Curves Plug-in

[bobttt]

Is it possible to get a curve plug-in for Elements 4?

bobt

[Scraptastickat]

Lord knows I have tried to find the easy ones but the only one that I have found that works is at Hidden Elements. Its a much more complicated one to use and you will have to pay $29.99 for it and if you cant figure out how to use it like me... purchase the book that is due out at the end of the month. I am patiently waiting for that.

Anyway... the link is here...
http://hiddenelements.com/downloads.html

Good Luck!

[Daviskw]

Hi there

At this time I don’t believe there is a curves plug-in available for PE4. Adobe removed the access that was available in PE3.

Richard Lynch and others are developing workarounds that will give you a limited curves preset function I believe.

Until they make these available there is an existing way to get the same result as a curves function that is very flexible and easy to set up. Go to this link and scroll down to message #7 I believe and give the gradient map technique a try.

http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7243

Butch

[Daviskw]

Hi Kat

We must have been typing at the same time. I will give them a try when the book comes out with the CD.

What kind of interface do they use with the curves presets?. Do you have to drag layers to your drawing and adjust opacity?

Butch

[Joe S]

I have been using a curves program with PSE3 with great success. It is called "Curvemeister". The site www.curvemeister.com states it will work with PSE4. Cost is around $80. I believe a trial version is available from that site. Free on line classes were available (after purchase) and may still be.
Joe S

[Carbone]

Windows only.. :(

Ray

[Scraptastickat]

sorry butch just saw your question. Here is what the interface of the plug-in looks like. Its just all too complicated for me and will have to get the book to figure it all out. I have played with it some but not really knowing what I am doing. I am sure its a fab tool... just needs an instruction manual...LOL

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/scraptastickat/Untitled-2.gif

Once the image is the way you like it and click apply it does NOT create a new layer. So you will always want to duplicate your image to change the opacity.

[Scraptastickat]

I have been using a curves program with PSE3 with great success. It is called "Curvemeister". The site www.curvemeister.com states it will work with PSE4. Cost is around $80. I believe a trial version is available from that site. Free on line classes were available (after purchase) and may still be.
Joe S

YIKES! $80 seems a little steep to me for just curves. For the $29 at hidden elements I not only got curves but also a masking plug-in and something called swap elements which i have no clue about. BUT I still got it for the one time $29 fee...LOL

[Carbone]

I agree with you, Kat, 29$ is more sensible !!

And this interface looks really full of tweaking.. (the geek in me likes it already !!!)

Ray

[Wendy]

Ray ...

It looks pretty complicated to me ... :eek: :eek:

Wendy

[Scraptastickat]

LOL my sentiments exactly wendy!

[MikeH]

Hi bobt,

Welcome to the PET forums :)

There is a free Curves plug-in that will work with any Windows version of Elements at http://www.mehdiplugins.com

Mike

[Wendy]

Hi Mike ...

Didn't realise that it worked in PSE4, that should make a lot of people happy :)

... is it a series of presets?

Wendy

[MikeH]

Wendy,

Yes, it is a series of presets. I've played around with it and they look ok, but I drop back to PSE3 and use Curves in Extras or Grants Tools.

Mike

[Carbone]

LOL my sentiments exactly wendy!

Girls.. always afraid...

(ducking and running!)

:D :D :D

Ray
P.S. This was just a joke.

[Wendy]

Ray ...

Oh my ... you are so brave !!

(Its OK I know you didn't mean it :) :)


Wendy

[Scraptastickat]

LOL ray you had better run because Im slinging coffee cups at you! hehe

i know it will be a great tool I just need to figure out all the gadgets it has!

[lindamwalker]

I have both curvemeister and hidden elements and I can't figure either of them out. I will play around and get results,but it is just experimenting...I probably do not do the same thing twice.I also had elements 3 with the PET extras and that curves I loved. Hopefully they will come out with a way to get it for elements 4

[Wendy]

Hi Linda ...

Because they can't access the curves that Photoshop has they will have had to set up a series of presets to emulate the curves. That is going to make it much more complicated and I suspect that there just isn't going to be a simpler way :(.

Wendy

[Joe S]

Wendy, in a previous discussion (months ago) you mentioned you had a trial version of "Curvemeister". Since then I purchased the program. Even though it is $80 I think it is well worth it.
1. Along with the program you get a step by step instructions on its use using sample images.
2. At any time I was able to contact the creator of the program to get help. Its 4 months later now and I still get help if needed.
3. A 4 week course was provided where at the end of each weeks session your images were placed on a web site for other class members to comment and/or ask questions.
4. Each week your images were also sent to the creator of the program who critiqued each image and made helpful comments.

I dont get that kind of service from any program.
Joe S

[Wendy]

Hi Joe ...

I think that it was maybe one of the others as I'm a Mac user and I don't think that they do a Mac version ...

Sounds like you have had good support from them :)

Wendy

[jazzfisher]

Okay, I'm in the dark ages, can some explain to me--What curves are/do. Besides a creation how would you use them to fix a photo?

[Carbone]

Curves lets you remap a certain tonality in your image. They change the colours in the image.

Ray

[jazzfisher]

Ray,
How are they different from Levels?

[Wendy]

Hi Sherry ..

Curves is so much mire flexible that Levels ... take a look at this tutorial it really does show why curves are better:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/command_primer.shtml

Wendy

[NMarti]

Wendy
Thanks for a great tut on curves. I never fully understood it before but that makes it pretty clear. One question - why can't a photo changed to lab color be saved as a jpeg using the standard save mode? That option disappears when you change the mode unless you do a save for the web.

