Lab

Photoshop Top 40, Feature #6: RGB, CMYK, and Lab

Submitted by deke on 9 March 2010 - 12:15am.
Feature #6: RGB, CMYK, and Lab

Color is a wild beast. One that you admire, exalt, and even brood over. But the second you think you have it figured out, it can change on you. It looks different in print, it transforms on the Web. Color cannot be caged and will not be tamed.

Even so, Photoshop tries. It knows you adore color. But it also knows the beast. Photoshop sees color for what is it, a 3D landscape of luminance levels, clawing at each other and competing for your attention.

There is RGB, the creature that is captured. And CMYK, the monster chained and offered to the world. And finally there is Lab, the beast itself. Read more » 

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The Fake HDR Portrait Technique, Revealed

Submitted by deke on 13 October 2008 - 1:41am.

As those of you who know a thing or two about what goes on 'round here know, last week's dekePod was devoted to the topic of faking an HDR portrait. As usual, the technique flew by in the blink of a bug's eye. A really scary, creepy bug's eye. Which is the idea, of course. Few know this, but dekePod won this year's Nobel Prize in Subliminal Anti-Training. (They give out that particular award in a tiny, dimly lit room off the janitor's closet, so it's not widely covered.)

But anti-training doesn't always work. In fact, one study suggests it kills roughly 1 out every of 16 lab rats. (Thankfully, we haven't heard of any human fatalities--yet.) Which is why I offer this traditional step-by-step description, as it applies to my youngest son, Sammy, who quite obviously really enjoys his ice cream.

Sam becomes HDR Read more » 

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Faking an HDR Portrait

Submitted by deke on 8 October 2008 - 2:39am.
A fake HDR portrait

dekePod Episode 007: Well, friends, it's getting to be Halloween, that bestest of holidays, the one made famous by Linus and Jamie Lee Curtis. And you know what that means: Another traditional early-October Halloween episode of dekePod. (Well, the first one, but you have to start somewhere.) This year, I celebrate the spookiness of the season by showing you how to fake an HDR portrait in Photoshop. Perhaps you've seen others demo fake HDR. Now see me do it. Here's the official marketing description: Read more » 

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Don't Fear the Lab Mode

Submitted by deke on 10 August 2008 - 12:25pm.

To help you make sense of the most recent episode of dekePod, I've written up a discussion of how I modified the colors of my backyard in the Lab mode. Although it flies by in the video, the technique is not particularly difficult. I don't use Curves or masking or anything terribly complicated. Just Levels and -- brace yourself -- Brightness/Contrast. In Photoshop CS3, Brightness/Contrast has not only turned into a respectable command, but it has been elevated to pro status when combined with Lab. And it remains as easy as ever to use.

Lab + Brightness/Contrast

Some portions of this article have been excerpted from my upcoming article, "Don't Fear the Lab Mode," which will run in the September, 2008 issue of Photoshop User magazine. So as not to diminish the impact of that article (as well as the two that will follow it), I have purposely made the steps here brief, illustrated with thumbnail-resolution imagery. You should still be able to follow along, but you'll have lots more to look forward to in Photoshop User. Read more » 

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Still happyfying, hope you are too

Submitted by deke on 6 August 2008 - 1:48am.

Hey gang,

As usual, this newsletter goes out to you, the few, the proud, the registered users at dekeOnline. In case you're curious, there are now 1995 of us. I was hoping we'd hit 2000 before I fired this off. But alas, five people who should have registered didn't. You'll be glad to know, I have sent all five formal complaints, along with stern warnings if this sort of behavior continues.

Get registering!

But enough about them, let's talk about you. By which I mean, me. Read more » 

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