Photoshop Elements > Levels >

Color Correction > Eyedropper Method >

2 - Gray Area Locators

Be sure to check off as you go along.

Method #1

This method uses the Eyedropper tool from Tools on the left side of your screen.

The eyedroppers in the Levels window or Levels panel are not used for this operation.

1) Select the Eyedropper tool on the right side of your screen.

2) Open the Info panel (Info palette).

Go to Window > Info, or open the Info panel (Info palette) on the right side of your screen.

3) Place the cursor on the suspected gray area.

4) Look at the RGB values in the Info panel (Info palette).

If the three RGB values are about the same, then you have a gray area.

Because the photograph has a color cast, the three RGB values will not be identical.

They're close to each other, so the area is approximately gray.

Method #2

This method uses the Difference blending mode.

1) Create a Solid Color adjustment layer, and enter 128 in the RGB value boxes, or 808080 in the # box.

2) Change the blending mode for the Solid Color adjustment layer from Normal to Difference.

Blending Mode?

At the top of the layers stack, look for the unlabeled Blending Mode box.

It's to the left of the Opacity box.

Blending Mode Box

3) Gray areas appear black.

Deselect and reselect the eye icon for the Solid Color adjustment layer to locate a gray area.

Method #3

Photograph a gray card, or a GretagMacBeth ColorChecker, at the beginning of a photography session.

Go to Measure Color.

1) Go to the gray-point eyedropper in the Levels window.

Pre 8.0

Double click the Levels layer thumbnail in the Levels adjustment layer to reopen the Levels window.

8.0

Go to the Adjustments panel.

2) Select the gray-point eyedropper in the Levels window.

The gray eyedropper is in the middle.

3) Click the gray area on the card with the gray-point eyedropper.

The gray eyedropper is in the middle.

4) In the Channel Mixer in the Levels window (Pre-8.0) or Levels panel (8.0), jot down the gray value for each of the three color channels.

5) Use the above three values to correct the color in other photographs from the session.

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