How to best color correct image

Hi,
I earlier asked a question whereas I was having problems with color consistency from PS to ID. After resolving that I've run into another issue:
In trying to figure out a way to put an image in ID in a specific set of red cmyk numbers. I've come up with two solutions, but each has a set of problems. Both are CMYK.
The image on the left is a flattened black and red image (halftone) tif from Photoshop (the filter used flattens it). IT looks pretty god but If I try to adjust it with the correct red numbers, the black isn't neutral and gets a color cast, or I'm afraid it will in the printing process.
The one on the right is a black and transparent tif from Photoshop that has been place over a red background (already in ID). Why does this 2nd one appear to be greyed?
(I think I need to learn to fine-tune the color correction on the left one, but not sure which controls to use).
Thoughts?
No sooner did I post this, I read about someone else talking earlier about using the Multiply effect ( I didn't realize you could do this in ID), I tried it and got a more integrated image which is what I wanted. Neat. Now, are there any printing repercussions during the printing process with this effect that I need to worry about, or WYSIWYG? ( I still need to tweak the contrast I know, but at least the red is right.)

I just wrote a huge, even more convoluted post trying to answer your questions, which I'll save for later because it may be moot. I'm thinking aloud here to try to clarify:
We'er talking about 2 issues here, the greyness of the blacks and how they look on the surface and the color cast that may occur, is that right?
Let me say that I initially used a 3rd party filter called "Ghost" (can only be used on RGB images). I use it on B&W images as well as color. That takes out all white information and leaves all transparency in various densities. Only a solid black has no transparency. Then I converted to Robin's SWOP Heavy. She is using black & white photos, not transparent images.
Then came along your process.
I took those images that were over cream (in Robin's workflow...I didn't see anything wrong with these images intially), then put them over red and sure enough got that greyed-out look, which is only noticable over red, but if I use them may show up in print that way, which leads me to believe I need to use your process, as the quality of the blacks needs to be consistant.
Left is Robin's profile, right side is with "Multiply" applied. Which leads me to believe that I need to re-do all my images as per your ideas. I thought black would be black. Guess not. I'm not sure if the end result of using your process is the same as using multiply or not but it looks the same and is consistant.
All that being said, what again should be my images profiles and ID file be?
this is what they are, ..and I thought they were Blurb's but I screwed something up there too...
Images..don't remember If I need to convert!!? I think so then what's the point? UGH:
ID file:

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Of course, your method will not validate, while Osgoods will.
And his will
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Murray --- ICQ 71997575
Adobe Community Expert
(If you *MUST* email me, don't LAUGH when you do so!)
==================
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- DW FAQs, Tutorials & Resources
http://www.dwfaq.com - DW FAQs,
Tutorials & Resources
==================
"EviePhillips" <[email protected]> wrote in
message
news:fpfp24$kjr$[email protected]..
> Osgood:
>
> Thank you for responding. I did as you suggested and
alas, it did not
> work.
> But you got me thinking about HTML code and so I went to
the HTML Tutorial
> website. I found some Image Border jargon. I entered
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>
> Thank you for turning on the light! I appreciate your
help!
>
> Evie
>

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function(){return A.apply(null,[this].concat($A(arguments)))}
StanWelks wrote:
1. Is using the curves to color correct more accurate than using levels?
2. It has me enter for shadows: r=20, g=20, b=20 highlights:r=240, g=240, b=240 and midtones: r=128, g=128. b=128 and to save them as defaults. What are these values based on? Are these values good to use for all digital images?
3. It also has me set the default RGB working space to Adobe RGB (1998). Is this still the best color space for working with digital camera images?
No, No, and No.
The long answers are more complicated.
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I know that this can be done in Photoshop.
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Thanks in adance!
J. D.

1) tint in black probably means white balance was off a bit ( not matched to your light source).
Can try to correct WB overall and get rid of black tint ( use eye dropper and choose the black area that's supposed to be black and make it black...see what happens to the rest of your image colors )
2) maybe broadcast colors...which has some tendency to imitate "selective color" in photoshop, as you adjust stuff ...
3) no ...except maybe ( again ) broadcast colors ... but probably you have to do by eye or LUT...but basically no
I'm kinda new at this so dont take my word as gospel...someone else may have cool ideas ( they usually do )

Advice for logical workflow for color correcting and color grading

I am an experienced user of PPRO CS5. I am a novice with color correcting and color grading. I am also just barely competant in AE CS5. It has been suggested that I use AE for color correcting my footage. Can you advise me as to the most logical workflow for doing this in coordination with PPRO CS5? Are there some tutorials that you recommend? I subscribe to Lynda.com and I think that they have some great tutorials, I am unsure as to where to begin looking and what to search for.
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Lisa

lisaellensegal wrote:
I am an experienced user of PPRO CS5. I am a novice with color correcting and color grading. I am also just barely competant in AE CS5. It has been suggested that I use AE for color correcting my footage.
You can do it that way, sure. But you don't have to. You can accomplish quite a lot without leaving PPro. This has two major advantages. First, if you aren't using AE for anything else, it gets you out of using AE at all, so gets you out of climbing another set of learning curves.
Second, even if you are using AE for other things (I use AE to make motion lower thirds, for example), doing the work in PPro can improve exporting speeds. This is because AE gets restricted to a single processor core in some workflows as discussed in this thread and others (search around if you're interested). This can make exporting take 3x as long or longer, depending on how much footage has to be processed by AE.
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If you find you have specific colors that need to be fixed, you can apply another three way color correction effect and use it to make that secondary color correction (for example I find the blue dyes used in many labels tend to fluoresce under fluorescent lighting, and has to be desaturated with a secondary color correction or it "blooms" on an HDTV -- IOW, it has to be made "broadcast safe").
If you want tutorials for using these tools, the ones on Creative Cow by Andrew Devis are quite good, and free. The ones on color correction with PPro cs6 start at tutorial number 47. There's a bunch of them. All good.
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Photoshop Color correction and Special color Effects

Can anybody pls tell me , how they create color corrections in movies like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings. and all the other special color themes they create different images...
I use photoshop a lot but m a amateur to color correction thing .

There are many applications, that can do CC (Color Correction, often referred to as Color Grading, or sometimes just Grading). Premiere Pro has many CC Effects, and these should be done on calibrated NTSC, or PAL, monitors, and not on the computer's monitors. One reason for this is that Premiere is not a Color Managed environment.
Adobe After Effects also has many (actually quite a few more) CC Effects, and is often used for this purpose, even if one is not using it for its normal operation - compositing.
Along with those, there are many 3rd party CC plug-ins, like Red Giant's Colorista.
Once one gets past indie films, Hollywood would use workstations designed specifically for CC, with software not commonly available to the vast majority of the public. Again, the work will be done on constantly calibrated monitors, and by skilled technicians, who do nothing else, all day long. A good starting point would be the Black Magic Da Vinci system, but this really only gets one's foot in the door.
To get a handle on CC for Video, I recommend The Arit and Technique of Digital Color Correction, Hullfish.
Color Correction in Video is a subject, where popluar books will fill a large library.
Good luck,
Hunt

How to best color correct image

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