Digital Photo Tips: Using Color Modes and Color Manipulation
From "Digital Photography"
episode DPG-105 -- More Projects »
Your Camera's Color Modes
Digital cameras feature a variety of color-mode settings, allowing you to expand your creativity in taking photographs. One example is through adjusting your color saturation settings. Through your color-modes menu, you can select between neutral (figure A) or saturated (figure B) color settings. You can also take black-and-white photographs without changing film.
In our demonstration, host Rick Sammon began by taking some close-up shots of colorful fruits and vegetables (figure C). The varied colors in these types of photos help illustrate the enhancements that are possible by adjusting color modes.
The photo he took in neutral mode provided a realistic color exposure, but the colors were not very vibrant or vivid (figure D, left). The shot he took on the saturated setting resulted in an exposure in which the colors were much more pronounced, making for a more exciting photograph (figure D, right).
Color modes can also be used to select specialized photographic settings such as black-and-white (figure E) or sepia-toned (figure F).
Many photographers feel that black-and-white provides more drama to photographs in certain situations and helps focus attention on subtle details and such photographic elements as nuances of shade and lighting.
Sepia-tone is a special effect that gives photos a brownish, monochromatic tint reminiscent of old photographs.
The availability of black-and-white or sepia modes in digital photography allows you to take photographs in a variety of styles without the extra effort of changing film or using special filters -- as would be required in traditional photography.
Tip : If you shoot with special color modes in the field, it's advisable to duplicated each shot in neutral mode as well so that you have a neutral shot to use as a benchmark and a backup image.
Adjusting and Manipulating Color Using Your PC and Image Software
Black-and-white and sepia effects can also be achieved using your image software. Once you've opened a color photo in your image-enhancement program --e.g., Photoshop™ -- go to the "Image" menu, scroll to the "Mode" menu option, then select "Greyscale" (figure G) to change a color photo to black-and-white.
If you like, you can go to the "Enhance" menu to access a "Brightness/Contrast" interface (figure H) that will allow you to fine-tune the black-and-white image to your liking. To some, this is the advantage of creating a black-and-white photo on the computer, since it allows the user to adjust the amount of black and white to lighten and darken certain areas of the picture.
To create a sepia-toned photo from a color shot, go to the "Enhance" menu, scroll to "Color," then select "Hue/Saturation" (figure I).
When the hue/saturation interface appears (figure J), click the check-box marked "Colorize," then adjust the sliders on the "Hue" control until you achieve a sepia-like effect. You can adjust the "Saturation" and "Lightness" settings to your liking as well. Once you're happy with your adjustments, click "OK" to save your changes. In some cases, the computer can create a richer sepia tone than the sepia setting on the camera.
Tip: Many photographers look for bright, vibrant colors when selecting and composing their shots. In black-and-white or sepia photography you're shooting images in shades of gray, so look for photographic elements other than color to add interest to the photo. Dramatic angles, geometric shapes and shadows are a few things to look for when you're "thinking in black-and-white."
RESOURCES :
Rick Sammon, professional photographer
Web site: www.ricksammon.com
Learn more about photography with Rick Sammon's new e-book on CD. More than 100 tips and photographs from Rick's travels around the world.
And check out Rick's column on Kodak's site:
Web site: www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/magazine/tips/2001_10
Rick Sammon
Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520
Email: RickSammon@aol.com
Website: www.ricksammon.com
Special Thanks for DIY's Digital Photography workshop, episodes 101-105
Adobe Photoshop
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PC Photo magazine
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Kodak
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Epson America, Inc.
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Kinkos
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Ulead Cool 360
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The Digital Wallet
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Adobe Photoshop
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PC Photo magazine
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Online version of the magazine devoted to digital photography and related technologies.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Digital Photography
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50 Fast Digital Photo Techniques
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