Color Correction and Color Matching With Curves


In this tutorial, we’ll discuss my “go-to tool” for color correction, the Curves Adjustment layer. 

This is one of my favorite adjustments, and I use it instead of the widely used Color Balance Adjustment for color correction.

We’ll also take the time to talk about how color works in computer monitors and Photoshop. This is a complicated topic, but I’ll try to simplify it so it’s easy to understand.

Once you have the concepts of RGB and the color wheel, you’ll be able to color correct your images more efficiently.

I’ll end the tutorial by showing you how you can use Curves to color match an image to create a realistic composition. This is the image of the jet on the photo cover for this tutorial.

Also, I’ve created this image to help you better understand how curves work. The image represents what would happen when you drag a point up or down in any channel.

curves-rgb-sample

If you have any questions or comments, leave them below!

Final Image

Drag The Slider To See Before & After

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Reina

Hi,
Thank you so much for your useful tutorials. Although many Dutch speak English not all of them understand English videos with technical terms. Thats the reason why I explain/translate interesting videos into Dutch. I hope you approve I did this one.
http://reinasmallenbroek.nl/photoshop.0003.html
Thanks again
Reina

Reina

Of course! Thanks!
Grtz Reina

ceeb

Such an awesome tutorial, so simple and well explained. Thanks!

tom

Thanks! Great tutorial. Can you recommend more videos about matching colors and photo compositing?

jkjod

I was curious if this was possible with Photoshop Elements. I shoot quite a bit of film and this type of correction would be useful when scanning negatives. Thanks!

Christian

Hi Jesús. First all I’m sorry my English so I’ll try to explain me.
When you used the eyedropper tool to get samples, I think you had selected a Point sample in sample size (option bar). Is better to have selected that size to get samples or maybe the other options could help to get a better result?
Does It in relation with bit’s image (color proof?¿ profundidad de color?)? Thanks and I hope you understand me. 😉

madhavan

hey thanks man, now i totally understand the rgb and color correction.thanks

biju

Can i get the ps action file of this effects

Wayne

I am not able to download the files for this tutorial, not sure why. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Really enjoy your tutorials.
.

Joseph Leahy

Excllent! Great for revising stuff I had forgotton. Just enough infomation, not over explained. Perfect.

Ritesh Dhaulakhandi

You made colour correction very simple to help me understand the complexity behind.
Thanks

photo group

Is it only possible to see this tutorial once because we would like to see it again and it won’t work.

Elehiguera

Your tutorials are helping me to understand certain things easily, things and concepts I had been looking for to understand for a long period . Thank you for your time and effort. Sorry for potential grammar mistakes, english is not my first language.

Dragan Tomas

Great tutorial (plus other ones that you made thought me a lot) and with manny, manny thanks for these learning opportunities.

Stephen Martin

Wonderful tutorial. Regarding the exercise files: I don’t see a download link.