Curves adjustments in Photoshop are essential for refining contrast and tone, but they can introduce unwanted color changes. This can leave you with oversaturated or washed-out colors that may not suit your vision. Finding a way to control these effects without compromising the image's vibrancy is a challenge many users face.
Coming to you from Unmesh Dinda with PiXimperfect, this practical video explores how to manage color shifts in Photoshop's Curves adjustments. It begins by highlighting the common advice to change the blend mode to Luminosity, which prevents color saturation issues. However, this often dulls the colors too much, leaving images flat and lifeless. Dinda demonstrates how the Camera Raw filter offers a more precise solution, thanks to its Refined Saturation slider. This feature provides nuanced control over color intensity, allowing you to balance vibrancy and contrast in a way Photoshop’s adjustment layers currently cannot.
By converting your layer for smart filters, you can edit the Curves settings non-destructively. The Refined Saturation slider in Camera Raw makes it possible to achieve a result that sits perfectly between overly vibrant and completely desaturated. Dinda shows how this tool preserves the integrity of the image’s colors while maintaining a professional look, something Photoshop struggles with in its native tools.
One downside is that Camera Raw adjustments cannot be used as live adjustment layers in Photoshop, requiring you to merge layers to apply the effect. Dinda offers a workaround using Photoshop’s native Hue/Saturation adjustment, but it falls short compared to Camera Raw’s Refined Saturation slider. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Dinda.
