Simple COLOR GRADE Trick To Make Your Photo Professional,
Therefore, Here’s a quick and simple color grading trick in Photoshop to give your photos a more professional, cinematic look. However, This approach uses Gradient Maps to control color tones and Curves for contrast. It’s easy and makes a noticeable difference!
Step-by-Step Guide:
1. Open Your Image in Photoshop
- Therefore, Start by opening the photo you want to color grade.
2. Add a Gradient Map
- In other words, Go to Layers > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map.
- However, This adjustment will allow you to map darks, midtones, and highlights to specific colors.
3. Choose a Gradient Preset
- In other words, Click on the gradient bar in the Gradient Map properties panel.
- However, Photoshop offers some presets, or you can create your own. For a professional look:
- Set dark tones to a deep color, like dark blue or teal.
- Set mid-tones to a neutral color, like gray or a muted orange.
- Set highlights to a warm color, like a light yellow or beige.
4. Adjust the Blending Mode and Opacity
- In other words, Change the Gradient Map layer’s blending mode to Soft Light or Overlay.
- However, Lower the Opacity to around 20-40%, depending on how intense you want the effect.
Simple Color Grade Trick To Make Your Photo Professional,
5. Fine-tune with Curves
- However, Add a Curves adjustment layer by going to Layers > New Adjustment Layer > Curves.
- For instance, Adjust the curve to increase contrast: lift the highlights and deepen the shadows slightly.
6. Optional: Add a Vignette
- For instance, A subtle vignette helps draw focus to the center of the image.
- Above all, Go to Filter > Lens Correction, click the Custom tab, and adjust the Vignette settings to your liking.
7. Final Adjustments
- For instance, You can further fine-tune the image using Brightness/Contrast or Hue/Saturation to get the exact mood you want.
In conclusion, This technique is a great starting point to make any photo look professionally color-graded. Let me know if you’d like more tips or details on any specific adjustment!