Curvemeister Forum

This is the best (?) I can do in rgb - it could be slightly improved by having a second CM curve in Lab to enhance the colours and bring out the skin tones a little more.

and the curves are
http://www.broadhurst-family.co.uk/CurveMeister/QuadKiteFlyers-RGBwed.acv
RGB QuadKiteFlyersRGBwed.jpg:
;RGB:  (0,19) (36,88) (138,191) (255,255)
;Red:  (3,0) (85,101) (239,255)
;Green:  (7,0) (103,101) (242,255)
;Blue:  (6,0) (116,101) (249,255)

I basically attempted to set the colours using the channels and then boost the shadows by playing with the master rgb channel - which of course changed the colours again and weakened the sky colour no end.

A basic question is, is this a naughty thing to do - playing with the rgb master curve? (as it changes colour as well as luminosity).  I shall have another bash later doing this in 2 steps to see if I can improve on it.

I would say that in this image as in all images in the course...You should go for the best image you can.  You are not limited to curves but they should be your tool of choice. 

There are not "rules" except produce the best you can from the image and share the results.

I would take the second pass at it in Lab and pop the color...

Greg

Humm - I'm not sure I agree as I thought the idea was to
a) learn CM and it's features
b) learn to curve

I could, for instance, come up with this image

- about 5 mouse clicks (Severe Sun/Shadow, one of the actions I have listed on my web site) and it would do fine (in my opinion) for this snapshot picture, but I really want to understand colour and curves and what I can, and cannot, do with them!

I never said that you could be lazy...
We want you to put Curves in the front of your tool box.  It cannot be the only tool in the box.  There are sometimes many ways to skin a cat..blah blah blah...sometimes Curves is like using a sledge hammer sometimes it's a feather duster...

You will learn all the things you listed...but if you don't get the results you want them we have missed the mark have we not?? 

Personally, I find myself learning from all of you every time I help out because you bring new ideas to the class.  I know others do too. 

BTW I would say the image you posted was too dark and about 20 cyan...IMHO...so Curves would improve it...
Greg

This is a tough image because of the backlighting.  Zog's first image is about as good as it gets with RGB, or Lab for that matter.  Good neutral, and with enough darkness remaining in the sky that the strings still show correctly.

The second image has a darker sky, and as Greg said, an overall cyan cast.  Later on we'll tackle this image using a mask, and get the best of both worlds: good detail in the faces, and a dark sky.

Thanks Mike, but

a) I asked "A basic question is, is this a naughty thing to do - playing with the rgb master curve? (as it changes colour as well as luminosity). "

b) I have a feeling that if I first CM for luminosity, then re-enter CM for colour only - and change the 2 layers to blend luminosity and colour, I might get a better image.  Something along these sort of lines...


What do you think?  (I know we will be using masks later, but I'm just pretending CM3 doesnt have that facility for the moment)

There's nothing naughty about modifying the RGB curve.  I do it all the time for images that lack both color and contrast, such as underexposed images. 

The RGB composite curve is a bit like a hammer, though, in that there is usually a more subtle and accurate alternative.  When first starting out it can lead to distortions of color that are not desirable - for this reason I recommend that people try using Lab's Lightness curve instead of the RGB composite curve, and compare the results.  This comparison is very easy to do in Curvemeister.

Using a layer in luminosity mode is an excellent technique.  When doing this, try converting to Lab mode, without flattening, and see if you like the result better.