Extracting Detail in Hues

I work with hundreds of images on a weekly basis, and what I encounter the most is lack of detail in hues especially in reds, due to overexposure or over saturation in edits. The most important thing in approaching these images is to have an understanding of complementary(opposite) colors that affect detail in a specific hue.

The complimentary color that holds detail in red for example, would be cyan; magenta for green and yellow for blue. Keeping this is mind, the Photoshop user will know how to approach an image utilizing various tools to extract detail for a more pleasing and defining image.

In the following tutorial, keeping in step with the holiday spirit, I chose an over-saturated and overexposed image of poinsettias.





Step 1: Open the image in Photoshop. The first step in working non-destructively is create a Hue/Sat adjustment layer and in this case, select reds, click the eyedropper on any blown-out red of the image to get a more precise range, then take the saturation slider to -30 and click OK.




















Step 2: This is the result applying the Hue/Sat adjustment layer. We were able to bring out some detail in the leaves and render the hue to a more realistic darker red associated with poinsettias. The next step is to extract more detail. There are many tools at your disposal, but I find Selective Color to be the easiest.

Create a Selective Color adjustment layer, choose Reds, and move the Cyan slider +100 %.







Step 3: The result after applying the Selective Color adjustment layer added more detail, but added a little more density than needed. To Correct this adjustment, double-click the empty area of the layer in the layers pallete to bring up the Layer Style dialog box. Move the black arrow of This Layer in the Blend If option to the right until you some of the shadow areas fade, then split the arrow by holding Option/Alt, and moving the second arrow to desired effect for better transition of the shadow areas. This technique brings back shadow detail that was lost with an adjustment.







Step 4: This is the result applying the Blend If layer style to unplug the shadow area resulting from the Selective Color adjustment layer. The next step is to sharpen the image to bring out more detail and provide more contrast at the same time. I prefer using High Pass sharpening because it provides more precise edge detection, especially when working on subjects other than people...at least in my opinion.

First, create a duplicate layer (Cmd/Ctr J).Go to Filter>Other>High Pass. In the dialog box, move the Radius slider to 0, then slowly move to the right until detail emerges. You generally want to stay in the 1 to 3 range, depending on the file size, but don't worry if you go overboard because you can adjust the opacity in the duplicate layer for the desired result. Click OK, then change the layer blending mode in the duplicate layer to Overlay or Hard Light, then adjust opacity for desired effect.

Before and After

By understanding how colors
complement each other, you
can determine how to extract
detail in specific hues by utilizing
various tools in Photoshop to render a detailed and pleasing image. Thanks for viewing!