Quick Curves 2: Desert Trouble

[ggroess]

Paul,
Just another note....

The red line in the curve means that you have created a curve that has impossible colors / tones on it.  The red line is called "curve guard" you can disable it if you want to but I'd suggest leaving it on.  "Red" is a bad thing in general.

Greg M is right in that you can pin the curve down but again these are things the CM101 class will be bringing out.  I'd like you to remember this one and re-visit it after we get a few weeks into the class and see if you can make it a better image with less effort.

All that being said...keep playing with it...This is where we can learn some really interesting stuff.

Greg

[mikemeister_admin]

Not sure if I followed - but here's an attempt

Paul well done, you have got the idea

Now the interesting thing is to try the same sort of curve in rgb instead of lab.  One of the great things about CM is that you can try curving in different spaces and compare them quickly.

You will find that lab is a fantastic tool, but a bit like a sledge hammer - not good at delicate tasks!
RGB on the other hand has strange side effects, like changing colour at the same time as lightness, but is much more delicate - and this image requires that.

So frequently I'll do a first pass on rgb & a 2nd in lab (or vv), depending on the characteristics of the image.

When I did this course I always tried both rgb & lab to solve the problem and thus slowly began to understand which one I should use, when.  If you can, then add hsb & cmyk - but I couldnt get to grips with them!

Enjoy the course - you'll find that curving is a fantastic tool and CM is the easiest way to use it.
All the best
(English) Chris

[mikemeister_admin]

You will find that lab is a fantastic tool, but a bit like a sledge hammer - not good at delicate tasks!

I disagree.  CIELAB allows much more careful alteration of colors without side-effects, making it ideal for delicate tasks. :)

[mikemeister_admin]

Ah, I should have made it clear I was referring to the tones, not the colour, for this image.

I frequently find it better to curve for tones in rgb and curve for colour in lab - but perhaps that's just me!

[mikemeister_admin]

I was not sure how much to lighten the rocks. The mask really helped overall I think.

[ggroess]

bravo...good job!

Greg

[jlowell]

Hi All,

First let me apologize for not yet getting the hang of capturing Curvemeister screen so I can show the curves I've used.
The image below is corrected using only Curvemeister. I used Lab and did simple 20-point saturation curves in the a and b channels. The Lightness channel curve, on the other hand is pretty torturous. I used the eyedropper in the image to locate the shadow areas for the rocks to lighten this whole area to bring out detail without making it the dominant part of the picture. Then I also did some contrast work on the rest of the desert to bring out the color and get rid of the muddy cast of the original.
Jim

[jlowell]

Ok, let's try this again with the image attached.
Jim

[ggroess]

the background looks great..

Do not worry too much about getting these done right that is what the class is for...
if you right click on a shadow area and choose "set shadow" you might prefer this to the eye droppers...

Same for the highlights and neutral.

to capture the curves in the print screen just grab the screen before you close CM.  I'd prefer both the curves and the whole image.  I like the image so I can open it in PS and really look around.  the image with the curves helps so I can see what you see...

Greg

[jlowell]

Greg,
Thanks for the hint. I did reset to shadows using the right-click "set Shadows. It did make an overall subtle difference to the image: a bit more contrast and sharpness.
Jim