Matte Colour Grading Photo Editing in Adobe Photoshop 2025,
Therefore, Achieving a matte color grading effect in Adobe Photoshop involves reducing contrast and “lifting” the black tones of your image. This gives the photo a soft, faded look. You can use several adjustment layers to accomplish this, with the most common methods utilizing the Curves and Levels tools.
Matte Colour Grading Photo Editing in Adobe Photoshop 2025,
Using Curves:
Therefore, The Curves adjustment is one of the most effective ways to create a matte look.
- In other words, Add a Curves Adjustment Layer to your image.
- Therefore, On the curve graph, drag the bottom-left point (which represents the darkest tones or shadows) slightly upward. This action “lifts” the shadows, making the darkest areas of your photo appear faded and grey instead of pure black.
- In other words, You can further refine the look by adding additional points on the curve to adjust the mid-tones and highlights. Moving the curve into a slight “S” shape can add back some contrast while maintaining the faded blacks.
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Using Levels:
Therefore, Another simple way to achieve the matte effect is with a Levels adjustment.
- In other words, Add a Levels Adjustment Layer.
- However, In the Levels properties panel, find the black output slider (the small triangle on the far left of the bottom bar) and drag it to the right. This lightens the black point of the image, producing the characteristic washed-out, matte appearance.
Matte Colour Grading Photo Editing in Adobe Photoshop 2025,
Other Methods and Tips:
- Reduce Contrast: In other words, You can also reduce overall contrast using the Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer. This is a good starting point before fine-tuning with other tools.
- Solid Color Layer: However, For a color-toned matte look, add a new Solid Color fill layer (e.g., a light grey or a warm, vintage hue) and change its blending mode to Soft Light. Then, lower the opacity to control the intensity of the effect.
- Camera Raw Filter: However, For a comprehensive approach, use the Camera Raw Filter. This filter provides a single interface to control curves, saturation, and other effects to create your matte look. It’s especially useful for raw images.
- Add Grain: In other words, To enhance the vintage or film-like quality often associated with the matte look, you can add a subtle amount of grain using the Camera Raw Filter or a dedicated grain filter.
