How-to-Guide [Part 3] Colour and Tone

Photoshop enables me to change the colour and tone of any of my layers that have an effect on the appearance of my poster. I am able to change the colour and the tone by increasing or decreasing the value of sliders on the brightness and contrast adjuster, hue and saturation adjuster or by changing the levels and curves adjusters.

To change the brightness or contrast I go to:

Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast. 

Menu option to change the Brightness/Contrast

By sliding the image up to 150 it increases the brightness of the image making elements of the image appear washed out. Also, some of the outlines of other layers are visible. This is unusable for my current project as I aim to make, within it’s tone and treatment a darker, gritty film. I found this option easy to use and can see the benefits of using it for other projects, but not on this one. 

The Brightness slider has been increased to 150.

By sliding Brightness slider down the overall image becomes much darker. This is a more favourable look for my movie but I am still not entirely enamoured by this because I want to ensure that the masked man in the image appears as if he is coming out of the darkness as opposed to hiding in it.

The Brightness slider has been decreased to -150

Depending on whether the contrast slider is increased or decreased the image becomes lighter or darker respectively.  This is because the values work independently as opposed tom the brightness option where light and dark works in unison.  If the contrast slider is too high, as shown in the screen shot, the highlights (ie: the lighter parts of the image) become over exposed and washed out. When the values of the slider is reduced my image appears a little darker and in this instance it gave a better look to the image. 

 

Again, I found this tool an easy option to use and would probably use this as my preferred method of changing the brightness and contrast on future projects.

To change the hue or saturation of the image I go to:

Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation.

Menu option to change the Hue/Saturation

By changing the hue every colour within the image will either get lighter or darker depending on which way I change the slider. In the screen grab below I have increased the slider and the images appears more blue. I wouldn’t use this effect as blue colours usually connote Sci-Fi films and the movie I intend to produce is far from a space aged adventure.

The Hue has been increased adding unwanted colour to my image.

By decreasing the slider colours still remain, but again this is not a look that I want for my poster as it does not represent my movie.

In this image the Hue has been decreased.

To change the colour balance of the image I go to:

Image > Adjustments > Colour Balance




Menu options to change the colour balance.

In this option I can change individual colours that have variant effects on my image by oversaturating the image with particular colours. In the images shown I have deliberately oversaturated the images with the following colours; Cyan, Red, Magenta, Green, Yellow, Blue.

As semiotic analysis has taught me using blue gives the image a Sci-Fi feel and red gives the image a look that is more related to a horror movie.

The blue colour balance has been increased for this image. 

The cyan colour balance has been increased for this image.

The green colour balance has been increased for this image.

The magenta colour balance has been increased for this image.

The red colour balance has been increased for this image.

The yellow colour balance has been increased in this image.

Another way of changing the image is by manipulating the levels and curves. To change the levels I go to:

Image > Adjustments > Levels

The options I would choose to change the levels
within my image.

As the examples show by moving the sliders up or down I can make the image appear darker or lighter. I am able to select specific areas of light or dark within the image. In the examples shown there is a before and after where I have randomly manipulated the light and contrast. By manipulating the levels I am able to choose the type of white or black that I wish to change. Due to the ability of selecting specific areas within an image this is a tool that I would use in the future to pin point fine tuning within an image I am creating.

This shows the current levels within my image.



This is how my image looks prior to changing the levels.

I have changed the levels of the blacks, whites and greys
within my image.

This is now how my image looks now that the
levels have been changed.

To change the curves I go to:

Image > Adjustments > Curves

The options I would use to change the
curve values within my image.

By adjusting the curves I am able to select the whites, greys and blacks of an image. When the window opens I can manipulate the diagonal line that goes across the box which changes the contrast levels within the image. Although that this option is very similar to the levels option it does give me more control by pinpointing a specific “white” or “black” within the image.

An image of the curves option.
The whites, blacks and greys have not yet been altered.

My image again without changes to the curves.

Another image of the curves option.
Here I have altered the curve to change the whites, blacks and greys.

Although I didn’t use this advanced method in the creation of my poster I can see how it would be extremely useful and would certainly consider the use of it in further projects.