Introduction to PhotoKit Color 2.0

Color plays a huge role in how we perceive and describe the world we see. And it is therefore hardly surprising that some of the first things we want to do to a photograph when we bring it into Photoshop are to make accurate adjustments or play creatively with the color in the image. Photographers in particular have long desired to reproduce traditional photographic processes digitally using Photoshop. PhotoKit Color 2.0 is an Automate Plug-in, a new breed of plug-ins that allows custom programming to drive Photoshop automatically -- it's like having an expert Photoshop user at your beck and call.

PhotoKit Color 2.0 now features a preview display called the PixelGenius Toolbox, that quickly previews the effects before you apply them and combines effects in a single batch operation. Included in the new effects are the Dodge and the Burn filter sets, which were in the original PhotoKit plug-in. The Special Effects series contains many new filters including color infrared, sunshine filters, color transfer effects, a nocturnal 'day for night' effect and more. The Film Effects series offers accurate simulation filters of several generic chrome film emulsions, simulating both color and contrast. Like its predecessor, PhotoKit Color 2.0 provides a comprehensive suite of effects that let you reproduce creative effects like black and white split toning and cross processing. All these effects are applied as separate layers so you can make further variations, adapting each effect to suit your own tastes. But that's not all! With PhotoKit Color 2.0, you can enhance specific colors in your photographs. You can make skin tones less red or lighter. With the Blue Enhance effect you can darken a blue sky and enhance the cloud contrast. And with the RSA Gray Balance set, you can automatically remove color casts from almost any type of image.

As with all Pixel Genius products, PhotoKit Color 2.0 respects the need to preserve any layers in your images. Most conventional Photoshop coloring techniques alter the tonal appearance of the image. We take special care to make sure that the coloring effects: Film Effects, Cross Processing, Color Overlay, Split Toning, Special Effects, Color Enhance, CC Correction, CT Correction and RSA Gray Balance do not alter the basic tonal balance.


Special acknowledgement
Mike Skurski November 9th, 1962–October 27th, 2005

Mike Skurski was a founding member of Pixel Genius and our chief engineer, working on all the PhotoKit product engineering, including nearly all of the code for PhotoKit Color 2.0.

Sadly, Mike passed away on October 27th, 2005 just a few days after the product announcement of PhotoKit Color 2.0. Pixel Genius has lost not just a friend, but an extremely talented software designer and engineer. He liked to mention that he has been working on Photoshop Plug-ins for almost as long as Photoshop has had plug-ins. He received a floppy disk with a hand written label from Thomas Knoll with the then, Photoshop 1.0 SDK-such as it was.

He started a company called Total Integration which produced a variety of software products including the first licensed PostScript software rip. He also produced Fast Edit Deluxe which was a plug-in for opening small sections of Photoshop files.

Mike worked on producing plug-ins for the original Wacom Pen Tools and was responsible for producing the plug-in engine for Live Picture. In addition, Mike contributed to over 50 commercial software products including Esko-Graphics PERfection, Extensis PreFlight Pro, Extensis Print Ready, Creo Brisque Export PS DFE Module and Enfocus Pitstop.

We all wish to pay special tribute to the memory of our work colleague and friend, Mike. Pixel Genius just won't be the same without you.

PhotoKit Color basics
For a quick introduction on how to use PhotoKit Color 2.0 check out the Opening PhotoKit Color 2.0 and Using PhotoKit Color 2.0 pages. The main thing to remember when you use PhotoKit Color 2.0, is that the image you are about to work on must be in RGB mode. It does not matter if the image is in 8-bits per channel or 16-bits, because 16-bit layers are supported in both Photoshop CS and CS2.

Photoshop RGB color spaces
The color critical PhotoKit Color 2.0 effects: Film Effects, CC Correction and CT Correction, are optimized to provide variant effects tailored for the following RGB color spaces commonly used in Photoshop: Adobe RGB, ColorMatch RGB, ProPhoto RGB and sRGB. If the RGB color space of your file is not in this list, PhotoKit Color will assume the space to be in Adobe RGB.

