Vibrancy

[gonzuller]

The May issue of Outdoor Photographer has a brief mention of PWP 5.0. It mentions new features like "vibrancy." I am familiar with a vibrancy feature in RAW editors like Lightroom. Is this a similar feature in PWP? Where is this feature?

Thanks,
Chris

[jsachs]

There is no vibrancy feature in PWP. Vibrancy is not a technical term - what most people seem to mean is some combination of increased saturation and contrast.

[gonzuller]

Thanks Jonathan:

I did not recall seeing any vibrancy option in PWP, so I was surprised when I saw it mentioned in Outdoor Photographer.

- Chris

[den]

Most imaging editors make changes for tone/color in the RGB color space model were individual changes in the R, G, B channels may not always be intuititive.

PWP's HSV default color space model and the HSL color space model can perhaps be more easily understood and applied since gray tone contrasts [V or L] can be adjusted seperately from color [H,S] contrasts.

Favored PWP transforms for making tone/color changes:

(1) ColorCurves transform: provides access for making perference changes in each of the H, S, V, L, R, G, and B channels independently of each other.

(2) ColorCorrect transform: http://www.dl-c.com/discus/messages/2/11025.html

(3) Remap transform: http://dl-c.com/forum/comments.php?Disc ... e=1#Item_0

[elied]

The primary feature of a Vibrancy adustment is that it is not a linear increase in saturation but rather one in which less saturated colors are boosted more and highly saturated colors are relatively unaffected. PWP's two S curves, S>V and S>H, are much better for doing this than the simple slider interface in PS/ACR or LR. Another feature is that Vibrancy does not change skin tones. A simple Color Range mask will accomplish this.
Elie

[tomczak]

Though I'm not sure what 'vibrancy' actually does, it seems that in PS RAW it desn't do much more than PWP's Satruration with 'preserve low' or 'preserve low an high'. I don't think there is a special thershold for skin tones in any implementation I've seen - unless masks are used. I thinks is a gimmick.

But, sometimes, it's the speed and convenience that matters: case in point - 2-tones/3-tones transformations were quite possible in PWP4 - it just took a lot of work to do that...

In similar vein, I have a related question: there are several nice and different way of blending images with Composite. How difficult would it be to allow Clone tool to use some more of them (e.g. High/Low pass or soft light...)? Or, for instance, clone just specific channels and leave others alone...

Cheeers!

[gonzuller]

Wow, this is the reason that I continue using PWP, not only for the excellence of the program itself, but also for this community. Your replies to what I thought was a question simply about a certain feature have been most informative and useful.

After researching the saturation transformation, it appears that the "high" setting in HSL color space achieves a similar result to the vibrancy option in Lightroom. Your feedback has highlighted the additional precision to be added by these other possibilities.

Many thanks,
Chris

[den]

I have been doing a little more poking around on the internet regarding Vibrance and ElieD's post above seems to best describe this rather loosely defined image charactistic.

I also came across something called a 'Vibrance Mask' that may be of interest. It will limit the increase of high saturations so that detail is not lost as well as protect preference low saturations/hues [skin color]. Its formation builds on ElieD's 'MaskTool-ColorRange' suggestion.

The Vibrance Mask:
(1) open or click on a Starting Image;
(2) Extract its HSV-S channel [results in an 8-bit BW image suitable to be used as a mask];
(3) click on the Starting Image and open the Mask Tool - Combine Masks;
(4) Add -- 'lower-left Apply' the extracted HSV-S image to the Starting Image;
(5) Subtract -- 'lower-left Apply' a preference or a skin color ColorRange selection [select F1 Help for the Mask Tool - Color Range feature description when the Mask Tool is the active window if needed]; and
(6) click OK, creating the Vibrance Mask or leave the Mask Tool 'active' on the Starting Image.

In general the mask will not need a blur and/or feathering if adequate feathering is performed with the ColorRange black pointer sliders in Step (5).

As this mask is based upon the HSV color space model, best photo-realistic saturation changes will most likely be achieved if made in that color space, i.e., ColorCurves - HSV-S, ColorCorrect [HSV], Remap [HSV], Levels&Color - HSV, and Saturation [HSV - Neither].

[den]

Additional clarifications regarding the 'Vibrance Mask' described above:
(1) if your Starting Image is 48-bit color, then the Extract-ed HSV-S channel image will have to be Convert-ed from 16-bit BW to 8-bit BW for use as a mask image.
(2) use the default HSV color space for the Mask Tool - Color Range 'Subtract - lower left Apply' selection.
(3) the 'Vibrance Mask's white represents 0% saturation, black represents 100% saturation plus the 'Subtract-ed' low saturation ColorRange selection, and the grays map the original saturation gradient from low to high saturations.

[gonzuller]

Den:

Thanks for the info on the vibrancy mask. I have tried it and find that it works very well.

- Chris