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Thread: Removing Colorcast in Photoshop Easily and Accurately

  1. #1
    Senior Member tlabranche's Avatar
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    Removing Colorcast in Photoshop Easily and Accurately

    Hey everyone,

    I made the below video to demonstrate how to remove color casts in your images. You rarely have time to shoot with a grey card, especially when the light constantly changes, or if it is an action shot. I have been experimenting for a while on how to use Photoshop to simulate a 50% grey card. You can always just take a color sampler tool and click what you think is 50% grey, but that is usually inaccurate. I finally have a pretty painless way, and it's simple to do, and really accurate. See the video below. In the example photo, the plane had a purple color cast on it. I wrote the steps below that I performed. It takes a minute.

    1.) Duplicate layer
    2.) Go to Edit, and click on Fill, and select 50% grey. Leave blending to normal at 100% opacity.
    3.) Change the blending mode from Normal to Difference. The colors will change drastically. The darkest spots on the image are where you have almost perfect 50% grey.
    4.) Add a Threshold Layer.
    5.) Slide the slider all the way to the left. The screen will turn completely white. Slide to the right until you see specs of black appearing.
    6.) Select your Color Sampler Tool.
    7.) Zoom in and click on one of the black specs.
    8.) Zoom out and add a curves adjustment layer.
    9.) Delete the Threshold layer, and the background layer that you filled with grey.
    10.) Open the Curves adjustment, and select the second sampler tool from the top. That is the grey sampler.
    11.) Click on the target you sampled earlier, and the color cast will go away.
    12.) Flatten image, and continue to post process.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1_YOemRzlc
    Timothy LaBranche

    See my photos on:
    Timothy LaBranche.com
    Flickr
    JetPhotos.net

  2. #2
    Senior Member gonzalu's Avatar
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    Timothy,

    Very nice... thank you. Another tool in the bag. I have been very successful with using the channels to control some casts. I add a Levels Adjustment layer, in each individual channel, I make sure the highs and lows are properly dialed in in case they are off. Usually with casts, one or all channels will have zero data recorded on one of the extremes.


    I used your image as an example... Took me a few seconds to adjust the sliders on two of the channels.



    Also, don;t ever discount the power of Photoshop's Auto-Color, Auto-Contrast and Auto-Tone tools ... they are scary good.
    Manny Gonzalez
    Thrust Images | General Photography | R.I.P. Matt Molnar 1979-2013
    BRING BACK THE KJFK/KLGA OBSERVATION DECKS

  3. #3
    Senior Member tlabranche's Avatar
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    I usually try automated methods first. That's why I love PS. There are so many ways to do everything.
    Timothy LaBranche

    See my photos on:
    Timothy LaBranche.com
    Flickr
    JetPhotos.net

  4. #4
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    Timothy, Thanks for these tips you posted here and for the other post processing tutorial you posted a while back. These have been very helpful - much appreciated....
    Isaac

  5. #5
    Senior Member tlabranche's Avatar
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    You're welcome! Always happy to share any tips that may help folks.
    Timothy LaBranche

    See my photos on:
    Timothy LaBranche.com
    Flickr
    JetPhotos.net

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