Digital Photo Tips by Duane Brovan

(Article also posted in the Ridge Rider News)

Adjust Color, Contrast and Sharpen Your Photos

This is a more in-depth look at the color, contrast and sharpening features that comes with most Digital Photo Editing Software. Now that you have edited the “good photo” (Edit/Manipulate article) it is time to adjust the color levels, contrast and then sharpen these photos. You then will be ready to print and/or send your great photos. Digital cameras can take photos in different “Color Working Spaces” (i.e. RGB: Red, Blue, Green; CMYK: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black; Greyscale: Shades of Black). The most common Color Working Space is RGB, which also comes in three types RGB, sRGB and Adobe RGB (varies with cameras and settings). For most people sRGB would be the best to use as it is usually the default setting and used by most photo printers. It is best to adjust color levels first, followed by contrast and then sharpening (Unsharpen). Both contrast and sharpening eliminate some of the color information, so it is best to do them last.

Color Levels Adjustment (sRGB/RGB): You will adjust the Red, Green and Blue Color levels of your photos. Some programs come with an “Auto Color Levels” adjustment. If so try it and see if it works for your photo or not. Sometimes this adjustment works well and other times it works very poorly, but it is always worth a try. If it doesn’t work you will adjust each color level yourself noticing the changes to your photo. Be careful adjusting colors because a small adjustment can make a big difference. Adjust all three colors (Red, Green and Blue). Also, remember that your monitor and your prints might not be matched, so know how each works together and adjust accordingly. If you have a Histogram (graph that looks like a mountain with little triangles at the bottom) try to put the left and right slider at the start and end of the Histogram (rule of thumb). Once the photo’s colors look pleasing it is time to move to the next adjustment.

Contrast Adjustment: This adjusts the spread from the dark shades and the light shades of a photo and gives it punch. As with the color levels adjustments a little can go a long way so be careful in your adjustment. Not enough adjustment and your photo might look flat and dull, too much adjustment and the light areas blow out and the dark areas loose detail. Contrast can also be adjusted with the color levels by the RGB histogram sliders, but the Contrast adjustment is easier to use and gives good results.