Low-contrast effect

[dangorka]

Hi,

I am very curious is there any possibility to archieve this kind of colors and low contrast in photography, using Photoshop. It looks like additional texture was added to the image. I tried few textures and different blending modes, and my tries are not even close to this amazing image. I know that lighting is very important but maybe there is an option to archieve this colors and low contrast?

http://medithanera.blox.pl/resource/...6wqdo1_500.jpg


The other example is this photography. Please can anyone tell me how to get this soft low-contrast look? Anything I try, for example cross processing, makes it hazy, or gives me still too much contrast and too much saturation.

http://medithanera.blox.pl/resource/...434c6eea59.jpg

http://medithanera.blox.pl/resource/smoking24.jpg - that is the last example i hope you understand what i mean.

Decreasing "contrast" value in Photoshop makes my photography unatracttive

[Wolfman]

Looks more like muting color and open shadows with shadow/highlight a little
as a start.... colors are definitely shifted... you would have to figure out that part to your taste.

[Tony W]

Have you tried working backwards from the results you want to achieve? For instance all those images look like they could be corrected (to a degree) in photoshop to look 'more conventional'. I suggest that you bring a couple of them into PS and have a go at 'correcting' them by using curves. For the first one even the Auto curves gets close to a 'normal' image.

Why not post an example image of your own here without any processing and ask how to change it to mimic 'the look'?

[dangorka]

Originally Posted by Tony W

Have you tried working backwards from the results you want to achieve? For instance all those images look like they could be corrected (to a degree) in photoshop to look 'more conventional'. I suggest that you bring a couple of them into PS and have a go at 'correcting' them by using curves. For the first one even the Auto curves gets close to a 'normal' image.

Why not post an example image of your own here without any processing and ask how to change it to mimic 'the look'?

Thank you for your advice.

I made from this

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/1815/edytowane2.jpg

This: http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/8209/edytowane.jpg

But it is still not as soft and gentle as oryginal image (http://medithanera.blox.pl/resource/...6wqdo1_500.jpg)

Any ideas? I think that now i shuld perfom some action connected with shadow/highlights? Any idea?

[Tony W]

When I said post an example image of your own I meant one that you have actually taken yourself!

These images I suspect are not yours to play with and subject to copyright of the original photographer. So unless you have either shot these yourself or have the copyright holders permission IMO you should not be using them.

In answer to your question try moving the individual channel sliders for white and black points vertically up and down to lower/soften contrast. You can also play with the shadow/highlight command

[Wolfman]

Here's my take on this......played with various methods lowering the contrast and toning toward magenta and desaturate and a little minus clarity in raw
and finally a gradient map at a low opacity.

[mikedimples]

I adjusted the contrast with curves, the color with a gradient map set to color blending mode, and made a couple small tweaks. Here's the psd: http://www.mediafire.com/?1if183cd39ih3lh

It's not perfect, but close.

[diva42]

I found this action and if you play with the settings you can come pretty close
http://www.flickr.com/groups/techniq...2925085/page2/

[lucija]

just go to the levels and put the output levels for RGB,red and blue channels a little lighter in the dark part.

[lucija]

i also played just a little bit with the midtone slider on input levels in rgb and blue channel

[lucija]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3961776...in/photostream

[diva42]

Thanks lucija great effect!

[Sergy Manko]

Effct of the first photo can be done with this curve.

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/mem...3008-curve.jpg

P.S. My first post btw

[diva42]

I get a blank page Sergy

[Sergy Manko]

Oh sorry. Fixed.

[diva42]

Thank You Sergy so many different ways to achieve desired effect its good to have a variety of approaches as images vary I really appreciate the help as I'm just starting to slowly learn.

[John Wheeler]

If you have the luxury of having a before and after image and just need to know the transformation that gets you from one to the other, then, there is a diagnostic technique that can get you very close without much difficulty.

1) Bottom Layer is Original Image
2) Next Layer use either Curves, Levels, or your desired Adjustment Layer you want to try (I used Levels)
3) Next Layer up is the Target Image set to Difference Blend
4) One more layer above that set to solid gray at about R=G=B=220; Set Blend Mode to Color Dodge; All this layer does is a linear amplification of the difference result of the layer below. The lighter the solid gray the greater the amplification
5) Set Channels to view Red Channel only
6) Set Levels Adjustment Layer to the Red Channel
7) Slide Output Levels first to get the darkest resulting image for the Red Channel
9) If needed, adjust the Gamma slider next (middle Levels slider)
10)Adjust black and white point sliders if needed ( It was not needed on this image)
11) Iterate on 7-10 if needed
12) Repeat 5-11 for Green and Blue Channels
13) The Adjustment Layer will now be set to achieve a very close match from Adjusted Layer to Targeted Layer

In one minute I created a single Levels Adjustment Layer setting that had 97% of the pixels within 1% of the ideal final image colors. Of course this only works if you have the before and after image to work from.

Here were the final settings for each of the Levels Adjustment:
Color.....Blk Output.....White Output.....Blk Pnt.....Gamma.....White Pnt
Red..........117................247.................0...........1.04...........255
Green.........63................252.................0...........1.00...........255
Blue..........102................244.................0.............96...........255

This took much longer to explain than to actual do. Here are the three images for comparison:

Starting Image

Levels Adjusted on Left - Target Image on Right

If my explanation was not clear, just poke me and I will clarify.
Hope this is useful.
John

[Sergy Manko]

Thats a lot of work for somthing that can be achieved just with one curve adjustment layer... but a really great method anyway.

[John Wheeler]

Sorry if my explanation was not clear. It is just a method to determine the optimum values to use to achieve a transformation from a Starting Image to a Target Image using a single adjustment layer (Levels, Curves, or otherwise).

In my example it was a single Levels Adjustment Layer (not multiple) and took less than a minute to make the adjustments to achieve a pretty good match. You basically twiddle the sliders until the image goes black and you are done.

Hope that clarifies.

In fact, I did the same optimization using a single Curves Adjustment Layer in less than 60 seconds. Very similar to what you came up with with some differences in the highlights and the Green curve I used was lower than your blue Curve. Just another technique. Again, only good if you have a before and after image to work with. Does not help otherwise.

Optimizing using Curves Adj Layer instead of Levels Adj Layer

[diva42]

@John When you say target image what exactly is that the original placed above the curves/levels layer? Sorry I'm a bit lost I am assuming when you use either curves or levels its to get as close to the original color as you can without the source image am I right? If so I used the curves auto adjust and see the color difference between mine and yours mine having more green to it. As for the rest of the steps well I know some about photoshop but not enough I am a eager learner I don't quite follow how to achieve grey rgb 220 I tried filling a layer with 50% grey but I don't think thats what you meant. As for the channels I will have to study further I know how to get there but adding adj layer Im not to sure of.

Thanks for your help in advance

[diva42]

Scratch the grey rgb 220 got it! Google worked!

[diva42]

I almost got it its a tad lighter I used curves on auto adj layer and then a levels adj layer working on the red and blue and rgb channels in the output and middle sliders as suggested by lucija above

[diva42]

Can really get creative with colors working with the curves and levels and I also tinker with color balance I was just messing around and came up with this and no I did not layer the image its a flare technique that I layered I put my own take on