Coloring for fashion

[GlamGuru]

So I flip through all the fashion magazine and alot of ads and editorials have some really nice tones.Whether it be the skin, the skies, the woods, you name it. I think I'm where I want to be as far as skin retouching. I want to focus more on the final coloring or grading as they say in video. The overall feel of the image. I want to be able to look at a magazine and and say, I'm going to use that color palette. I know that basics of getting a cross processed look, for example the Blue channel in curves for filling some blue in the shadows and yellow in the highlights. I still feel lost trying to achieve the coloring.

Is there any tutorials or video that talks about this? How to emulate a color scheme that you would find in magazines.

[mshi]

Re: Coloring for fashion

Color wheel is your tool.

[eraanexact]

Re: Coloring for fashion

I don't know if there are any tutorials that nail this topic in one sitting since every image is different and has it's own character and challenges. I think the best way to understand color is to simply play with it, get lots of practice. Find a color palette you like and then try to emulate it with one of your own images.

This link is a little wordy, but it's a nice primer about the power of curves:

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/photoshop-curves.htm

If you can start with an S curve that establishes overall contrast and color, you can add further curves (or levels, hue/sat, channel mixer, etc etc) adjustment layers to achieve your desired result.

I personally think that color is one of the hardest aspects of retouching to master, and I don't believe that there are any shortcuts to get there. It's simply something that comes with practice and patience.

[mshi]

Re: Coloring for fashion

Of course, ultimately you have to have an eye/taste/understanding for color, which is developed thru years cultivating with visual imagery in all sorts of medium. The other day on a MM's thread ( here ) , I stated working knowledge of color wheel and using tools such as curves can quickly get you into the right direction for color grading. There is a less sophisticated person argued against my premise. To those that believe color wheel is not essential, what else I can say?

[ShadowLight]

Re: Coloring for fashion

Of course, ultimately you have to have an eye/taste/understanding for color, which is developed thru years cultivating with visual imagery in all sorts of medium. The other day on a MM's thread ( here ) , I stated working knowledge of color wheel and using tools such as curves can quickly get you into the right direction for color grading. There is a less sophisticated person argued against my premise. To those that believe color wheel is not essential, what else I can say?

you may not be able to say much more, but I can.

this "less sophisticated" person understands much more about grading than you, and that "color wheel" you gave as example is adjusting globally and you will never be able to achieve the graing in question, nor the curves adjustments you called "cross process"

(and this is why you were only able to make overall cold look of the image,
and later claiming that you like it better)


the adjustments for colour-shifts should be at least separate for shadows/mid/highlights

and again, in that style you gave as an example on MM you will need to take account of Saturation and Hue too.
(in other words, have masks for them too, not just luminosity)

you keep insisting that using curves and other global adjustments will be sufficient, which is nonsense!
I tried to explain it but you never payed attention to what was said.

I guess that made me "less sophisticated person" )

------

anyway, the OP's question,

you can make global corrections, like using curves to make a cross-process look or make cold tones in the image but that is more of a "color correction" than "grading".

in movies, with grading most changes should be done selectively.
your best way to do it in photoshop is using the "selective tool" and "color balance", or setup masks (like luminosity masks) to make targeted corrections.

If you want to use a "that color palette" you should have been the one setting up the photoshoot and have chosen the setup (clothes, location etc) yourself, which is probably not what you think of.

you can check some grading examples here: http://illuminations.herokuapp.com/
load any image you like, and choose a grading style

[mshi]

Re: Coloring for fashion

you keep insisting that using curves and other global adjustments will be sufficient, which is nonsense!
I tried to explain it but you never payed attention to what was said.

I guess that made me "less sophisticated person" )

Thats 100% bull. The sample image I worked on was done in LR4 Beta, you need to keep that in mind. Here is what I wrote on MM,

"It all depends on the image that you're working on. In LR, there is no blending modes. In PS, you can blend it in color if contrast really works against it. The other thing to remember is there are ten channels in three modes, and by working them you can create tons of more channels for your particular needs so that you can have much finer control in local grading. Global adjustments alone usually don't give you any good results. But, in the end, the most essential part is still the color wheel."

and here is what you wrote on the same thread,


"Sid, nice examples of those styles.

quote: "For the above images, the effect is accomplished with a combination of Luminosity masks, Hue Saturation, Selective Color, Levels, Curves and Channels in Photoshop to tone the low end, mid and high separately..."

... I think you didn't miss a tool in the photoshop's toolkit
but I am quite sure no luminosity masks are needed,
nor editing low/mid/high tones separately. "

http://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=821153&page=1

[ShadowLight]

Re: Coloring for fashion

Taking my reply from out of context to someone else is misleading.
He did list just about all tools in PS, and some make low/mid/high corrections without the need of luminosity masks. His post in his blog was essentially - "they did it with photoshop" which is more then vague, hence my reply.

as far as you go, I can see you are cluless about what you talk about, so let me quote you what you say about the grading of the movie Hugo:

michael shi - "it's just cross-processing."

me -"why would you say that?
(it does not look anything like cross-processing) "

michael shi -"working with the curves and masks: link to video"

<note: the video showed basic grading tools, which would not allow for overlapping conditional masks>

michael shi -"In other words, it's color wheel at work."

me - "no."

as I was explaining, to get this effect you need to account for luminosity (you may use masks if you wish), but also consider the levels of saturation and hue (and make overlapping masks if you work with masks)


you showed a cooled down image, using a couple of curves and changed the discussion claiming it looked better:

michael shi - "I just used cross-processing thru curves and blending modes on your sample image, and in less than two minutes here is what I came up with: <nothing that has to do with the style in question>"

me - "the warmth of the skin is gone, don't you think?"

michael shi - "I am not a super fanboy of really reddish skin tone evident in your rendering."

it is evident that you have big ego, but contrary to your claims, it is not backed up by any technical knowledge nor understanding of the subject matter.
And the only way to back it up is insults and arrogance.

saying "Thats 100% bull." ... can't agree more with that statement, when it comes to you.

enjoy the weekend.

[mshi]

Re: Coloring for fashion

ShadowLight, let me quote Mark Twain here for you, "What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so."

[ShadowLight]

Re: Coloring for fashion

most treacherous is when you don't know what you don't.

bottom line is that in the other forum you weren't able to achieve the style in question, you made something different (simpler and not relevant), yet claiming that you understand how it's done by means which will be impossible to achieve in reality.

Later posting here, referring to the other discussion as proof of your "working knowledge of the colour wheel" which is supposedly the key to achieving the necessary corrections.

Excuse my unsophistication, but I'm just alergic to b.s.

that just about sums it up
ps. thanks for the quote

[mshi]

Re: Coloring for fashion

Later posting here, referring to the other discussion as proof of your "working knowledge of the colour wheel" which is supposedly the key to achieving the necessary corrections.

Excuse my unsophistication, but I'm just alergic to b.s.

No, you are much more sophisticated than Leonardo da Vinci, Goethe, and Newton.

[-HT-]

Re: Coloring for fashion

What's the point of this thread...?

[ShadowLight]

Re: Coloring for fashion

No, you are much more sophisticated than Leonardo da Vinci, Goethe, and Newton.

So you put yourself between Vinci, Goethe, and Newton?
that explains a lot
--------

anyway, everyone else, excuse the sidetrack
I shouldn't have payed any attention to that person in first place.
but wanted to point out that what he says is nonsense

[edgework]

Re: Coloring for fashion

Take it outside, boys. The grown-ups are trying to get some work done.