Posted by Kevin Trinkner on September 5, 2008 at 11:25 AM
I'm wondering if someone could help me understand the issue I'm having with this monotone conversion. For some reason the reflected cliffs stay dark even when I brighten up the cliffs. I'm using a black and white layer in CS3. Turned up the reds brings up the tone on the cliffs, but it doesn't change the reflection.
Curious what I could do to even this out?
Any suggestions are appreciated.
Posted by Nat Coalson on September 5, 2008 at 11:48 AM
Sometimes it helps to adjust the color image a bit before doing the conversion. The colors and tones in the cliffs and the reflections may not be as close in numeric value as they appear to the eye.
After adding the BW layer, if you want to selectively lighten or darken the tones in the image I'd suggest adding a curves adjustment layer and modify its mask to isolate the change to the area you want.
Overall I think the BW conversion looks good; it's often the case that you won't be able to get the final result you're looking for in just one step.
Subjects in reflections are typically 1 to 1-1/2 stops darker than the original subject.
Posted by Kevin Trinkner on September 5, 2008 at 1:22 PM
Thanks Nathaniel,
so here is another question that will show my lack of experience in photoshop, how do I modify a layers mask to adjust just the areas I need? I hear about painting on a mask, but I'm not sure how to do this.
Thanks again for the help,
Kevin
Posted by Nat Coalson on September 5, 2008 at 1:48 PM
Painting on a mask is exactly what you need to do. Here's a quick overview:
When a mask is created on a new layer, by default, it's all white. White ares on a mask allow the effect of the layer to show through on the composite image.
Black on a mask hides that part of the layer.
So to isolate adjustments, first decide what areas need to be white and what needs to be black on the mask.
Click the layer mask to select it; you'll see a thin outline around the mask.
Then use the Brush tool to paint with white or black (or any shade of gray in between).
Adjust the size and hardness of the brush as needed to get the paint in just the right areas.
As you modify the mask you'll see the effect on the composite image.
Option+click or Alt+Click on the mask to see it by itself. Click the layer icon to go back to viewing the full composite image.
Discussion
3 repliesI'm wondering if someone could help me understand the issue I'm having with this monotone conversion. For some reason the reflected cliffs stay dark even when I brighten up the cliffs. I'm using a black and white layer in CS3. Turned up the reds brings up the tone on the cliffs, but it doesn't change the reflection.
Curious what I could do to even this out?
Any suggestions are appreciated.
After adding the BW layer, if you want to selectively lighten or darken the tones in the image I'd suggest adding a curves adjustment layer and modify its mask to isolate the change to the area you want.
Overall I think the BW conversion looks good; it's often the case that you won't be able to get the final result you're looking for in just one step.
Subjects in reflections are typically 1 to 1-1/2 stops darker than the original subject.
so here is another question that will show my lack of experience in photoshop, how do I modify a layers mask to adjust just the areas I need? I hear about painting on a mask, but I'm not sure how to do this.
Thanks again for the help,
Kevin
When a mask is created on a new layer, by default, it's all white. White ares on a mask allow the effect of the layer to show through on the composite image.
Black on a mask hides that part of the layer.
So to isolate adjustments, first decide what areas need to be white and what needs to be black on the mask.
Click the layer mask to select it; you'll see a thin outline around the mask.
Then use the Brush tool to paint with white or black (or any shade of gray in between).
Adjust the size and hardness of the brush as needed to get the paint in just the right areas.
As you modify the mask you'll see the effect on the composite image.
Option+click or Alt+Click on the mask to see it by itself. Click the layer icon to go back to viewing the full composite image.
Good luck!