[Daviskw]

Hi Sherry

The curves I use are limited in Elements, you can not adjust colors only luminance. It is not an adjustment layer in that you cannot go back and change the settings.

It is still very useful to me however. You can set white, black and mid points as in levels. The real use is in the gamma adjustments.

In levels you adjust the gamma by either shifting pixel luminance towards black or white points. But say you want to make shadows slightly brighter and keep your highlights near a certain luminance. You can do that with curves because you can adjust multiple areas instead just shifting either direction.

You can sample your image and transfer the luminance of that area to your curve line. Then as you move that point on the curve line you brighten or darken that luminance level throughout your image. You can increase or decrease the relative contrast between areas in your picture.

There is a workaround in PSE 4.0 that allows you the same flexibility of the limited curves you can get in PES 3.0 with Grants tools but it does take a onetime set up with a gradient map.

Nancy. Wendy. Ray am I missing something or are you talking of curves in the full version when you talk of lab color and changing color?

Butch

[Wendy]

Hi Butch ...

The link is for the full version of Photoshop but it does work in Elements ... The example shown is just using the RGB channel which is the one Grants channels has. (the full version has individual Red, Green, Blue Channels too but Elements can't access these)

... I'm pretty sure that Ray means the tones within the existing colour and that is the Elements one ..

Nancy was indeed talking about the full version of Curves. :)

Wendy

[Wendy]

Hi Nancy ..

Some modes can't be saved as jpgs but "Save for Web" strips all the data off the file so it will save anything as a jpg :)

Wendy

[jazzfisher]

Thanks Guys,
Is this one time set up for the gradient map somewhere I can find the how to? I do have 4.0 & grants tools.

[Daviskw]

Hi again Sherry

Try message 7 in the link below. It is not too hard to set up and gives you lots of adjustments in PES 4.0 to simulate curves in Grants tools.

http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7243&highlight=gradient

Butch

[jazzfisher]

Thanks Butch!!!
Thanks for the explanation & link!:)

[jazzfisher]

Butch,
I'm following your directions in other link--sort of lost---when you select color picker-what color do you select (mine comes up black) What is HSB???

[GaryK]

Sherry

I'm not following Butches tut right now.. but HSB ..Hue, Saturation, Brightness.

Sort of another way to define colours or at least their values...:)

[jazzfisher]

Gary,
Thanks my long lost friend!!!!! Doesn't help, but I appreciate it!!:) :D

[GaryK]

Sherry

Guess we've both been busy the past while. How're things going?? :)

[jazzfisher]

Gary,
The same as usual--I had a flurry of photo requests That everyone wanted "yesterday" so I worked on getting those out and neglected the photos from 3 concerts i promised Peter. I'm now working on those as we speak--to tell you how far behind I am does Xmas concerts & New year's sound far enough behind????? I really must get better at those no flash venues--so far I'm not doing my best. Although I did get myself a new lens that I'm hoping will help (Tamron 2.8 28-75 XR Di) Supposed to have a much better quality than the other lens I had cause this one is made for the DSLR's.
What you been up to???

[GaryK]

Sherry

Just the usual, with a bit of overtime thrown in. I tell you getting up at 5 am is tough when you don't get home until 10 pm. Then it just cascades from there. :D

My baby girl is turning 17 on Tuesday, so off to the Chinese food buffet Tuesday night. I'll have to get up at 4 on Wed. just to get an extra hour on the treadmill :D :D

[jazzfisher]

Gary,
Take the extra hour for some sleep!!
Chinese! Yummy! Happy Birthday to your baby---sounds cheaper than when you took the son & girlfriend out!:D

[Richard Lynch]

As there is talk about my offering, I hope I can clarify here.

Hidden Power provides a solution for curves and, oh, 99 other tools. they work on Elements on Mac and PC. The book can be had for $20 ( http://aps8.com/hppe4.html ), and the tools alone for just $14.99 (http://hiddenelements.com/downloads.html). That is, 100+ tools for less than the cost of either plugin, with complete documentation, AND a workflow model, suggested tools, and manual/instruction.

While the book and tool set do not provide a curves interface for version 4 as they did in the previous versions, the book provides a set of presets (I believe there are 25), and there is a one-click Gradient Map solution that is fully explained in the book, with examples, step-by-step, etc.

the Hidden Power Booster Elements package that I have made available for curves (PC: http://aps8.com/booster.html ; Mac: http://aps8.com/boostermac.html ) will serve those who are more serious about curve use. yes, you will likely have to read the short manual to make best use of these--though these advanced uses may be surprised by the ease and flexibility of the presets, especially in combination with other Hidden Power tools. Those who have an intermediate knowledge will likely be satisfied by the preset/gradient map combo. Those who are beginners can easily use the presets.

One problem with other one-off solutions to image editing 'tools' is that they do not provide an entire package, and a unified approach to working with color channels/components. My books and tools provide an integrated appraoch by providing a workflow, and including tools that don't just separate out one component, they allow you to work with the components separately, just as you would using Photoshop's Channel palette...well, acutally not 'just like you would' but actually with more flexibility.

You can spend hours and days scouring the internet for plugins and tools, and you may find 10 or 20. When you are done, I wonder if it will be time well spent. However, you can save a lot of time and trouble, and get those 20 plus 80 more well thought-out and tested tools at a price so low it can't possibly be worth the search and scouring time.

i also have a free newsletter for answering questions, a forum, and share my email so that if you have trouble, you can find me...I don't know if others really have a support network. That curvemeister thing...very expensive.

I hope that helps.