PictoColor’s iCorrect Portrait - color correction plug-in for Photo shop

Someone once described learning to edit photos in Photoshop was like learning to operate a 747 with no previous flying experience. The bewildering array of buttons, sliders, tools and procedures forced me, on more then one occasion, to pull the ejection seat lever out of shear frustration while trying to learn the nuances of this, the most powerful of photo editors. Years of tedious practice, tutorials and consoling PS Masters has taught me how to manipulate the controls to a degree approaching passable competence but making the "Picture Perfect" landing seemed always hit or miss.

Enter the Photoshop "plug-in" – a co-pilot and navigator that turned the otherwise white-knuckle experience of driving Photoshop into something more like riding a bicycle. Literally hundreds of these "co-pilots" exist for Photoshop – providing short-cut assistance with everything from noise reduction to complicated special effects.

One of the biggest problems faced by photographers of all disciplines is that of image color correction. Whether you are shooting a sedate portrait session in a studio with multiple color temperature strobes, or the frantic action of basketball game under mixed florescent and incandescent lighting, achieving good color balance in-camera can be a severe challenge. To add headache to heartburn – the workflow for color correcting hundreds of images from a shoot done under such conditions can make even the most seasoned photographer seriously consider a new line of work. Although Photoshop provides the tools for performing this task either automatically or manually -–each has serious drawbacks – the "Autocolor" function can produce some pretty bizarre color shifts, while manipulating the "Color Balance" controls can be as frustrating as navigating the LA freeway during rush-hour.

One of the best color correction co-pilots is a handsome tool called iCorrect Portrait from PictoColor.

iCorrect Portrait makes color correction of almost any digital image a breeze. White-point and Black-point calibration is accomplished with a simple click of the mouse. Similarly, correction of skin tones and neutral colors (black, gray and white) is achieved with awesome simplicity by the touch of the mouse. For advanced users, iCorrect Portrait provides the ability to define custom corrections for user definable colors.

As to how this powerful tool works – lets see some examples . . . First – a simple portrait taken in a studio against a white background and the camera white balance set to flash.

The model in this image was very fair skinned and the background was white seamless paper – both colors are too warm to be an accurate representation of the actual scene. Using the iCorrect Portrait plug-in we adjust the White-point and Black-point to better render the full dynamic range of the image by checking the radio boxes for tonal range.

Although the image as show in the iCorrect Preview better matches the actual scene – the background is still too warm and muddy looking. By using the Neutrals button (represented by the balance scale icon) the plug-in can normalize and correct the image for global color shifts grays, whites and blacks. Clicking on various parts of the white background, and black areas of the models dress, the image becomes much more representative of the actual scene as shown below.

Looking at the preview – the model’s skin appears slightly cooler then in reality. Selecting the "portrait" button in the iCorrect dialog box (represented by the face icon) and then clicking on various parts of the image showing skin tones – the image warms slightly to provide a near-reality representation of the actual scene.

Before and After iCorrect Portrait

iCorrect Portrait also works great for truly severe lighting and white balance mismatches. Below is an image taken during a dance recital where incandescent stage lights were gelled with red filters to illuminate the dancers – corrupting the natural skin tones of the dancer. A quick processing with iCorrect Portrait similar to above recovers the otherwise badly color molested image.

Before and After iCorrect Portrait

iCorrect Portrait can be used to color correct not just portraits – but all types of white balance problem images. Here – an architectural interior image suffers from scene illumination by a combination of natural, incandescent and florescent light sources.

A quick pass through the iCorrect Portrait plug-in . . .

and the scene recovers it’s full dynamic color content – without the hair-pulling trail and error of Photoshop’s native color balance adjustment tool.

With the speed and ease-of-use of the iCorrect Portrait plug-in, workflow is greatly enhanced. Images that would have taken me minutes to color correct can now be corrected in seconds. I highly recommend this tool to both novice and seasoned Photoshop experts. It’s fast, simple and accurate. Try it! You won’t be disappointed!

For more information on iCorrect Portrait complete with tutorials – visit the Pictocolor website at http://www.pictocolor.com