> PHOTOSHOP USER>^ OCTOBER 2019[ 102 ]
› › COLUMNconversion. [KelbyOne members can download this test file
by clicking here, or visiting kelbyone.com/magazine.]
Before we move the layer adjustment stack to the test
file, I want to point out a few things. First, there can’t be
any masking. The adjustments need to be applied globally,
and not clipped together (which can give odd results). Sec-
ond, any dodge and burn or other painted corrections will
be ignored, as will color fill layers, etc. For simplicity, stick
with adjustment layers without masks.
With that knowledge, you can either place the reference
file into your current image beneath the adjustments, or you
can bundle all the adjustment layers into a group, then drag
or copy the group to your open reference file. A neat trick
is to Right-click on the group in the original file and choose
Duplicate Group from the context menu. In the Destination
drop-down menu, pick the open reference file and click
OK. The entire stack is now over in the reference image,
ready to be checked out.
In this case, I’m going to tweak a few settings in the
midtones and call it good. In the context of the portrait,
I got sidetracked by some of the darker details on which
I was focusing, and now with the reference, I can see the
mids need a little less green.
At this point, I can either send the adjustment stack back
to the original photo and delete the old version, or I can
make my CLUT preset directly from my reference. It makes
sense to do it from the reference file because the export
command looks for a single, locked Background layer.A NOTE ABOUT WORKFLOW
If you’re working on a master file with lots of other layers
for corrections, edits, etc., you should keep the stack of
adjustment layers for your CLUT in a separate group at
the top of everything. Even better would be to create a flat
copy of your image before the CLUT work begins. Because
the CLUT file will be used with other images, you want
to reduce the potential for error by having hidden adjust-
ments unwittingly contribute.
When the CLUT is created, it compares the color infor-
mation in the locked background image to the final canvas
result from your adjustment stack. Recall that Photoshop pro-
cesses your images like a set of equations in order from the
bottom to the top of the layer stack. That means it will look
at everything, in order, including stuff you don’t intend.
To keep things clean and organized, finish the master
file without the color-grading step, and then build your
CLUT stack on a flattened duplicate of the master file.
For a series of images, you’ll have to do some work
to ensure consistent starting points. That means using theRadial spectrum and step wedgeRadial spectrum and step with adjustment layer applied