Is this forum also for discussion of class related topics?

[mikemeister_admin]

Hi, I am just beginning to read through the material for last week, and I am finding it fascinating! :)

There is a little thought bugging me all the while, though.

It seems that jumping in and out of, backward and forward from, one color space to another is often recommended in processing the CM way. The little thought is telling me that each time you convert the color space of an image the image is degraded.

Or should it be saying each time you save and then convert and save again?

Thanks.

Neil

PS I don't yet see any material for week 2 over in CM 101 Class (?) 

[ggroess]

That has always been an interesting discussion point. 

CM does not convert the image profile like you do in Photoshop.  In PS you have to convert the image to say LAB then do your work and convert out of LAB back to RGB.  With CM you can access all of the channels from within the plug-in.  You can make an RGB correction and if you want to you can switch to LAB and try a different correction so long as you do not apply the changes. The final correction is the one you "apply" to the image and is based on the math behind the plug-in; everything else is virtual. 

There are great advantages to working this way...It allows you to fix the contrast in LAB and then applying the change you can then turn around and go into RGB to fix color.  Your work flow is much more flexible and responsive using this tool.  It can really help you smash through a long list of similar images as well using history and saving the curves...

Later in the class you will be using CM on a layer.  You can use CM as a smart filter and have multiple CM corrections on multiple different layers if you want..

For now...do not convert the image prior to going into CM just open in CM and select LAB, HSB, CMYK or RGB.

Week two is the actual first week of classes..Week one is introductions, playtime and open discussion.  The course work begins after that...We are in Week one of the coursework.

Greg

[mikemeister_admin]

Nice stuff, Greg, thanks.

Could I ask, please, for clarification of this:

"It allows you to fix the contrast in LAB and then applying the change you can then turn around and go into RGB to fix color."

Do you mean that CM can hold in suspension, so to speak, a number of adjustments in different color spaces, and then apply them all when you save. Eg if I open an image for editing in sRGB, can I use CM to stack a number of adjustments in any color space, and then finally save the image as it began, in sRGB, without ever actually converting it into any other color space?

Or have I misunderstood you?

Neil

[ggroess]

While in CM they are independent of each other not cumulative...Although that might be a nice feature...But you can make an adjustment in LAB then switch to RGB and try to make the same correction and decide which you like better...you can switch back and forth...it will keep the values you set until you apply one of the color spaces to your image.

So the work flow would be open the image in CM...Adjust in LAB....decide that you want to try RGB...Switch the radio button in CM to RGB and make a new correction...decide to go back to LAB....switch radio button...

Shot1 and Shot2 are both open in CM at the same time and I can switch between them to see which I like better...Whichever one I choose to apply is what gets written to the file.

Greg

[mikemeister_admin]

Ah yes, I see what you mean. That's neat. So, the conversion (or not) is committed in the actual final save. Thanks for your help!

Neil