Photoshop Color Correction Workflow Suggestions Needed

[Abitconfused]

I would like to have a good Photoshop CC Color Correction Workflow. This would occur following White Balance correction and selective color saturation in Raw. I surmise that (1) White point and black point should be examined on a color channel by color channel basis using Levels; (2) Obvious color issues should be addressed first using Color Balance or curves; (3) Color correction using Curves white eyedropper to correct color issues in at white point and/or black point; (4) Midtones adjusted for color casts; and, (5) Sharpening applied to one or two color channels. What is lacking or out of place?

[Mike Buckley]

My simple-minded impression is that you're making this far too difficult and far more complicated than it needs to be. When using such a complex process, I've got to wonder if you're making it nearly impossible to achieve an ideal color balance.

My workflow is to first ensure the ideal White Balance and I do that 99% of the time in the capture phase of making the photo, not the post-processing phase. If I want to change the color balance in all or part of the image, I simply make that happen by selecting the colors I want to change; I don't deal with it using individual color channels, black or white points (though I use them for other reasons), curves (though I use them for other reasons), mid tones as opposed to dark or bright tones, and I don't use sharpening as part of my color-correction workflow. The colors I produce are pleasing to me and I don't remember them being displeasing to others viewing my images on a calibrated monitor.

By the way, color-correction workflow shouldn't be specific to any particular software application.

Again, rather than concentrate on color correction, consider concentrating on getting it right at the time of capture so no correction is needed.

[dje]

Ed I have similar thoughts to Mike on this. I find I can usually get the colours how I want them using WB and HSL adjustments in ACR. Sometimes I also find The PS Colour Balance control useful for removing a colour cast such as you get when shooting through a tinted bus window. When I say "get the colours how I want them" I mean having them represent how they looked to me in person or in some cases a mildly "creative version" of the original scene. To each his own of course!

Dave

[Manfred M]

+1 to Mike's comments. Your colour correction workflow is over the top and unless I am working from something other than raw data, I rarely need anything other than the exposure, temperature and tint sliders in ACR to get good colour balance. The only exception to this would be when I have a hazy shot and I have to apply a heavy dose of dehaze, which tends to produce a blue cast, and I handle those areas locally using a desaturation layer mask that I hand blend in Photoshop.

The only time I tweak individual channels is it the colours are way off in a jpeg or TIFF and I don't have access to the raw data. In those situations, it is the only thing that seems to work for me.

[Black Pearl]

Another nod towards the 'that seems an awfully complicated route' you seem to be heading down.

Assuming the WB hasn't come out of the camera correctly then I'll set it first then if I need to (rare) or want to creatively manipulate the colours further I tend to use the HSL sliders and thats it.

[chauncey]

When I want spot-on colors, as in portrait work, I rely on this...http://xritephoto.com/colorchecker-passport-photo

[Dave Humphries]

Ed,

I agree with everyone else, what you suggest just isn't necessary and is indeed fraught with danger of mucking it up big time.

While what you suggest might make some technical sense for balancing, it only does so if what you shot was a scene composed of perfect whites, greys and blacks. Only then would zeroing out colour differences using white & black points, and curves, make sense.

Fortunately for us; the real world isn't so black and white, but if you do what you suggest, you'll very likely actually introduce a colour cast at points other than the exact points at which you did the zero'ing.

It would be an exercise in frustration when shooting anything other than a set of conventional chess pieces in a colour neutral studio with perfectly white balanced light sources

[Manfred M]

When I want spot-on colors, as in portrait work, I rely on this...http://xritephoto.com/colorchecker-passport-photo

While that works well for studio work, product photography and portraiture, where it is relatively easy to have the same light as your subject are lit with. It does not work at all in landscape, wildlife, architectural, event, street photography, etc. I usually shoot a gray card and not my ColorChecker passport in the situations where I do use a target.

[Pippan]

I'm with Chauncey here. I used to spend ages obsessing and playing with colour, even with a calibrated screen. I'd make a change and it'd look too magenta, or green, or cool or whatever and 30 seconds later it'd look fine and reverting to what it had been would look too much the opposite, until 30 seconds later my eyes/brain would have adjusted and it'd look fine again ... apparently our eyes/brain are not calibrated but auto-adjusting. It takes seconds to shoot a colorchecker passport image in the light you're using, then when raw converting do a light source profile which is usually good for the set, and the colour is perfect. Or you can warm it slightly or whatever you desire but you know you are starting with it pretty close to spot on.

Most landscape, wildlife, architecture etc are lit by the sun, the light profile of which doesn't change much, so taking the passport shot in the sun, or haze, or cloud or whatever you have is usually enough for the day. And if you do it somewhere near the middle of the day and use that profile you keep the nice, correct golden hour colours close to sunrise or sunset. If your light source does change, say you move to artificial light, spend a few more seconds doing another shot of the passport in the new light. It saves many, many minutes of angst playing with colour later.

[chauncey]

I usually shoot a gray card

What's the difference in a gray card and a passport?
I simply lay my passport on the ground in front of me in a lighted area.

[Manfred M]

What's the difference in a gray card and a passport?
I simply lay my passport on the ground in front of me in a lighted area.

Gray cards are a lot less expensive and I don't need all of the colour swatches anyways most of the time. The only time I might use the Passport is when I shoot people and want to make it easy to get a slightly warmer tone, which is built into the Passport. Although to be frank, I've lately just added about 5% red and 5% yellow to the neutral colour.

[Manfred M]

Most landscape, wildlife, architecture etc are lit by the sun, the light profile of which doesn't change much, so taking the passport shot in the sun, or haze, or cloud or whatever you have is usually enough for the day.

I can think of all kinds of situations where that technique will break down. As an example, take a shot of an event where an event is taking place while the light is shaded by trees or try to take a street scene where the light is reflecting off red brick buildings. Your camera's AWB is more likely to get it right than the gray card / ColorChecker Passport technique you propose. For other situations, you may as well start with the sun, cloud or shade presets on your camera. Most raw editors will use the jpeg WB settings as a starting point and frankly unless you are doing product photography, you are probably going to be close enough in most situations.