Colour Correction Lesson Plan
This course is a step-by-step guide to colour correcting images that are in one of the traditional file formats, where any editing affects the actual pixels of the image. In other words this is a non-raw file workflow which you would normally use only with analogue images that have been scanned and need correction.
This methodology provides a thoroughly scientific way of correcting images. If you are a sports photographer or a retail photographer, the accuracy of this method may not be necessary. If, however, you are a fashion photographer needing to render the colours of garments accurately, or if you are involved in working with historic photographs and needing to reproduce them faithfully for archival purposes, then this methodology is for you.
Correcting contrast
Balancing white light
Checking neutral grays
Checking sky blues
Checking skin tones
Targeting colours
Lifting shadow detail
Correcting contrast
First we need to learn how to maximise the tonal range across the 256 tones available within the colour channels.
Balancing white light
The next step is to apply the previous step to a colour image where you need to be aware of the rules of white light.
Checking neutral grays
Grays in an image are the first sure way of checking whether the image has a colour cast to it.
Checking sky blues
The pattern of the colour swatch reflecting blue skies should be a diagonal straight line. If it is not, then you know you have to do some colour correction to produce a faithful image.
Targeting colours
Once the the global corrections have been done in the previous steps, you may need to target specific colours to shift them to where they should be.
Lifting shadow detail
The final stage is to look at the shadow detail and get that right. Beyond this, more advanced masking techniques will be required. These will be developed in later modules.
Up to Digital Imaging
Back to Image Errors
On to Metadata
