10-17-2012, 08:18 PM
Hey Anti, the reason you are having trouble with this technique is that you need a very good knowledge of colour values to make it work. And it seems from your post that you're not sure what value in terms of colour means so here's a quick and simple rundown of terminology:
I included hue and saturation so it helps the explanation
Hue - Another word for colour really. Red and blue are 2 differant hues. So I if you blend a blob of red and blue all the colours mixed from red and blue will be hues too, as they are also colours.
Now the next few terms are related to the hue you are using (your colour)
Saturation - This is how pure your colour is.....say what? Well take a red colour (hue) and imagine that you put in as much red colour as you can (almost like pigment in paint) until it's the brightest that red can go. The red doesnt become lighter and turn pink, it just looks like a strong red colour. Now if you start taking the red away it is going to become dull and then it will just be grey... and not just any grey but a certain darkness of grey which brings us too:
Value - So we sucked out all the pigment out and now we are left with this grey gook. If we take some yellow and suck it dry to make it grey you would notice someting. The previously yellow,now grey is lighter than our previously red,now grey. Each colour or hue has its own specific "grey" or as you'l hear people say light or dark value. Yellow is generally light grey, red and blue much darker, and white and black are the lightest and darkest vaules. To check the values of an image just make it a grayscale image in PS. It's worth checking out a good image or two and see how there is a good range of dark and light values. Also how these have been used to enhance the image or get a specific effect is good to have a look at.
Here are some images to help you out:
![[Image: colourlandscapes3.jpg]](http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg236/kidult_01/colourlandscapes3.jpg)
colours and their values:
![[Image: spheres1.jpg]](http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg236/kidult_01/spheres1.jpg)
so yes maybe just working straight in colour from the beginning would be better to start with. Dan and Dave makes it look simple and as if its merely a quick layer mode, but really it's their deep knowledge of colour and values, which they gained from many studies! So go do many studies! now!
I included hue and saturation so it helps the explanation
Hue - Another word for colour really. Red and blue are 2 differant hues. So I if you blend a blob of red and blue all the colours mixed from red and blue will be hues too, as they are also colours.
Now the next few terms are related to the hue you are using (your colour)
Saturation - This is how pure your colour is.....say what? Well take a red colour (hue) and imagine that you put in as much red colour as you can (almost like pigment in paint) until it's the brightest that red can go. The red doesnt become lighter and turn pink, it just looks like a strong red colour. Now if you start taking the red away it is going to become dull and then it will just be grey... and not just any grey but a certain darkness of grey which brings us too:
Value - So we sucked out all the pigment out and now we are left with this grey gook. If we take some yellow and suck it dry to make it grey you would notice someting. The previously yellow,now grey is lighter than our previously red,now grey. Each colour or hue has its own specific "grey" or as you'l hear people say light or dark value. Yellow is generally light grey, red and blue much darker, and white and black are the lightest and darkest vaules. To check the values of an image just make it a grayscale image in PS. It's worth checking out a good image or two and see how there is a good range of dark and light values. Also how these have been used to enhance the image or get a specific effect is good to have a look at.
Here are some images to help you out:
colours and their values:
so yes maybe just working straight in colour from the beginning would be better to start with. Dan and Dave makes it look simple and as if its merely a quick layer mode, but really it's their deep knowledge of colour and values, which they gained from many studies! So go do many studies! now!