Adobe Camera Raw (for convenience, hereafter referred to as ACR) is a Raw format image adjustment software embedded in Photoshop. In this tutorial, we will use a simple example to learn how to use it in conjunction with Photoshop to repair photos.
Before learning this example, first issue the Raw file for everyone to use. Please download the Raw format file here: http://bbs.jcwcn.com/viewthread.php?tid=251004
There is an NEF file created using a Nikon camera, which is a Raw type format file of a Nikon camera. We can edit such pictures by using a variety of software, such as Capture NX 2, ACR, etc.
If you are a user of other brands of SLR cameras, it doesn’t matter, ACR still takes all. What we learned here also applies.
In order to obtain a smaller file for everyone to download, and to explain the denoising and other functions of ACR, this example was shot using an earlier D70 camera. Newer professional cameras have much less noise and produce better images. However, photos taken at high ISO (sensitivity) will also have some noise.
In this example, we are using a defective image file. What we want to learn is how to modify these defects and make the image more beautiful through operations such as color correction and synthesis.
If you are used to Photoshop, you can quickly get started with ACR, and you can intuitively adjust the colors you need by adjusting the sliders. In contrast, the Capture NX 2 software takes some getting used to. Its featured tool is the U Point color control point, which allows you to adjust the color of a specific area by pulling the slider on the control point. If you are interested, the original files provided in this example can also be adjusted using Capture NX 2.
A mouth can only talk about one topic. Let's return to ACR and start our color grading journey.
Double-click the Raw file to open it using ACR. You can see that the interface of ACR is very friendly and the layout is clear at a glance. Friends who are accustomed to using Adobe software can get started quickly.
In order to make it easy for beginners to learn, here is an introduction to the interface composition of ACR.
As shown in the figure, the upper left corner is the toolbar, which is used to zoom in or out, crop, rotate, quickly set white balance and other operations on the image. I marked it with a red box.
Looking down from the toolbar is the image window. Our protagonist is placed here and can be adjusted while viewing the effect.
Looking further down, there is the quick zoom tool, which contains plus and minus buttons to zoom in and out with a click, and there is also a menu where we can quickly select the zoom size.
The save image button on the lower left is used to directly save the adjusted image into the format you need. There is no need to import it into PS and then save it.
In the middle of the lower part are the workflow options, which are used to set what color space and color depth are used in the work, and the size of the image can be set here. If you are a beginner, it is recommended to set the color space to sRGB, which can save a lot of trouble.
Let's look to the right again. The top of the right is a histogram, which is used to observe the brightness and color distribution of the image. Experienced users can determine whether the image is overexposed or underexposed and the general color condition by looking at the histogram.
The RGB color values are on the left side below the histogram. When the mouse moves on the graph, you can intuitively see the color values here. Used together with the histogram, you can adjust the image without being affected by the color cast of the monitor.
Looking down again, the part I framed with a blue border is the icon label and slider area we will use when adjusting the image. The upper tab can quickly switch to the item that needs to be adjusted, and the lower slider specifies the color adjustment value.
There are three buttons at the bottom right. Open image means to use Photoshop to open the currently adjusted image. Cancel means to abandon the work you have done previously. When you press the Alt key, this button will become reset. Click to change to the original image. The state when there is no adjustment. Done means closing ACR and saving your work.
After getting to know the ACR interface, the next step is to correct the color of the image, increase the contrast, and make the picture more transparent.
Since the image is not optimized in the camera, the Raw format image taken by the SLR camera will give people a flat feeling. But after adjustments, there will be a big improvement. Amateur cameras often produce very vivid photos, but there is not much room for adjustment in the later stage.
It's summer now, and the best time to photograph flower insects is generally between 6 and 7:30 in the morning. At this time, the light is sufficient and the color temperature is low. If the white balance is not set in depth, the color of the image taken at this time will be relatively warm.
When I saw this bee, it was four o'clock in the afternoon, and the color temperature was relatively high, so the first step was to adjust the color temperature and hue.
Adjusting photos is a process of re-creation. Friends have different opinions on this. Some people like to make the colors very bright, while others want to restore the original colors of the image and advocate returning to nature. I advocate appropriate exaggeration under the premise of reality, so when setting the color temperature, I set the color of the picture to be warmer to make it appear more vibrant.
Pull the Color Temperature slider to the left to make the image cooler, and to the right to make the image warmer. I set it to 6300, which makes the color slightly warmer. Pulling the Hue slider to the left shifts the image color towards green, correcting the color of the leaves.
The exposure slider can brighten an image. It is similar to the brightness slider, but there are differences. Exposure focuses on brightening the highlights in the image, while brightness targets the entire image. If the image has strong contrast, you can use the brightness slider to brighten it to prevent the highlights from blowing out and losing detail.
The function of the recovery slider is to restore the color of the highlight overflow to reveal the lost details in the highlight. It has a slight darkening effect on the image.
Fill Light brightens particularly dark parts of the image. Note that if this value is too large, vignetting and color noise will appear.
The black slider can darken the darker parts of the image, improving the contrast of the image and making the originally dull colors appear more distinct.
Both the contrast and transparency sliders have the effect of improving contrast. In contrast, the transparency slider is gentler to adjust, making it easier to retain some details.
Detail saturation can increase the saturation of colors. Compared with the saturation slider, the problem of oversaturated color detail loss is less likely to occur.
You can try these adjustments yourself. My adjustment parameters are marked in the picture.
If you are used to using curves for adjustment, we can click the "Tone Curve" label (labeled 1) and click the "Point" label (labeled 2) to perform curve adjustments on the image. As shown in the figure, it is a typical S-shaped curve, which can increase the brightness of highlights and darken dark parts, thus improving the contrast of the image.
During the adjustment process, pay attention to the changes in the histogram. If a very high mountain peak appears on the far left, it means that the dark part has become pure black and some details have been lost.
Some friends only look at the histogram when adjusting images, and always think that the best image adjustment is without losing any detail, while some friends don't care about details at all, and many color levels are lost through rough operations. My opinion is that everything should focus on creation, and adjust the image to a more ideal state without losing as much detail as possible. Of course, sometimes you want to adjust the silhouette effect, in which case you need to discard unnecessary details. .
