Dan Margulis Applied Color Theory

How to Make a Wedding Action

How to make this wedding action?
Posted by: "Ana"
Tue Oct 2, 2007 6:19 am (PST)

Dear all,

I have been lurking in this group for a while now. Yesterday I was looking for some information in the groups archive when I came across this post by Dan Margulis from May this year:

"I've done Actions like this for weddings and they're pretty easy. We make sure that the images don't all have a cast, enhance the highlights and shadows, then apply the green channel to the RGB as a luminosity layer, apply a further contrast enhancement to the green channel on this luminosity layer (slightly better than doing it to the L later), convert to LAB, use overlays to create color variation in the skintone, load inverted luminosity as a selection, conventional sharpen, deselect; hiraloam sharpen emphasizing darkening, back to RGB and save."

I can more-less follow the action until "use overlays to create color variation in the skintone". What does this part entail? Or could someone, please, create the whole action, since I am not entirely confident in my understanding of rest of the steps as well?

Thanking you in advance

Ana Petrovic
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Re: How to make this wedding action?
Posted by: "Rene Hache"
Tue Oct 2, 2007 8:23 am (PST)

Ana,

Once you convert and flatten your image in LAB:

-- Duplicate the base layer
-- Select the duplicate layer
-- Select the A channel and apply it to itself in overlay mode.
-- Select the B channel and do the same.
-- Lower the opacity of the duplicate layer to taste

The steps are outlined in Dan Margulis' LAB book.

It would be easy enough for me to create an action for you, but since I'm new to the group I would like to ask if that is considered ok? It could even put it in the files section?

Thanks,
Rene Hache
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Re: How to make this wedding action?
Posted by: "ZogZog"
Tue Oct 2, 2007 8:23 am (PST)

Ana,

Here are the action steps, starting from applying the Green channel, and assuming you already have adjustment layers in the RGB image

Action: Skin Enhance RGB > Lab
Duplicate first document
Flatten Image
Select green channel
Set Selection
To: all
Copy
Select RGB channel
Paste
Anti-alias: none
Set current layer
To: layer
Mode: luminosity
Convert Mode
To: Lab color mode
With Flatten
Duplicate current layer
2
Select a channel
Apply Image
With: calculation
Source: current channel of merged layer
Calculation: overlay
With Preserve Transparency
Set current layer
To: layer
Name: "A channel overlay"
Set current layer
To: layer
Blend Only: a
Layer Styles: layer styles
Scale: 333.3%
Duplicate Background
2
Select b channel
Apply Image
With: calculation
Source: current channel of merged layer
Calculation: overlay
With Preserve Transparency
Show lightness channel, a channel
Set current layer
To: layer
Name: "Yellow skin tint - B ch"
Select layer "A channel overlay"
Set current layer
To: layer
Name: "Red skin tint - A ch"

Hope that helps - if you find it difficult to follow, I can always email you an action file

All the best,

Chris Broadhurst
Web Site: http://www.broadhurst-family.co.uk/lefteye/
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Re: How to make this wedding action?
Posted by: Stephen Marsh
Tue Oct 2, 2007 8:24 am (PST)

Ana Petrovic wrote:

I have been lurking in this group for a while now. Yesterday I was
looking for some information in the groups archive when I came across
this post by Dan Margulis from May this year:

I could not find the post from Dan that you refer to, but I understand what you would like to do from your description Ana (was the quote from somebody else?).

[Posts have a number for easy identification which may be helpful when quoting, see below for examples]

I can more-less follow the action until "use overlays to create color
variation in the skintone". What does this part entail? Or could
someone, please, create the whole action, since I am not entirely
confident in my understanding of rest of the steps as well?

