Adjusting color balance
The Color Balance tool allows you to adjust the color balance of your photo around a specified point of the tonal range.
Additionally, the Color Balance tool also allows you to reduce color casts by selecting neutral gray points, that is points that you want to be neutral gray in your photo.
Reducing color casts is most easily done for photos that were taken under mixed lighting conditions and have easily identifiable neutral grays.
To adjust the color balance or cast of your photo:
- Click the color balance tool button in the tool bar. (A new color balance tool will appear at the top of the tool stack.)
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To adjust the color balance:
- Click anywhere inside the color wheel. (The color balance of your photo will shift towards the color you clicked on.)
- Use the Midpoint slider to set the midpoint of the tonal range of the adjustment.
To reduce the color cast:
- Click the eyedropper button inside the tool. (The mouse will change to an eyedropper.)
- Click somewhere on your photo that you want to be a neutral gray. (Your photo’s colors will shift accordingly. The color swatch and the Red, Green, and Blue values in the tool will also update.)
- If you are satisfied with the color cast reduction, click the eyedropper button again to complete the reduction; otherwise repeat step (b) until you are satisfied.
- Optionally:
- Create a mask using regions.
- Select a different blend mode.
- Adjust the Opacity slider.
- Make a color/luminosity selection.
Note: It is often useful to have multiple instances of the color balance tool in the tool stack to remove color casts from multiple areas of your photo.