Use local contrast adjustments for increased drama!
February 24, 2011 8 Comments
Capture One Pro 6.1 now includes contrast adjustments in local adjustments layers.
Contrast applied locally can be very powerful and add more drama to landscape images. Typically, a sky with clouds can be changed dramatically by applying contrast in a local adjustments layer.
Portrait images can also be enhanced by using contrast locally in an adjustments layer. For portraits both decreasing and increasing contrast can be effective.
The photos above are an example of a landscape image where the use of contrast in a local adjustments layer has a fantastic effect, creating drama in the sky and the entire image. The image to the left has come straight out of the camera. The image to the right has been optimized primarily by adding contrast to an adjustments layer that has been applied to the sky.
Create your own powerfull images:
The first step is to make a mask for the sky. A graduation type mask will work excellently for this image. You can get information on how to make a graduation type mask in the article on this blog “Working with graduation filters in Capture One Pro 6” from the 17th February 2011.
Because the clouds in the image are already quite bright, applying contrast alone will only lead to even brighter clouds. A contrast curve makes dark parts darker and bright parts brighter. So the trick here is to combine the increased contrast with decreased brightness. For this image, a contrast of +50 and a brightness adjustment of -39 create exactly the increased contrast in the sky that I was looking for.
When I make a Local Adjustment Layer the only control I can use is the exposure slider. All of the other controls are greyed out. How can I adjust contrast? Please clarify this as I have tried everything to no avail.
Has your version of Capture One been upgraded to Capture One Pro 6,1? I think this feature is only available in the latest version of Capture One, so upgrading might do the trick.
The adjustment layer tools are great, and strong luminosity adjustments, particularly to skies, produce no ‘halo’ artifacts like would be found in LR3. It would be nice, however, to be able to control the saturation and sharpness of the layer, as you can in LR.
I’m still a novice with layers in C1. I just made a mask to change a local contrast, and it worked out fine. But while the local mask was active, the Colour Correction tool below was greyed out (ver. 6.1.1). Changing to the background layer, put the CC-tool on again, and vice versa.
But I would like to reuse the local mask for colouring – and maybe later for a local noice-reduction.
Is the same local layer not reusable for other types of correction?
Well, if I change to Advanced in Color Editor, things come alive.
Then, if I change to Sharpening, only the Amount is available?
Again the Noise Reduction and NR Advanced are greyed out, and only Noire is available.
You have to listen carefully to this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi2OUW0gSrM – to find out which features are currently available with masks!
Until the mask option in C1 is made totally versatile, it’s easier to make local adjustments in PS without limitations. Other wise, tell me why not?
I’m using C1-7 and the applied the mask but when I go to change the exposure, it applies to the entire image. Can’t seem to figure out how to have it only affect the masked area
Dear Licasso,
It sounds like the mask is affecting the background layer which covers the entire image. If that is the case you need to switch between the layers in the local adjustment tool so that your correction only affects your new layer and not the background layer.
You can take a look at this tutorial about local adjustments in several layers:
http://youtu.be/zsmpP5KZOyw
I hope this helps solve your problem.
All the best,
Niels
Just wondering…
Hypothetically, if I were to add 50 Contrast to the overall image, and then subtract say… 40 contrast locally (Perhaps from a models face), will the effect locally be as if I had just added 10 there? Or will it create an unexpected effect?