Luminosity Masking of digital images

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Re: Luminosity Masking of digital images

Postby im42n8 » Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:39 pm

Besides LAB, I've also worked in HSB, HSL, and YIQ as well. You do need to know what you're doing ... but you have to learn it somehow when you're recovering images. Once you learn what they are and what the can and can't do, there's really nothing all that special about them in working with them except for their color space (largely). . . and what each channel is. They can be a very powerful assist to doing things you want or need to do.

Also, curves isn't the only thing you might want to do with the masked area. You might want to apply some kind of sharpening, hue, blur, etc. You might even just want to apply a merge mode of some sort (of which luminosity, in PS, might be one of them!). (or a combo of some or all!) . . . also depends on your color space.

But, as long as you know what you're doing and/or what's being done for you (after all, the actions are nothing more than menu selections and the like done for you), then these could indeed be some powerful tools to aid in your work flow.

Dale


dnmilikan wrote:Barbara,

I encourage you to do so, if you wish...they are very powerful in what they can accomplish.

Good luck,
Don

dnmilikan

Re: Luminosity Masking of digital images

Postby dnmilikan » Mon Jun 02, 2008 7:11 pm

Dale,

You seem to have taken an unusual tack here...One that leaves me a bit confused because you persist in addressing this on the basis of lab and there has not been anything that anyone other than yourself has mentioned about lab. The luminosity masks that I have mentioned here are not, nor are they intended to be utilizing the lab channel. If you would check things out a bit more before you head off in a direction that I do not follow we could all communicate about the same thing. Long story short, where you get what you seem to be hell bent on addressing is beyond me.

Perhaps if you wish to inform us where and why you are going off on this tangent, I for one would be somewhat more informed as to your agenda.

Beyond that, your resume really is not germane to this discussion.

Best regards,
Don

im42n8 wrote:Besides LAB, I've also worked in HSB, HSL, and YIQ as well. You do need to know what you're doing ... but you have to learn it somehow when you're recovering images. Once you learn what they are and what the can and can't do, there's really nothing all that special about them in working with them except for their color space (largely). . . and what each channel is. They can be a very powerful assist to doing things you want or need to do.

Also, curves isn't the only thing you might want to do with the masked area. You might want to apply some kind of sharpening, hue, blur, etc. You might even just want to apply a merge mode of some sort (of which luminosity, in PS, might be one of them!). (or a combo of some or all!) . . . also depends on your color space.

But, as long as you know what you're doing and/or what's being done for you (after all, the actions are nothing more than menu selections and the like done for you), then these could indeed be some powerful tools to aid in your work flow.

Dale


dnmilikan wrote:Barbara,

I encourage you to do so, if you wish...they are very powerful in what they can accomplish.

Good luck,
Don

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Re: Luminosity Masking of digital images

Postby BarbaraC » Tue Jun 03, 2008 3:23 am

Don, very often a thread will meander a bit as one thing reminds a person of another, and this is what happened with Dale as well as with me. Though the action you've supplied the link to doesn't involve working in LAB, the latter is nevertheless a place where similar goals can be attained. There are any number of alternatives to find solutions. Another is HDR, which has certainly saved several of my own less than stellar photographs. Surely, you won't attack me for having mentioned it, will you?

Barbara
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Re: Luminosity Masking of digital images

Postby dnmilikan » Tue Jun 03, 2008 8:12 am

Barbara,

I did not attack Dale and I certainly will not attack you. If you will reread what has been stated here, including Dales comments to the examples that I posted, you may be able to understand that it seemed to me that Dale seemed to me to be inclined to not check out the basis of the masks that are the subject of the link that I provided...however, it did seem quite clear to me that he had another agenda beyond determining the basis of the linked information. I did not formulate the actions that were the basis of this thread...so I have nothing to gain or to lose by informing others of their existence. Nowhere, you will note, did I find it necessary to impress upon you or others the information of my extensive experience.

I will further say that neither HDR, which I use on occasion, tone mapping of HDR images, nor lab conversions, which I also have experience in using, directly address specific tonal ranges in the same way that luminosity masking does. I say this from my experience with Photoshop CS3 as the image editing program that I use. My sole motivation in providing this information on this forum was one of informing others of the availability of another tool.

Now, having said that, I honestly wish that I had not posted what I intended as another tool for others to use in their photography in this forum. I will take this example of what can happen to mind when I encounter other things that could help others in the future and will, with that in mind, amend any futher contributions that I could make on the forum.

Best wishes,
Don

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Re: Luminosity Masking of digital images

Postby BarbaraC » Tue Jun 03, 2008 8:25 am

Don, don't go away in a huff. Your link is thoroughly appreciated. Each new tool gathered up and understood increases our abilities, and I know for a fact that Dale feels this way too.

Peace, brothers!

Barbara
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Re: Luminosity Masking of digital images

Postby dnmilikan » Tue Jun 03, 2008 1:47 pm

Barbara,

I am not leaving in a huff...much too old for such childishness. I have ammended and reworked the show that shows examples of this type of masking. I hope that it proves helpful.

http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewsho ... 3158&alb=0



Kind regards,
Don

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Re: Luminosity Masking of digital images

Postby Frankie » Sun Dec 21, 2008 8:36 am

Hi Don,
I know I'm a bit late in posting on this thread but a snow storm has graced me with enough time to finally follow through on Tony Kuper's instructions for luminosity masking. Wow! I can't thank you enough for posting this link and providing that show of examples. It's a very exciting find for me and kind of you to take the time to share it with us. I love the subtlety of the selection borders as well as the way it allows me to address specific aspects of each photograph in a time-saving method. I plan to donate to the website to download the actions.

This might be a silly question, but when you load the channel and go over to the layers palate, do you create a new layer with the selection or a smart layer or anything along those lines?

Thanks again. I hope that you'll continue to feel comfortable in leading us to useful techniques like this :D

Frankie

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