color calibrate monitors and printers for retouching
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Real World Practices, Video Tutorial, Working With Colors

How to Color Calibrate All of Your Devices for Accurate Color

Color calibration is one of those topics that can be intimidating to beginner retouchers and photographers alike. This fantastic tutorial by our friends at Fstoppers makes calibration easy to understand by breaking down the process for several devices. If...

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lighten or darken selective colors in photoshop
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Software for Retouching, Video Tutorial, Working With Colors

How to Lighten or Darken Selective Colors in Photoshop

There are endless techniques for color grading your images, but one aspect that can be tricky is manipulating the tonal range of those colors. If you prefer performing your color work in Photoshop, this quick tip will show you...

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Real World Practices, Software for Retouching, Working With Colors

Adobe Profiles vs Capture One Color Curves

Adobe has recently released a substantial update to Camera RAW and Lightroom in the form of “Profiles.” These profiles determine how the software renders color during initial RAW conversion. In this article, we will compare the new profiles from...

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deep learning color grading by nvidia
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Industry & Community News, Working With Colors

How Deep Learning May Change How We Color Grade

Have you ever wanted to recreate a look or color palette from a favorite photo? Or have you ever wondered what it was like to turn a day scene into a night scene? Most professionals will put together reference...

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using the color tool in adobe lightroom
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Software for Retouching, Video Tutorial, Working With Colors

Manipulating Hues with the Color Tool in Lightroom

RAW conversion applications like Adobe Lightroom are often the first place that color grading begins. One incredibly useful tool that tends to be forgotten about is the Color Tool. In this video tutorial by Matt Kloskowski, you will learn how...

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gradient maps and blend if sliders for skin tones
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Beauty Retouching, Video Tutorial, Working With Colors

Enhancing Skin Tones with Gradient Maps in Photoshop

Gradient Maps are a versatile tool for color grading, especially when you want to change the color temperature of the skin. This video tutorial by Prince Meyson demonstrates how to make skin tones look rich and vibrant by using...

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color grading with color balance in capture one pro by zoe noble
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Software for Retouching, Video Tutorial, Working With Colors

How to Color Grade using the Color Balance Tool in Capture One Pro

Color goes a long way in creating a strong first impression with viewers, making it an essential part of every image maker’s workflow. In this video tutorial by Zoë Noble, you will learn how to use the Color Balance Tool...

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Software for Retouching, Video Tutorial, Working With Colors

How to Tone Images With Adjustment Layers in Photoshop

There is no understating the importance of thoughtful color when it comes to post-production. Regardless of the genre of photography, color impacts the viewer’s perception of mood, texture, atmosphere, and more. Because of that, refining the process for color grading...

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Software for Retouching, Video Tutorial, Working With Colors

Color Grading with Color Lookup Tables in Photoshop

A hidden gem within Photoshop is the Color Lookup Adjustment Layer, which utilizes LUTs for a different approach to color grading images. This lightning-fast tutorial by tutvid will give you a crash course in how to create LUTs, as...

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Software for Retouching, Video Tutorial, Working With Colors

Phase One Releases Capture One 11 With New Features & Improved Performance

Phase One has recently launched Capture One 11 with an impressive host of new features for retouchers and photographers alike. Capture One has enjoyed increasing popularity among professionals for raw conversion, tethered capture, and as a primary image processing...

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Hardware & Tools, Working With Colors

Buyer’s Guide to the Best Monitors for Retouching

The end of the year is an opportune time to invest in your business or add a smart purchase to your holiday wish list. In a retoucher’s quest for quality, investing in a great monitor can help you take advantage...

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Video Tutorial, Working With Colors

Using Gradient Maps to Color Grade Your Photographs

Color grading images is an essential aspect of post-production. Just as films are always color graded to instill a certain aesthetic or mood, the same is often true when retouching a stylized photoshoot. This quick tip by Kevin Roodhorst...

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Real World Practices, Video Tutorial, Working With Colors

How to Quickly Add Color to a Gray Background in Photoshop

A neutral gray backdrop is a staple of any studio setup, a versatile choice that can be easily adapted for various lighting situations. However, too much of a good thing can be bad, as too much gray can begin...

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Real World Practices, Video Tutorial, Working With Colors

Color Grading with the Color Balance Tool in Photoshop

One of the most powerful means of impacting your audience is through the effective use of color. Setting the mood, creating an atmosphere, or even just using an aesthetically pleasing color palette is vital to attracting the clients you...

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using color calibration profiles in adobe lightroom
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Software for Retouching, Video Tutorial, Working With Colors

How to Use Color Calibration Profiles in Lightroom

Effective use of color should be a top priority for all retouchers and photographers. While there are multiple ways to manage colors, one particularly underused yet simple feature is the Camera Calibration tool within Adobe Lightroom. In this video tutorial...

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Video Tutorial, Working With Colors

How to Quickly Change Your Background Color in Photoshop

There will often be times when retouchers are asked to change the background color of an image. Like many aspects of retouching, there are a myriad of ways to accomplish this task. One of our favorite methods in Photoshop...

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Hardware & Tools, Working With Colors

Why Your Monitor Can’t Display Some Colors

The modern PC monitor does an exceptional job of representing a photograph in light, built from hundreds of thousands, or millions of pixels, each capable of showing one of over 16 million colors. For those of you like myself who...

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Fundamentals, High-End Beauty & Fashion, Working With Colors

Color and Luminosity: Real-World Color Correction Techniques

Introduction Every now and then, an image comes along with complex color schemes that can be daunting to retouch. For such cases, isolating luminosity and color components of the image and tackling each one individually can be helpful.  First, we must...

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Commercial Retouching, Working With Colors

Working With Colors: Examining The Louis Vuitton Look

Following on from my last article in which we examined the use of complimentary colors in a Mario Testino campaign, this week I want to bring to your attention a piece in which I examined the very particular style...

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