Whether you are adjusting the colors of an image so that they match the original scene or if you want to tailor them to give a picture your own unique style, you have to understand how to manipulate the colors in a photo. Here is the method that gives you the most control.
There are so many ways to adjust the colors in an image. Most programs will allow you a measure of control using a combination of hue, saturation, and luminance for a handful of colors. Even in Photoshop, there are plenty of methods to change these values in a photo. One way, however, I believe stands above the rest. In this video, Blake Rudis speaks on CreativeLive about using a selective color layer to get pinpoint accuracy of the colors in an image.
One of the drawbacks of Lightroom is the limited amount of allowance it has for adjusting the tones in an image. Sure, you can pick a color and adjust the hue to an extent, but as Rudis notes in his video, the software restricts how far you can change the values for each one. What is compelling about a selective color layer in Photoshop is that you can increase or decrease the presence of each color for each individual channel. For example, you can completely remove any hint of green within the yellow color channel. This leaves the greens in your other color channels unaffected, while still giving your yellows your desired look. Using this tool, you can make everything appear the way you want.
If you are looking for more control, especially in a photo such as a landscape, where matching the colors can be extremely important, the video above provides plenty of information to get you started with this powerful tool.
