of chemicals a gold toner and something cool, one for the highlights and one for the shadows.

digitally, you can do two things


1: Create a color balance layer on top of your bw image (must be rgb, obviously) and adjust for the sepia, or warms

create a second layer on top of that and adjust for your cools.

go into your blending options and, and in the "blend if" area move the slider towards the midtones.

tweak the left sliders a bit until you see what you are looking for, and you can also lower the opacity of the layers to help.

2: create reference layers of brightness contrast...one for hightlights, and one for shadows....select shadows, by color range, add the fuzz...do a feather, 3-4 pixels, return to base image (or new layer), while shadows are selected and do a color balance for your warms.

repeat with cools....

its been a while since ive done this so my memory may be fuzzy...good luck

[smiley guy]

Colour balance is what I use and have had a fair bit of success. I usually do a warm colour adjustment for highlights and a cool one for shadows and usually keep midtones where they are. It's all right there in the one window and stays as one adjustment layer. You don't like it? Go back in and change it without destroying the original picture. One adjustment layer doesn't add that much to the size of the file either.

Play, play, play and see what works for you. I usually do a very subtle adjustment just to add a bit of interest to my b&w photos.

[Godmother]

Originally Posted by NancyJ

Call me an old cynic if you like but 11 of your 12 posts here have mentioned 1 click - sounds like thinly veiled advertising to me.

But you are right...

It's funny actually.

[undavide]

Originally Posted by Photo678

go into your blending options and, and in the "blend if" area move the slider towards the midtones.

Yessss!
That's what I was looking for! It happens to me, sometimes, to forget about PS features I actually knew: I know it's possible to achieve that particular effect, but... some days... I can't remember how! (this means: I need vacations )
Thanks to all of you that answered,
best,

unDavide

[AlexUnderBoots]

please tell me how to simulate in Photoshop Lightroom-split-tone in color images?

[andrewrodney]

Originally Posted by AlexUnderBoots

please tell me how to simulate in Photoshop Lightroom-split-tone in color images?

Easy, use Adobe Camera Raw, it has the identical set of sliders. You have Photoshop, you then have ACR. It will open and edit a TIFF.

[AlexUnderBoots]

how to do this family means a photoshop?
GM + color or Overlay gives a completely different result (((((

[4personnen]

You can use an Highlight mask, and a shadow mask and then apply a solid colour layer different for each... (With a gradient map the effects are quite nice as well)

there is a method to make luminosity mask, that you can find here :

http://www.goodlight.us/writing/lumi...tymasks-1.html(really really worth the read!)

all the layers set in colour or hue (depending on what you're after)

[brodiebutler]

Dont forget you can still open JPEGS in Adobe Camera Raw too! Doesnt have to be a RAW or TIFF file.

Then when you open it, hold down the shift key and open as a smart object! Then you can re-adjust your ACR sliders later.

[Eikon]

just came across this thread... thought id throw in my 2 cents and see if people can suggest something.

the thing about the ACR or Lightroom split toners is that they leave the underlying colors intact and just adjust the highlights and shadows. im pretty sure all the above mentioned methods and suggestions will completely disregard the original color and set the image to a true 2 color only split tone.

i prefer to work with adjustment layers so im wondering if there is a setup that will allow me to setup similar controls where i can retain the original color and just tone the highlights/shadows. a color balance layer KINDA does it, but its definitely not as flexible as the ACR or LR tools.

any suggestions?

[John Wheeler]

Hi Elkon and welcome to the forums

I am not sure what you desire is what the original thread was all about. Nevertheless, to maintain the Color from below and just adjust the Luminosity with the adjustment Layer(s), set the Blend mode to Luminosity. The definition of the Luminosity Blend Mode is to use just the Luminosity component subsequent to the adjustment and use the Color from the Layers below. I am not sure if that is what you want yet it sounded like it. Hope that is helpful.

[Eikon]

hi John, thanks for the response.

... but nope, that wasnt what i meant. what i meant by ACR and LR only adjusting the highlights and shadows was that it only adjusted those tones/color ranges. not luminosity. so the midtones stay as they were and the shadows and highlights change color. does that make more senes? sorry for the confusion

[Chain]

Oar alternatively, If you want to shift the color without affecting the luminosity, set the blending mode for your adjustment to color. I would also experiment with the contrast blend modes (like soft light).
Reduce Opacity to show more of the original color/image.

For a split-toning effect (different color tone for highlights/shadows) you could use several different adjustment layers; I would recommend Gradient Map.

As someone said, you can also use Camera Raw (identical adjustments to Lightroom).

I have attached some images just to show that different method can be used for the toning. They are give a bit different results (and possibilities), but they all work. Personally I would always use Curves or Gradient Map.
(max. 5 files per post, remaining images in next post).

[Chain]

(the last two are the ones i like the least).

[Eikon]

chain, thanks for the options. i've played around with lots of variations and most of them get there eventualy, just not as neat and tidy as the ACR or LR tools. also, maybe its the image im currently using, but the 'blend if' slider gives me hard, posterized edges, not smooth transitions.

[Eikon]

oh, nevermind... i didnt realize you could split the blend-if slider. i wish id known that years ago!!

[Chain]

Yep, the blend if sliders are pretty useless until you learn that trick.