From the course: Photoshop 2020 One-on-One: Fundamentals

Color cast versus color harmony - Photoshop Tutorial

From the course: Photoshop 2020 One-on-One: Fundamentals

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Color cast versus color harmony

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- One of the most frustrating issues to address in the world of photographic image editing is color cast, which is to say, colors gone wrong. If an image is drab, I think you know instinctively to brighten it. If it's washed out, you might want to add some contrast. But what if it's kind of greenish? How would you know that the best way to remove some of that green is to slide things toward green's opposite, which is magenta. The answer, of course, is to watch this chapter, which is where I'll show you how colors work, how cyan, a kind of greenish blue, is in opposition to red; and so cyan and red are said to be color complements. Not compliment with an I, but with two E's. So in other words, cyan doesn't give red compliments like, my goodness, you look stunning today, red; but rather, together, they complete each other. When cyan and red meet, they form neutrality and eliminate color cast. It is as if cyan and red are a couple of opposite people, wherein opposites attract; and yet their opposite qualities result in harmony. And so just as in a balanced relationship, cyan and red together create harmony. As do magenta and green and yellow and blue and a host of other color pairings, such as purple and emerald, whose names are a bit more subjective. Just as is our perception of color itself, just as will be your perception of the following chapter.

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