An introduction to the ‘LAB Color mode: part two’ tutorial

In this tutorial we are going to take a detailed look at how to manipulate colour using LAB Color mode. Specifically, we will discuss: the relationship between colours and their numeric values in LAB Color mode; how to alter a specific colour range within an image (a topic we briefly discussed in the An Introduction to LAB Color mode tutorial); how to alter a single colour within an image; how to colour correct an image in LAB Color mode; and how to tone the neutral areas of an image by manipulating the ‘a’ and ‘b’ Curves.

The topics covered in this tutorial include:

The ‘a’ and ‘b’ channels: revisited
Going by the numbers
Evaluating an image in LAB Color mode
Altering a colour range in LAB
Colour correcting an image in LAB
Using LAB to creatively alter the neutral tones in an image

This tutorial contains 6528 words, 45 illustrative images and screen grabs, and has received 8 comments.

Photoshop files included with this tutorial

Each of our tutorials is based around a series of layered Photoshop files, at the resolution originally posted on chromasia, which you can download after you subscribe to the tutorial. The images used for this tutorial, and a brief description of each, are included below – the ‘before’ version on the left, the ‘after’ version on the right.

How to get from this …	to this
		Image 1 In this example I will show you how to manipulate the ‘b’ Curve to alter a specific colour range within an image.
		Image 2 In this example I will show you how to use the Curves tool to alter a specific colour within an image.
		Image 3 In this example I will show you how to use LAB Color mode to colour correct an image, a task that can prove much more difficult and time-consuming in RGB.
		Image 4 In this example I will show you how to use the techniques discussed earlier in this tutorial to creatively alter the neutral tones within an image.

What our subscribers have said about this tutorial

"David, I just wanted to thank you for this excellent tutorial. I have read several about LAB colouring and have never really understood the technique. I think I have finally got to a place where I can start to work better with these tools. I really appreciate the work you do and the help you give."

Shawn Kingston

"Excellent tutorial. Very logical explanations that makes good sense! Got it!."

Heli Soto

"Thank you for both tutorials!! I've learnt a lot of things!"

Bernard

"Another great toturial. I noticed that David used many photo post recently. It shows that David is a studying teacher. I like this kind of teacher. "

Mckun

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Further information

To find out more about our other individual tutorials please click any of the following images. Alternatively, you can visit our main tutorials page for further information on: our annual subscriptions and lifetime memberships; our forthcoming issues; and our current members’s offer. You can also read through our sample tutorial on Tonal Range and the Curves tool.