autolevels

The Method

1. Open the image 'dragon_a.jpg’
Once open in your browser, you can drag the image to your desktop
or Photoshop icon, or save it your folder of choice.

2. Go to: Image - Adjustments - Auto Levels.
3. This will automatically clean the image.
It has removed nearly all the heavy magenta and blue. We still need to
adjust the colours a bit. Though it is up to you, if you feel that the image
needs more, carry on, if not save it now.
I wanted to commit the image to print and I knew that I would lose some
of the intensity when I changed to CMYK. Plus the red Australian desert really
is this vivid.

Above: Auto levels applied, right: The final corrected image with Selective Colour.

4. Go to: Image - Adjustments - Selective Colour
4. Start with Red from the drop-down menu and take out Cyan
with the slider, add yellow until it looks about right. I used these
settings: C = -58% M = -17% Y = +49%
lGo to Blue and have a look to see if there is too much Magenta,
if so remove about - 15%.
That is about it, save in whatever format you wish. If you do this
example as layers, you can file it as a PSD native file and keep
all the layers intact.

Sunken PBY Catalina flying boat

Top to bottom: Raw as taken, with Auto-levels applied,
with Selective Colour applied. Photo: Jon Carpenter

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AUTO LEVELS - Removing unwanted colour-casts easily • Enhancing a gray day • Day to night • Fill-in flash with layers • Perspective control • Auto Levels • Back to Photoshop page • Design a Wine label • Create a wood texture • Wavy borders .• Create a planet in space • Filling with colour. All images by Jon Davison unless otherwise stated. You may have photographed a scene such as the Lizard (below) on a clear blue sky day, where there were great colours everywhere right? why then has your camera recorded loads of grey/blue stuff in the shadow areas?

Bearded Dragon, Kakadu, Australia From left to right: Raw as taken, Auto-levels applied, Selective Colour applied. . With the original image (left) of the Lizard, the film has recorded the high levels of blue from the sky, bouncing off the trees, as well as the green foliage nearby. The same goes for the underwater shot of the sunken aircraft. Light has been diffused by the diatoms and other small particles in the water, so only a certain range of colours remain. Film, or digital disks 'see' exactly what is there, our eyes on the other hand compensate and correct these colour hues to white, though you can train yourself to see the colour casts. A few years ago photographers had to use filters to correct these casts. Now Photoshop can do it for you, though you still have to 'clean up' the image a tad. We will now go through this operation.
	The Method 1. Open the image 'dragon_a.jpg’ Once open in your browser, you can drag the image to your desktop or Photoshop icon, or save it your folder of choice. 2. Go to: Image - Adjustments - Auto Levels. 3. This will automatically clean the image. It has removed nearly all the heavy magenta and blue. We still need to adjust the colours a bit. Though it is up to you, if you feel that the image needs more, carry on, if not save it now. I wanted to commit the image to print and I knew that I would lose some of the intensity when I changed to CMYK. Plus the red Australian desert really is this vivid. Above: Auto levels applied, right: The final corrected image with Selective Colour. 4. Go to: Image - Adjustments - Selective Colour 4. Start with Red from the drop-down menu and take out Cyan with the slider, add yellow until it looks about right. I used these settings: C = -58% M = -17% Y = +49% lGo to Blue and have a look to see if there is too much Magenta, if so remove about - 15%. That is about it, save in whatever format you wish. If you do this example as layers, you can file it as a PSD native file and keep all the layers intact. Sunken PBY Catalina flying boat Top to bottom: Raw as taken, with Auto-levels applied, with Selective Colour applied. Photo: Jon Carpenter Top