Dan briefly describes overlays or blends here where the application is similar:

http: //tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/colortheory/message/18372

This general topic has recently come up with talk of Dan's Photoshop World "new workflow" presentation. I would like to remind the list that Dan has been away since that time and has not commented on this method yet. That being said, from one description it appears to be a distillation of separate techniques into a structured workflow. These techniques appear in Dan's recent books and in his Make Ready articles (see below).

http: //tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/colortheory/message/18611

http: //tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/colortheory/message/18620

"The Man from Mars Method - March, 2005. When trying to add snap and color depth, but you don't know how much, consider adding the maximum possible and then dialing back the opacity. It may make fleshtones look Martian, but that's only temporary." [original article has not been reposted yet, there is no link at this time]

http: //www.ledet.com/margulis/makeready/ACT_Makeready_descriptions.htm

The manual shadow/highlight blend method based on a R, G or B channel has been made into an action by Herb Ripka:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/colortheory/files

Margulis PSU ON2004.atn

"How to re-create the Shadow/Highlight effect of Photoshop CS as described by Dan Margulis in the Oct/Nov issue of Photoshop User titled "Making Two Ends Meet", pg. 44-47."

http: //tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/colortheory/message/12258

Hope this helps,

Stephen Marsh.
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Re: How to make this wedding action?
Posted by: "Ana"
Wed Oct 3, 2007 3:29 pm (PST)

Stephen,

The post is Message #17736.

Thanks for all the replies

Ana Petrovic
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Re: How to make this wedding action?
Posted by: Stephen Marsh
Thu Oct 4, 2007 5:25 am (PST)

Ana Petrovic wrote:

The post is Message #17736.

Thank you Ana.

My interpretation of the method would be similar to below. Of course, all work would be done on a copy of the original file.

I encourage you to plan and record the action, it is a great way to learn. Contact me off-list if you would like feedback as you go. I require the action to be in CS2 format to comment, or ideally saved from version CS or earlier (as actions are not backward compatible, the earlier the version the better for ease of access is a good rule to follow where possible when writing actions for use by others).

We make sure that the images don't all have a cast,

1. Before batch enhancing images with such an action, the images would need to be at a good base level for accepting automated corrections (which may amplify problems such as non neutral wedding gowns or whatever).

enhance the highlights and shadows

2. Use of the Shadow/Highlight command or the manual method found in an action in the files section of this site (Margulis PSU ON2004). I would go a little overboard, so that shadows are lightened and highlights darkened more than ideally required, in preparation for the next step (I often do this before setting final endpoints and contrast).

One may also perform an S contrast move, instead of - or in addition to the shadow/highlight tweaks.

then apply the green channel to the RGB as a
luminosity layer, apply a further contrast enhancement to the green
channel on this luminosity layer (slightly better than doing it to the
L later).

3A. Many ways to do this, with Apply Image being one - or simply target the green channel, select all, copy, target the composite channel, target the background layer in the layers palette, paste (a new layer with the G data will be created). Set this layer to luminosity blend mode.

3B. Using an S curve or one of many other methods, add more contrast to the G channel data luminosity blend layer (blend if sliders or an endpoint mask could be added here depending on trials).

convert to LAB, use overlays to create color variation in
the skintone.

4. Convert to LAB mode. Using apply image, apply the A channel to the A channel in say overlay blend mode at 20% opacity or whatever. Do similar for the B channel. Or try applying the A to the B, B to A.

load inverted luminosity as a selection.

5. Target the flat background layer. Duplicate this layer. Cmd/Ctrl click on the L channel thumbnail icon in the channels palette. Select/Inverse. You may wish to trial this selection step in combination with the next step.

conventional sharpen, deselect;

6. Sharpen the L channel for the intended output using any of the variety of methods and variations available (as this is a batch action, keep things simple). This is done on a duped background layer, perhaps with desired blend if settings. Flatten.

hiraloam sharpen emphasizing darkening, back to RGB
and save.

7. Again, on a duped background layer - using a HiRa-dius in unsharp mask (relative to output sharpening radius) and a LoAm-ount (relative to output sharpening radius) "sharpen" to add "depth" or "dimension" or "minor contrast".

Using blend if sliders, opt/alt click and drag the upper and lower left half of the highlight sliders to the extreme left - so that the output reads as 0 / 255. This will reduce the effect of the ligher half of the HiRaLoAm sharpen.

8. Flatten, convert to profile back to the original RGB space before the LAB trip. Save.

Ana, again, I am sincere in the belief that you are best served in writing the action yourself and also in my offer to provide feedback on the action as you progress, off-list, as time permits.

Hope this helps,

Stephen Marsh.