Heyo! (•̀ ω •́)✧
I'm Ash. In this tutorial, we will be looking at Clip Studio paint correction layers!
We will be confronting 3 areas in this tutorial;
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⁘ Tonal Correction layer being permanent and non-permanent
⁘ Understanding the adjustments layers and its functions
⁘ How I use correction layers on my illustrations
I also did a video of this topic in youtube! I recommend watching the video first then read this clip studio tip for further notes ^^
Hope you enjoy!
Tonal Correction layer being permanent and non-permanent
Tonal corrections are adjustments/changes you make to the brightness and contrast of your image.
And correction layer applies color and tonal adjustments to your image without permanently changing pixel values.
For example, rather than making a Tone Curves adjustment directly to your image, you can create a Tone Curves adjustment layer.
You can select these function from
‘Layer’ (on the main menu) -> ‘New Color Correction Layer’
OR
‘Layer palette’ -> ‘Right click on the desired layer’ -> ‘New Color Correction Layer’
The color and tonal adjustments are stored in the adjustment layer and apply to all the layers below it; you can correct multiple layers by making a single adjustment.
After adjust and apply the values, there will be a LAYER MASK created.
You can remove your changes by using a tool eraser or restore it back by using the by pen tool (any drawing tool) to its original image whenever you like.
Nevertheless, if you want it to be done to a specific layer, you click on CLIPPING MASK which is on your layer palette.
What is the difference between a layer mask and a clipping mask?
Layer masks provide more control over a single layer's pixels. Clipping masks are used to hide areas of a layer based on pre-made selections or routes.
Additionally, this is what we call “Non-Destructive/Not Permanent” the steps of the changes that occur on the image separately so the edited image as well as the original image is saved. At any point in time you can go back to the original image because it hasn’t been modified. This function is good for experimenting with different ways of expressing colors. Especially, if you are editing animation, comic/manga/webcomic, or photography!
However!
If you want to make the corrections to be “Permanent/destructive,” this will apply to only one layer instead of every layer. (However, you can always Merge The correction Layer to your required layer.)
Likewise, you can do this;
‘Layer palette’ -> ‘Right click on the Correction layer that you have created before’ -> ‘Merge with layer below”
OR
‘Main menu’ -> ‘Edit’ -> ‘Tonal Correction’-> ‘Click any adjustment correction’
You can use this method if you are entirely sure with your decision. This creates changes to an image and saves the changes over the original image. After saving, you won’t be able to go back to the original file because the changes have been saved and become the new file. I usually use this function in my illustrations or graphic design.
Of course, it depends on your preference and taste! You can always find ways to utilize these powerful tools to your liking and to your brand.
Now let’s start looking through 9 different correction options!
Understanding the adjustments layers and its functions
BRIGHTNESS / CONTRAST
Brightness; is the intensity of light coming from the image. On a color screen, it is the average of the red, green and blue pixels on the images.
Contrast; is the difference in brightness between light and dark areas of an image. Contrast determines the number of shades in the image.
Do not confuse between contrast with saturation
Saturation is the depth or intensity of the COLOR, while Contrast controls THE LIGHT AND DARK TONES. You can also think of it as the separation between the shadows and highlights. An image with low contrast is said to look flat or dull, while high contrast makes an image retains detail and dimension, and crisp.
Shifting the Brightness slider to the right increases tonal values and expands image highlights, to the left decreases values and expands shadows. The contrast slider expands to the right and shrinks to the left the overall range of tonal values in the image. It is more preferable to have the sliders to repel each other or to be a non-linear. It depends on what you perceive and what results you want.
HUE / SATURATION / LUMINOSITY
Hue; a gradation or variety of a color within the visible spectrum of light, Drag the slider to shift the colors through the spectrum.
Saturation; the intensity, or richness, of the color, Drag the slider to the left to decrease color intensity, drag to the right to increase it.
Luminosity; controls the brightness value. Drag the slider to the left to decrease brightness, drag to the right to increase it.
What is the difference between value and saturation?
Value is defined as lightness and darkness of a color, and the comparison of shade controls the value. While saturation refers to the strength of the color and adding grey can decline saturation.
HSL Adjustment (Hue/Saturation/Lightness) allows you to change and shift the intensity of an image’s colors and its lightness. Most commonly, it is used to increase or decrease saturation.
POSTERIZATION
The (pixel) colors of a selected area of an image and reduce the number of colors, while maintaining the look of the original image. It controls the number of colored areas produced and the complexity of the resulting image.
Drag the slider to the left to decrease the number of colored areas (thereby simplifying image layout), drag to the right to increase colored areas (thereby giving a more complex image layout). You use this function for your comic books or stylized drawings!
INVERT GRADATION
CSP sets all the image's color values to their opposite value on a color wheel, by inverting all color channels.
For example; white becomes black, yellow becomes blue, green becomes purple and more.
LEVEL CORRECTION
The Levels adjustment is to correct the tonal range and color balance of an image by adjusting intensity levels of image shadows (black point), midtones (gamma), and highlights (white point).
