Tonal control and color enhancement
by Cher Threinen-Pendarvis

With the unique effects in Corel® Painter™ IX.5, you can quickly make creative modifications to the hue and tones in an image.

Step 1. Changing the hue. To quickly change the hue of an image, choose Effects > Tonal Control > Adjust Colors, and then drag the Hue Shift slider. From the Using pop-up menu, choose the Uniform Color method to shift the hue of the entire image, or choose Image Luminance to change color properties only in the lighter (but not white) areas.

My original photograph was shot in the late afternoon near Point Lobos, California.

For this example, I used the Uniform Color method.

For this example, I used the Image Luminance method.

Step 2. Modifying the tones and colors. The Highpass effect acts like a color ?lter. Choose Effects > Esoterica > Highpass. This effect replaces smooth transitions in the dark areas (as in a sky or shadowed background) with abrupt edges or halo effects. If you want a more pronounced halo effect, click the Circular button and move the Amount slider toward the center.

In this example, I clicked the Circular button and adjusted the Amount slider to a moderate setting.

For a colorful look with halos, I clicked the Circular button and adjusted the Amount slider to a moderate setting.

If you would like to further enhance the Highpass effect you've applied, try choosing Effects > Tonal Control > Equalize and adjusting the Brightness slider.

For the final Monterey Pine image, I applied the Equalize effect after applying the Highpass effect.

Content and images: © 2006 by Cher Threinen-Pendarvis

An award-winning artist, author, and pioneer in digital art, Cher Threinen-Pendarvis has always worked with traditional art tools, and she has created illustrations with the Macintosh® computer for two decades. Cher has been widely recognized for her mastery of Corel® Painter™, Adobe® Photoshop®, and the Wacom® pressure-sensitive tablet and has used these electronic tools since they were first released. Exercising her passion for the artist tools in Corel Painter, Cher has worked as a consultant and demo-artist for the Corel Painter developers. Her artwork has been exhibited worldwide, her articles and art have been published in many books and periodicals, and she is a member of the San Diego Museum of Art Artist Guild. She has taught Corel Painter and Photoshop workshops around the world and is the principal of the consulting firm Cher Threinen Design.

Cher is the author of The Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet Book: Creative Techniques in Digital Painting and all seven editions of The Painter Wow! Book. The Painter IX Wow! Book is the latest edition of this highly praised volume of techniques and inspiration.

To learn more about Cher, please visit her Web site at www.pendarvis-studios.com