Photoshop LAB color and a windmill

Click on image for a better view

I like vivid, bodacious, poke you in the eye color. There are a lot of outfits that pretend to be masters and have you believe you need their product to get these kinds of colors. Trust me, you don't.

I have this simple process in an action I created ages ago:

In Photoshop

Click Image - Mode - Lab color

Click Control-J to create a new layer via copy

Click Image - Apply Image

You will get a little pop-up screen that has a lot of cool stuff you can play with but I don't want to get into.

Just click OK

Your image will now have some super-saturated colors.

IMPORTANT STEP - Click Image - Mode - RGB color

That will bring Photoshop back to normal.

What I do at this point is change the layer opacity from 100% to something around 40%. You can use any number from 100% to 0% according to your taste. In my view this is what makes doing this with a layer so much more useful.

I don't intend to turn this blog into a "recipes for photoshop" blog.

I just want to show those of you new to Photoshop what can be done with an image.

Scott Kelby and others have some excellent books on Photoshop and he also has a cool online training center that can teach you all about Photoshop and also the Elements series of photo editors.

I have taken several courses and by following along with my own image and Photoshop, plus taking notes, I have learned a great deal.

They have several enrollment plans but I like the $24.95 a month subscription and use that. I don't always have time to take online courses or feel like immersing myself into the arcane secrets of Photoshop.

Let me tell you from experience, you can learn a lot on just a one-month subscription.

I hope you have a lot of fun playing with Lab color.

Of course you can get a lot more information of the net and also on YouTube.com.

If you like the post then please use the provided links for your shopping. Stay safe and have a fun time with your camera.

Don't forget to write me if you have any tips, or news. I like to hear from you!

My Flicker Photostream
My babe photostream on Flickr
My SmugMug account