The Levels histogram is a visual guide for adjusting the image key tones (pixel distribution).
Black Level (black triangle point); determines the range of pixels in the image considered to be pure black. Drag the slider to the right to include pixels in the range (thereby increasing shadows), drag to the left to exclude pixels (thereby reducing shadows).
Gamma (Gray Level point); determines the range of pixels in the image considered to be pure white. Drag the slider to the left to include pixels in the range (thereby increasing highlights), drag to the right to exclude pixels (thereby reducing highlights).
White Level (White triangle point); determines the range of pixels in the image considered to be pure white. Drag the slider to the left to include pixels in the range (thereby increasing highlights), drag to the right to exclude pixels (thereby reducing highlights).
Output Black Level; Redesign the output level of absolute black. Moving the slider to the right makes the design washed out.
Output White Level; Redesign the output level of absolute white. Moving the slider to the left lessens the intensity of highlights of the design.
You can also individually edit the Red, Green, and Blue side by side in level correction, without losing your readjustments
We will get to understanding a bit more about RGB in the tone curve section.
Yeas, this is confusing however it’s such a powerful tool to enhance your illustrations’ colors and the overall satisfaction.
TONE CURVE
First of all let’s define Tone
Tone is a result of mixing a pure color with any gray scale color including the two extremes, white and black.
By this definition, all tints and shades are also considered to be tones.
You’ll have a line graph instead of sliders unlike Level corrections and Brightness/Contrast; representing the tones of your image (shadows, mid tones and highlights). By adding nodes to this graph, you can manipulate these tones relative to one another. Dragging up will lighten the image while dragging down will darken it.
Since it is represented at first in a linear graph, it is desirable to make it non-linear as possible, even if it’s subtle.
Creating an S-shape by adding nodes and dragging the curve in opposite directions can correct washed out or too light/too dark images.
By default, the Curve is shown in RGB mode. Or what we call Additive Colors, because the more colors you add the brighter it gets.
To edit individual color channels, choose them under the Channels of RED, BLUE, and GREEN.
The RGB curve changes the photo’s overall brightness and contrast.
The Red curve tones, if your move the node upwards is red or downwards is turquoise.
The Green curve tones, if your move the node upwards is green or downwards is magenta.
The Blue curve tones, if your move the node upwards is blue or downwards is opposite yellow.
Tone curve and Level corrections are like siblings, while Brightness/Contrast being the cousin. Lol
However in tone curve, it gives you more flexibility to your perceptions that you are required for your illustrations.
COLOR BALANCE
The Color Balance adjustment provides a way to modify the contribution of particular colors to a set tonal range.
Move the Cyan/Red, Magenta/Green, or Yellow/Blue slider toward a color that you want to increase to the image; drag the slider away from a color that you want to subtract from the image.
The values displayed above the sliders, show the color changes for red, green, and blue channels. These values can range from ‑100 to +100. You can directly view the adjustments being applied to your image while moving the sliders by clicking on the ‘preview’. There are also Shadows, Midtones, or Highlights to select the tonal range in which you want to focus your edits.
Tonal range is simply, the range of tones between the lightest and darkest areas of an image.
BINARIZATION
Binarization has the same functionalities as Posterization
We also call it Threshold, and the difference is it controls the transition point between pixels being converted to black or white. Drag the slider to the left to convert more pixels to turn white, drag the slider to the right to convert more pixels to turn black.
GRADIENT MAP
Gradient Maps are the equivalent gray scale range of an image to a specified color gradient.
CSP also have a Mixing Rate Curve; which allows you to adjust the color Mixing ratio, if you want your dark values to be larger than light values or vice versa
Clip Studio Paint already has their defaults and also many others more in their Clip studio Assets. Where many individuals submits their favorite gradients maps presets. I use gradients maps especially for my gray-scale illustrations and to give my finished pieces a color scheme using different blending modes.
How I use correction layers on my illustrations
Now I’m going to show your guys how I use these color adjustments onto my illustrations!
From the beginning of my illustration, I was using gradient map. Since I've used the grayscale technique, I wanted to bring back the life from it's colors.
I use HSL to experiment on the flowers' color because I was uncertain on which color or tone would make this stand out from the rest.
Since my setting was at a forest, I already had clear color that I want the bankground to have. However, I didn't want my illustration to look boring nor cliche. So i experiment the various combinations using color balance.
The illustration was having an ashy/faded look. Which was making my main subject looking less promienet. So what I did, I use Tone curve to boost up the highlights and the saturation of the flower. Now the contrast, seems a much more clear.
MOre RenDeringg (ง •_•)ง
Here's the final piece!
These color corrections really helps my illustrations to show different effects and modes for your audiences to capture. I really recommend to experiment with these and to practice them just to have a better understanding of they are capable of. And surely, it will worth your time. (^▽^)
Thank khu for staying till the end!
Follow meh social media for more of my works! (≧∇≦) ﾉ
Also here are my reliable, detailed references
which if you are willing to explore and understand more concepts!
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/color-adjustments.html
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