Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Find a portion of your photo where your subject's skin has relatively good color, and
click it.
3.
Tweak the results
.
Elements is often a bit overenthusiastic in its adjustments, so you may need to use the
sliders in the dialog box to get more pleasing, realistic color. You can get an idea of
which way to move them by looking at the colors in their tracks:
▪ The Tan slider increases or decreases the browns and oranges in the skin tones.
▪ The Blush slider increases the rosiness of the skin as you move the slider right and
decreases it as you move it left.
▪ The Ambient Light slider works just like the Temperature slider in the Adjust-
ments panel (
Balancing Color
)
.
You may get swell results with your first click or have to use all the sliders to get a
truly realistic result—it depends on the photo. As you work, Elements previews the
changes right in your photo. If you mess up and want to start again, click the dialog
box's Reset button. If you decide you'd rather use another tool instead, click Cancel.
4.
When you like what you see, click OK
.
Elements applies your changes. If you want to undo them, press Ctrl+Z/
⌘
-Z.
“Adjust Color for Skin Tone” seems to work better on fair skin than on darker skin tones,
and it's better at making fairly subtle adjustments than dramatic ones. Also, notice that skin
tones aren't the only colors that change—Elements adjusts
all
the colors in the photo (
Fig-
ure 4-15
). By the time you've got the skin looking just right, you may find that your image
has acquired quite a color cast. If this bothers you, try a different tool. On the other hand, you
can create some very nice late-afternoon light effects with this command.
While “Adjust Color for Skin Tone” is really meant as a kind of alternative fast fix, you may
find it's most useful for making small, final adjustments to photos you've already edited us-
ing other tools.
