Adobe photoshop elements Manuel D’Utilisation
83
Chapter 4: Making Color and Tonal
Corrections
Corrections
he color and tonal correction tools in
Photoshop Elements are used with images
that were taken with a digital camera or
Photoshop Elements are used with images
that were taken with a digital camera or
scanned. You can correct the colors in an entire
image, or just portions of an image.
image, or just portions of an image.
About correcting images
It may be necessary to correct the color and tone
in an image for several reasons. The original
photograph may have a color cast caused by using
incorrect film or lighting. Or the scan may have
been imperfect—scanners can introduce color
casts or artifacts. Or the colors in your original art
may be out of printable range.
in an image for several reasons. The original
photograph may have a color cast caused by using
incorrect film or lighting. Or the scan may have
been imperfect—scanners can introduce color
casts or artifacts. Or the colors in your original art
may be out of printable range.
Complete the following steps to correct the color
balance and tonal range of an image:
balance and tonal range of an image:
Calibrate your monitor
Use Adobe Gamma to
calibrate your monitor. Otherwise, the image on
your monitor may look very different from the
same image when printed or when viewed on
another monitor. (See “Calibrating your monitor”
on page 66.)
your monitor may look very different from the
same image when printed or when viewed on
another monitor. (See “Calibrating your monitor”
on page 66.)
View all pixels
View the image at 100% before
making any color corrections. The accuracy of
color corrections may vary if all the pixels in the
image aren’t visible.
color corrections may vary if all the pixels in the
image aren’t visible.
Check the scan quality and tonal range
Look at
the image’s histogram to evaluate whether the
image has sufficient detail to produce high-quality
output. The greater the range of values in the
histogram, the greater the detail. Poor scans and
photographs without much detail can be difficult
if not impossible to correct. Too many color
corrections can also result in a loss of pixel values
and too little detail. (See “Checking scan quality
and tonal range” on page 84.)
image has sufficient detail to produce high-quality
output. The greater the range of values in the
histogram, the greater the detail. Poor scans and
photographs without much detail can be difficult
if not impossible to correct. Too many color
corrections can also result in a loss of pixel values
and too little detail. (See “Checking scan quality
and tonal range” on page 84.)
Adjust the tonal range
Begin tonal corrections by
adjusting the values of the extreme highlight and
shadow pixels in the image, setting an overall tonal
range that allows for the sharpest detail possible
throughout the image. This process is known as
setting the highlights and shadows or setting the
white and black points. (See “Adjusting tonal
range” on page 85.)
shadow pixels in the image, setting an overall tonal
range that allows for the sharpest detail possible
throughout the image. This process is known as
setting the highlights and shadows or setting the
white and black points. (See “Adjusting tonal
range” on page 85.)
Setting the highlights and shadows typically redis-
tributes the midtone pixels appropriately. When
pixel values are concentrated at either end of the
tonal range, however, you may need to adjust your
midtones manually. It is not usually necessary to
adjust midtones in images that already have a
concentrated amount of midtone detail.
tributes the midtone pixels appropriately. When
pixel values are concentrated at either end of the
tonal range, however, you may need to adjust your
midtones manually. It is not usually necessary to
adjust midtones in images that already have a
concentrated amount of midtone detail.
Adjust the color balance
After correcting the
tonal range, you can adjust the image’s color
balance to remove unwanted color casts or to
correct oversaturated or undersaturated colors.
(See “Using the Color Cast command” on
page 92.)
balance to remove unwanted color casts or to
correct oversaturated or undersaturated colors.
(See “Using the Color Cast command” on
page 92.)
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