Curves, PSE6,Adjustment Layer

[vjim]

Hi.

Can you put the Curve function in PSE6 on an adjustment Layer ?
Thanks.

Love, Vjim

[TonyW]

The short answer is no. A true adjustment layer lets you go back into the layer and change the content (eg change the gradient in a gradient adjustment layer). Neither the curves that come with PSE6 or the add-ons you can get will do that. Best you can do is apply it on a duplicate layer so you can later delete the layer and redo it or add a layer mask to that layer and modify the effect by painting on the layer mask.

Tony

[Michel B]

Tony is right...
However, while the curves tool in PSE6 has a nice interface, it is a tool which acts only on luminosity, not the individual R,G, B channels, like in the levels adjustment layers.
Considering this, my answer is just to use a gradient map adjustment layer in luminosity mode. Gradient maps or curves are different interfaces to make input and output correspond according to a function (mapping). When you know how to add 2 additional stops in the gradient, you can simulate any S-curve for example. It is worth learning how to use the gradient editor, you get an adjustment layer (less file space) with its mask.

[Juergen D]

You may also want to try SmartCurve (free):
http://www.free.pages.at/easyfilter/curves.html

Juergen

[Wendy]

Hi ...

If you use one of the addons like Grant's Tools you do get curves as an adjustment layer but as Tony said it isn't editable ... but you can trash the curves adjustment layer and apply it again :)

Wendy

[vjim]

Thank you all. I have a Richard Lynch 'curve' on an old #2; I just wanted to update it with #6. I am fastenated by the mention of using Gradients;
any Tuts on Gradients, being used as Curve adjustments.

Thanks again; youse guys are wonderful !

Love, Vjim

[Michel B]

Using gradients as another interface for curves:
I don't have a link for this. I'll try to write it later...
Now, to use gradient map adjustment layers, you have to:
1 - be able to edit gradients with the gradient editor
2 - understand the principle and the analogy between curves and gradients

1: Here is a good tutorial for another excellent use of gradients to create luminosity masks. It is an excellent training to use the gradient editor tool.
http://retouchpro.com/tutorials/?m=show&id=132

2: The principle is simple. You have to transform each level of luminosity of the picture into another level. This can be defined by a table. The first column shows the luminosity of the original image, the second the resulting value. This represents separate values of a continuous math function. Nobody uses the math, there are other ways to show this function with graphs. Curves are 2-dimensional representation (x -y) which are very common and explicit. A typical S-Curve uses 2 points to bend the curve. You move those point to give the expected shape, and the software does the math for you. A gradient map is also a graph. You can see the resulting luminosity. If you insert 2 stops (let's say one at the first quarter of the gradient and use a brightness of 25, nothing is changed. Then another at the 3rd quarter with brightness 75, nothing changes either. But if you move both stops toward the center, you see the resulting map which shows increased visual contrast in the midtones like a S-curve. If you move them sidewards, an inverted S-curve. You can use a standard S-curve an change it at will. This principle is also true to mimmick a levels adjustment: you only need to move the existing side tabs to adjust the black and white points, and the existing middle one to change gamma...

Edit: I forgot to recall the gradient map adjustment layer must be in luminosity mode, otherwise you can use it with black to white for B&W conversion.

[TonyW]

Michel: That's very interesting and something I haven't played with. Going to have to experiment. Thanks for posting. I wonder if the same approach could be used to make color range selections/masks. I've never been able to figure out an easy way to get the mask you see when you use the PSE Replace Color out of the thumbnail view and into the image. It looks the same mask as the Select>Color Range in full Photoshop but getting it into a useable form is the challenge.

Tony

[Michel B]

Michel: That's very interesting and something I haven't played with. Going to have to experiment. Thanks for posting. I wonder if the same approach could be used to make color range selections/masks. I've never been able to figure out an easy way to get the mask you see when you use the PSE Replace Color out of the thumbnail view and into the image. It looks the same mask as the Select>Color Range in full Photoshop but getting it into a useable form is the challenge.

Tony

Absolutely, this is in my wish list... I have found other examples where the thumbnail view of other commands would be very useful if there was an option to export it as a mask. When you have a command which acts at the same time as a selection and as an effect, you cannot take advantage of the internal mask: hue/sat comes to mind. And I have just discovered filter/adjustment/variations with clipping shown...

For selections based on colour, I often extract the colour component before using the magic wand tool which is based only on colour. I don't think it is that much better than the magic wand alone, but here it goes:
add a 50% grey solid colour fill adjustment layer in luminosity mode. Luminosity is levelled, only colour is left. You can do your selection based on all layers and save it for further use in a mask. What is missing is the convenience of moving a slider to change the tolerance.

[michaelkay]

Hi Michel B,
This is my first post to a forum, so I hope that I get it right. On your point about gradients as an interface for curves, Jim Beecher at photokaboom.com-Simulating Curves with a Gradient Map provides a detailed tutorial on this subject. I have found that it works extremely well.
Best wishes
Michael Kay

[Michel B]

Michael,
Welcome to the forum, and thanks for your info. It's an amazingly rich site. However I did not find the tutorial...
Your contributions are welcomed!

[TonyW]

Amazing site. Thanks for sharing. And I did find the tutorial by typing curves into the google search box at the top of one of the pages:

http://www.photokaboom.com/photography/learn/Photoshop_Elements/curves_gradient_map/1_curves_gradient_map_make.htm

Tony

[vjim]

Michael,
Thanks; I looked it up; interesting; Will have to try. Thanks,

Love, Vjim

[vjim]

Thank you Juergen;I down loaded Smart Curve; AWEsome tool !

Love, Vjim