Photoshop Photo Editing: Color Grade in Photoshop 2024,
Therefore, Color grading in Photoshop 2024 allows you to enhance the mood and style of your photos by adjusting colors in highlights, shadows, and midtones. In other words, here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started with color grading:
1. Open Your Image:
However, open your photo in Photoshop 2024 by navigating to File > Open and selecting your image.
2. Use Adjustment Layers:
However, Adjustment layers allow non-destructive editing, which means you can always go back and tweak your settings.
For instance, go to the Layers Panel and click on the Adjustment Layer icon (the half-black, half-white circle at the bottom).
Above all, select Color Balance, Curves, or Hue/Saturation depending on your needs.
3. Photoshop Photo Editing: Color Grade, Using the Color Grading Panel:
For instance, in Photoshop 2024, the Color Grading Panel (formerly called “Color Wheels”) is a powerful tool to control the color of highlights, midtones, and shadows.
Therefore, go to Window > Color Grading to open the panel if it’s not visible.
Above all, you’ll see three color wheels: Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights. Drag the handles within each color wheel to adjust the hue of different tonal ranges.
01. Adjusting Shadows:
In addition, click on the Shadows wheel and drag the dot toward the color you want to apply to the shadows (e.g., teal for a cool tone).
02. Adjusting Midtones:
Above all, similarly, drag the dot on the Midtones wheel toward a warm or cool tone depending on your desired look.
03. Adjusting Highlights:
Above all, use the Highlights wheel to colorize the bright areas of your image. For example, adding a soft orange tone to warm up the highlights.
4. Fine-Tuning Color Grading with Curves:
In addition, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves.
In addition, adjust the RGB channels separately. Select the Red, Green, or Blue channels and tweak their curves to add or subtract color from highlights, midtones, or shadows.
5. Photoshop Photo Editing: Color Grade, Using Gradient Maps:
In addition, another method is applying a Gradient Map.
After that, Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map. In the Properties panel, click on the gradient bar to open the Gradient Editor.
In addition, choose a gradient that maps shadows to one color and highlights to another. This can give you strong color grades quickly.
Photoshop Photo Editing: Color Grade in Photoshop 2024,
6. Using Look-Up Tables (LUTs):
After that, LUTs are pre-set color grading adjustments.
Similarly, Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Lookup.
After that, in the Properties panel, choose from the built-in LUTs or import a custom LUT. LUTs give you an instant, cinematic color grade.
7. Fine-Tune with Opacity and Blend Modes:
Similarly, after applying your color grading adjustments, you can reduce the effect’s intensity by lowering the Opacity of the adjustment layer.
After that, you can also experiment with different Blend Modes (e.g., Soft Light, Color, Multiply) to see how the color grading blends with your original image.
8. Check with Black & White Adjustment:
Similarly, sometimes it’s hard to see if the colors are balanced. Add a temporary Black & White Adjustment Layer on top to check the luminosity of the shadows, mid-tones, and highlights without the distraction of color.
Therefore, after you’re done checking, delete or hide the layer.
9. Apply Selective Color Adjustments:
Similarly, you can further refine color grades by using Selective Color. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Selective Color and adjust specific colors such as Reds, Blues, Greens, etc., to control their presence in the image.
10. Photoshop Photo Editing: Color Grade, Export Your Image:
Therefore, once you’re satisfied with the color grading, export your photo by going to File > Export > Export As.
In conclusion, by using these tools and techniques, you can create stunning color grades in Photoshop 2024, customizing the look and feel of your photos for any project.
