earleygallery Posted August 16, 2009 Share #21 Posted August 16, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I've had some nice results using the PS Duotones and Tritones - I'll come back later and post a couple of examples. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 16, 2009 Posted August 16, 2009 Hi earleygallery, Take a look here Toning - an invitation to give a master class. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
picturelady Posted August 16, 2009 Share #22 Posted August 16, 2009 Speaking about photo of bamboo...seen earlier in the thread... Too me, this is an example of a finely toned photo...Is this what you are talking about OP ? The many tones ( lights/medium/darks ) in one photo or the "tint/hue" of the entire picture? Guess I need to go and look up what "tone" means! Margie When I tone, I like a light effect, just for a little warmth. I used to use Lightroom's split toning function, with hue 50 to 65, low saturation, and balanced to tone highlights and leave blacks black. Now I mostly use Silver Efex Pro, and find its light copper and coffee effects just right. I have tried replicating them in LR, but cannot do so consistently. Silver Efex also does a better job of BW conversion than I am usually able to achieve. I once felt that I should be able to achieve in the native software whatever plug-in companies do in their products. Now I imagine a band of Nik experts dedicated to the full-time pursuit of perfect BW conversion and toning. That's not something I can or want to do. Personally, I'm grateful for their efforts. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roguewave Posted August 18, 2009 Author Share #23 Posted August 18, 2009 I’m grateful for the thoughtful posts relating to this topic. I’m struck by the variety of toolsets, plug-in and dedicated software available to tackle this task. I have tried some of these methods with varying results. Thanks for the lessons. The book William noted is quite excellent, not just for the toning pages, but for her thoughtful approach to looking at B&W workflow, regardless of it’s origin as film based scans, conversion from RAW/Jpeg files in color and also the B&W files from the Dlux4/LX3/Digilux2, all of which let you shoot & capture in a “semi-native” B&W mode. Knowing it’s redundant, here’s the link: Amazon.com: Black and White in Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom: A complete integrated workflow solution for creating stunning monochromatic images in Photoshop CS4, Photoshop Lightroom, and beyond (9780240521596): Leslie Alsheimer, Bryan O'Neil Hughes: B Below is an example of a conversion I just did. Comments would be helpful. A while back, I asked Rob how he managed to get such even density & luminosity & to preserve it across the frame when using his R24. Not an easy task. Once the frame is captured, the same issue becomes even more difficult regarding toning. He shared his workflow, which is based on a very gentle application of the Red & Blue curves. In Leslie Alsheimer’s book she does add a wrinkle that in some ways parallels my work in the LAB mode. She suggests changing the blending mode of the adjustment layer to Hue or Color. This controls the luminosity fluctuations if the grade is steep. Very clever. Again, my thanks for the help & hope some others were able to sharpen & employ some new methods. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/93206-toning-an-invitation-to-give-a-master-class/?do=findComment&comment=997702'>More sharing options...
Mark Pope Posted August 19, 2009 Share #24 Posted August 19, 2009 Ben, I like both renderings of the images you posted, though I'm drawn more to the second, warmer one. Thanks for the book recommendation. Having had a squint at the contents, it looks like an excellent reference. A copy is winging its way to me in the next few days, along with a copy of Martin Avening's Lightroom 2 book Cheers Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted August 22, 2009 Share #25 Posted August 22, 2009 Ben, I've similarly struggled with toning and the 'look' of a shot, particularly with trying to emulate those posted on this and other websites, to the extent that I've spent far too much time on certain images and still ended up with results that I'm not happy with. Eventually I caught myself looking at one of them and being dissatisfied with it on the basis that I thought it would be disapproved of if I posted it and it was then that I woke up to what I was doing. My little self-critic that hides around the back of my brain (yeah, we've all got one haven't we! ) had popped out and delivered his message based on what others might think of my shot when, in reality, that's a little beside the point and potentially detrimental to producing a result that I'm satisfied with. Since then I've changed the way I go about processing shots; I don't visualise in advance the look I want to achieve but I just start to work the shot up based on the elements it contains, how they interact and the mood of the shot and finish when I have a result that I like. After all, (and please excuse me for being a little selfish here ) I'm the most important person to please in this process because I took the shot and did the processing and it is the only way I will be able discover my 'signature' look, which I believe is the most important thing to try to do because it will distinguish my photos from others. There are some on the forum who have already found their signature and it shows imho. Pretty much any of the methods suggested here will provide the tools to give sufficient flexibility to find a look that pleases you (although I personally think your shots are pretty damn good already!). Sorry if this sounded like a lecture because it wasn't meant to be - just a different point of view. Pete. Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted August 23, 2009 Share #26 Posted August 23, 2009 Err ... where did Rolo's comment and alternative treatment of Ben's photo go? Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
picturelady Posted August 24, 2009 Share #27 Posted August 24, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Err ... where did Rolo's comment and alternative treatment of Ben's photo go? Pete. Did you see this notice on the top of the page this morning....8-24-09...maybe that is where they went!? "We just had a problem with the forum database and had to install our last back up about 16 hours old. Therefore all threads and posts of today were unfortunately deleted. Sorry for that! Andreas " Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted August 24, 2009 Share #28 Posted August 24, 2009 I do now - thanks. Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WPalank Posted August 24, 2009 Share #29 Posted August 24, 2009 Pete, Rolo's post disappeared well before the server crash this morning (at least during Pacific Standard Time). He also managed to remove some stuff from a post I started as well. I've always suspected that man was a Hacker. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolo Posted August 24, 2009 Share #30 Posted August 24, 2009 Pete,Rolo's post disappeared well before the server crash My post CAUSED the server crash ! Nah ! Truth be told: I posted the variation on friend Ben's image and then wondered what the added value was. I know that's a criteria that others don't use here, but it's my criteria. OR Didn't want to disappoint friend Ben and didn't want to expose how easy good toning is to someone with an eye. One-eyed toning. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marquinius Posted August 25, 2009 Share #31 Posted August 25, 2009 ... then wondered what the added value was ... That's a good attitude, I think. And good marketing, because now you have me wondering about that toning of yours Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wstotler Posted August 26, 2009 Share #32 Posted August 26, 2009 . . . I don't visualise in advance the look I want to achieve but I just start to work the shot up based on the elements it contains, how they interact and the mood of the shot and finish when I have a result that I like. . . . Pete. Pete. Ditto, Pete. Ben--love what you did with that B&W in conversion. Very convincing. Thanks for the comments in this thread and examples. I hadn't thought much about using toning. Maybe now. Thanks! Will Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
azzo Posted August 29, 2009 Share #33 Posted August 29, 2009 IMHO, toning is a personal thing. And by personal, I don't mean something secret. Whenever I decide to tone an image I don't use a preset action, simply because I believe that not all images look good in one 'already set' tone. Light and tonality play an important role, different subjects too. Say, a car can take light to heavy toning for example but, when it comes to skin tones, that's a different thing altogether. At least, that's the way I see it. I play around with Hue and Saturation by first creating a layer until I find a suitable tone depending on the subject/image at hand. Hope I made some sense Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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