basic ps question

thebaz

since i've started using ps, i've found that when i adjust the saturation of an image I have no need to then modify the brightness and contrast , and vice versa -- is this something others have noticed , or due to inexperience and lack of detail in my eye ?

Cheers.

For any other beginers , i have found this website quite usefull in outling the ps basics, easy to follow

http://www.bairarteditions.com/pages/tutorials/photoshop/

5uspect

Here's a fun thing to do:
If you open the channels and histogram pallets so they're visible, fill a new image with black and use a soft brush to paint a white patch in each channel overlapping slightly.
Then hit Ctrl+U and play with the sliders and watch the historgam and the channel change.

There is little change in the histogram with changes in saturation. Its there if you go too high as it clumps all the colours together.

Here's the pic attached:

thebaz

Since experimenting with ps , i recently have pretty much stopped using saturation, just modifying brightness and contrast , seams eneogh to my untrained eye.

5uspect

well the brightness can contrast controls are essentially muck in PS or any app (tho CS3 fixed that). You should really be using curves adjustment layers, far better at manipulating the histogram.

thebaz

do any of you experienced ps users modify images using saturate -- i kind of think it gives a sort of unreal plastic look !

5uspect

I would in RAW sometimes, it all depends on the effect you want.
As you say it does give a unreal look, sometimes thats a terrible thing ans sometimes its really nice.

Zillah

Saturation needs to be used with a light touch, and only for certain images. I'd never push it more than a few percent.