Get Inspired With Just One Click in Photoshop

Tired with your same ol' process of color grading in Photoshop? Try out different color combinations in quick succession using these handy tips from PiXimperfect.

It's easy to get stuck in a bit of a rut when it comes to anything creative so it's good to have some tools at the ready to drag yourself out, post-haste. Recently, I found myself getting fed up with the way I was color grading; not just with my method, but also with the color combinations that I was using. That's why when I saw this recent upload by Unmesh Dinda, I felt that I had to share it. Using this method, it feels like applying presets in Lightroom but it just takes a few extra simple steps before you can start generating some fresh ideas to add to your palette.

Dinda starts off by creating a gradient adjustment layer. After he chooses his desired angle for his gradient he then clicks on the "Gradient" bar which opens up the Gradient Editor. Here, under "Gradient Type" he makes sure to select "Noise" from the drop-down menu. At first, the bars are quite jarring to the eye so he instructs the viewer to decrease the roughness, which is set to 50% by default. When the roughness is decreased to 0% the transition between the bars of noise is made very smooth and the idea behind this method starts to become more obvious. Then, after checking the "Add Transparency" box he apples the effect by clicking "OK" in both dialogue boxes and then changes the blend mode to either "Screen" or "Multiply." Now, for your one-click-shop to inspiration, he tells the viewer to open up the Gradient dialogue again by double-clicking on the adjustment layer icon, clicking on the gradient bar, and now all one needs to do is to click the "Randomize" button to get Photoshop to generate random color combinations. These can be further adjusted by playing with the "blend-if" function or changing the angle of the gradient to simulate light leaks for example. The combinations are infinite.

The video, at over 20 minutes long, is quite comprehensive on the subject, so when you have the time it's well worth your full attention if you want to burst that creative bubble you might find yourself in.