A brief article on digital image "toning": Advanced Color Fill Method in Photoshop

[Ken Lee]

http://www.kennethleegallery.com/images/forum/AdvancedFillLayerAddCurve.png

Although the Photoshop Color Fill method (described here (http://www.kennethleegallery.com/html/tech/FillLayer.php)) is convenient for general toning, the tint is applied uniformly across the brightness scale. It may not be suitable for all images.

What if we want slightly neutral high values - or strongly neutral shadows - or strongly tinted mid tones ? What if we want the ability to apply tonal adjustments gradually, without any conspicuous gaps or transitions along the brightness scale ?

The Advanced Color Fill Method (http://www.kennethleegallery.com/html/tech/FillLayer2.php) allows us to apply a tone as a Curves adjustment layer, with all the control that provides.

[Drew Wiley]

Alas, this is one of those things doing it old school in a darkroom sink can be so much more nuanced and far simpler. Digital toning can sorta mimic, yes; I've seen plenty of it, but it always seems to looks pasted onto the surface and never part of it.

[dasBlute]

this is pretty cool, sort of like a split filtered approach applying toning to one part of the spectrum... say the darks/mids, leaving the highlights alone... nice work and thanks for sharing...

[CreationBear]

a split filtered approach applying toning

Great tutorial as always, thanks!:) Speaking of split toning, I was wondering if you've come up with an approach that catches the selenium/gold tone vibe? (I've been looking at a lot of Thomas Joshua Cooper photos lately, but have never seen a digital analogue that quite catches the look.)

[Ken Lee]

We can choose from all colors and apply as many layers as we like. Tritones, Quadtones, etc. can be blended with no apparent gaps or discontinuities unless we want them.

This is not my artistic preference but here are some examples where the shadows have been cool-toned, the middle values are neutral gray and the high values are rendered in gold. We could have chosen hot pink and lime green: it doesn't matter.

This method works with any printer and does not require Quadtone RIP, custom inks or MacOS.

http://www.kennethleegallery.com/images/forum/AdvancedFillLayerFrostyField00.png
http://www.kennethleegallery.com/images/forum/AdvancedFillLayerFrostyField5.png
http://www.kennethleegallery.com/images/forum/AdvancedFillLayerFrostyField3.png
http://www.kennethleegallery.com/images/forum/AdvancedFillLayerFrostyField4.png

[Alan9940]

Couldn't you do this same thing with Blend If?

[Ken Lee]

Couldn't you do this same thing with Blend If?

As far as I know, the Blend If feature gives us discontinuous transitions. Using a curve instead of a strict cutoff, we get a blended effect where one tone gradually transitions into the next. The degree of blending is determined by the shape of the curve.

In this example, the lowest values get no toning and the high values get only partial toning. The middle values get extra toning.

However, examining the photo we can't quite tell where this happens along the scale because there are no abrupt transitions. It's a curve function, not a step function.

http://www.kennethleegallery.com/images/forum/AdvancedFillLayerRanger3.png

Of course, if we want abrupt transitions we can specify curves which start or end abruptly: that's an artistic decision.

[CreationBear]

As far as I know, the Blend If feature gives us discontinuous transitions.

Excellent, thanks--FWIW, "Blend If" in PS at least lets you "split" the sliders to control transitions a bit, but I imagine your Curves approach is a bit more nuanced.:)

[Alan9940]

As far as I know, the Blend If feature gives us discontinuous transitions.

Not discontinuous, if you split the triangles.

[Ken Lee]

Not discontinuous, if you split the triangles.

I see your excellent point. Is this what you're talking about ?

Note: In the following images, the lower portion is the original Grayscale step wedge, the middle portion has a standard Color Fill (which by default is applied across the brightness scale) and the top portion has an additional adjustment of type Blend If.

http://www.kennethleegallery.com/images/forum/BlendIfBottomHalfClipped.png
Here we have cut off the toning altogether abuptly, from brightness level 0 to 127.
Above brightness level 127, toning is unaffected.

http://www.kennethleegallery.com/images/forum/BlendIfBottomHalfReducedGradually.png
Here we have split the triangles and reduced the toning from 0 to 127, in a gradual way.
Toning is reduced the most at level 0 and the least at level 127.
Above brightness level 127, toning is unaffected.

http://www.kennethleegallery.com/images/forum/BlendIfMiddleRangeClipped.png
Here we have cut off the toning abruptly, below 78 and above 182

http://www.kennethleegallery.com/images/forum/BlendIfMiddleRangeReducedGradually.png
Here we have split the triangles and reduced the toning gradually below 78 and above 183
The result is quite smooth: very natural in appearance.

[Ken Lee]

The Blend If method is a bit harder to grasp, but it doesn't suffer from a problem I've noticed using Curves, namely colors getting inverted. I don't know if this is a bug or a feature. I suspect it's a bug where a calculated value is dropping below zero instead of being limited to zero.

http://www.kennethleegallery.com/images/forum/BlendIfMiddleOnlyInversion.png
Here we have cut off the toning at the lowest and highest ends of the tonal scale. We expect to see toning only in the middle of the scale. However, Photoshop has inverted some of the values... Oops !

Back to the drawing board :rolleyes:

Here's an experiment using the Blend If method, where we have gradually applied warm toning to the middle of the brightness scale. This method works !

Thank you Alan9940 !!

http://www.kennethleegallery.com/images/forum/GradualSplitTone.jpg

[Alan9940]

Ken,

Looks like you've got a good grasp of using Blend If. Not sure how you used Blend If on the example above, but, FWIW, it's always been easier on my brain to think about allowing portions of the underlying layer to show through. Therefore, I typically use the "Underlying Layer" ramp vs the "This Layer" ramp. So, following your excellent toning technique I'd apply the Color Fill layer, then go into Blending Options and manipulate the "Underlying Layer" sliders until I got what I wanted.

[Ken Lee]

Ken,

Looks like you've got a good grasp of using Blend If. Not sure how you used Blend If on the example above, but, FWIW, it's always been easier on my brain to think about allowing portions of the underlying layer to show through. Therefore, I typically use the "Underlying Layer" ramp vs the "This Layer" ramp. So, following your excellent toning technique I'd apply the Color Fill layer, then go into Blending Options and manipulate the "Underlying Layer" sliders until I got what I wanted.

That works very well, and it's very quick since you can apply the Blend If directly to the Fill Layer... Brilliant !

Here I've applied some toning that is strongest around 35% brightness, rolling off to neutral above and below it.

http://www.kennethleegallery.com/images/forum/GradualSplitTone2.png

[Alan9940]

Ken,

Funny...I just spent a bit of time playing around with the Blend If sliders on the "This Layer" ramp of the Color Fill layer and found that, with certain images I got smoother transitions of the toning; this played out quite visibly in clear blue sky. So, thank you for alerting me to this method of toning and for inspiring me to try working with the "This Layer" ramp. I can clearly see now that both ramps are useful and, possibly, are image dependent. After 20 years of PS, I'm always learning something new!

[Ken Lee]

http://www.kennethleegallery.com/images/forum/BlendIfPurpleLosWarmerHighs.jpg

One last experiment, a tri-tone (2 Color Fill layers blended over a monochrome background): purple shadows transitioning into warm high values.

I don't have any training in what happens when we mix colors but the combined effect is intriguing.

[Alan9940]

Very nice!!

[Ken Lee]

I have revised my article Selective Toning with Photoshop (http://www.kennethleegallery.com/html/tech/FillLayer2.php)

None of the methods appear to be straightforward.

Please contact me with any corrections or suggestions.