Accessing PhotoKit Color 2.0
PhotoKit Color's image enhancements and adjustments are easy to use. First you need to open an image that you wish to process using PhotoKit Color 2.0 and then go to the File Menu and choose Automate > PhotoKit Color 2... The following dialog will appear:

The PixelGenius Toolbox allows you to select and preview any of the effects in PhotoKit Color 2.0 before you apply them. The interface also lets you select different PhotoKit plug-in Modules and combine various effects using the Batch Options. The Module selection will be dependent on which PhotoKit products you have currently installed on your computer and whether they are version 2.0 products or not. So if you only have a single version 2.0 product (i.e. PhotoKit Color 2.0), this is all you will be able to access and apply from the Module section. As other PhotoKit version 2.0 products become available you will be able to access and combine effects from the separate PhotoKit products.

Previewing Toolbox results
Note that each time the Toolbox dialog opens you must click on the Preview checkbox in order to preview a selected effect.

PhotoKit Color 2.0 uses non-destructive editing. All PhotoKit Color 2.0 effects create a new layer labeled with the name of the effect, leaving the original underlying image untouched, so it's always safe to experiment. PhotoKit Color 2.0 never, ever, changes the underlying image data. By far the easiest way to learn what the PhotoKit Color 2.0 effects do is to try them -- they can't do any harm.

PhotoKit Color's layer-based approach is also very flexible. The layers within the layer set created by a PhotoKit Color 2.0 effect are just a starting point. You can vary the strength of the effect globally by adjusting the layer set opacity, or the opacity of individual layers, or locally by erasing the portions you don't want. If you want a particular effect to be stronger, you can simply run it again. You can easily see exactly what each effect does to an image by turning the layer visibility on and off, and if you don't like it, you can simply delete the layer or layer set, leaving the original image unchanged.

PhotoKit Color Sets
Each of the effects in PhotoKit Color 2.0 provides a consistent, repeatable result, day in and day out. You don't need to start from scratch every time you open an image. This philosophy is coupled with the design of using all visible layers and returning the results as new layers, while NEVER touching your original image. This approach lets you use PhotoKit Color 2.0 easily and safely.

PhotoKit Color Effects
The PhotoKit Color 2.0 sets offer a variety of effects organized by category. To see the effects in a set, click on the PhotoKit Effect pop-down menu. After selecting both the Set and the Effect, simply click on the 'OK' button and then PhotoKit Color 2.0 runs the effect on your image and returns the results in a separate layer or as a layer set containing two or more layers.
Getting help
Click on the 'Help' button to launch the PhotoKit Color 2.0 User Guide. If you click on the 'Info' button you will go directly to the PhotoKit Color 2.0 Info Page at the Pixel Genius web site where you can check for updates, download free recipes and effects and how to contact Pixel Genius if you have any problems. Note: the 'Info' button requires an Internet connection.
PhotoKit Color 2.0 layer groups
Most of the PhotoKit Color 2.0 effects add an open layer group, which can be seen in the Layers palette. This layer set is always be placed at the top of the layer stack, above all other layers. This arrangement allows you the flexibility to refine each of the effects. If you click on the layer group, you can reduce the overall opacity of the effect.If you click on the individual layers within the layer group, you can increase or reduce the strength of each layer. So for example, when using the Classic Chrome Film Effects series you will see a Classic Chrome layer group which includes a Color layer and a Contrast layer above it. If you click on either of these layers you can control the layer opacity to make the Color layer or Contrast layer stronger or weaker.

Merge Results
The layers produced by the PhotoKit Color 2.0 effects are therefore very useful since these allow you ultimate flexibility to fine-tune the results. The downside is that if you are applying multiple effects, these layers can accumulate and become both unwieldy and add to the file size whenever you save the image in a layered state. Some of the PhotoKit Color 2.0 effects will return just a single layer anyway, but if the Merge Results box is checked, PhotoKit Color 2.0 will always return the layered effects as a single layer and this can be especially useful when applying multiple effects in a batch operation.

Batch Options
When the Show Batch Options box is checked this will expand the Toolbox dialog to reveal the batch processing options. This topic is covered in detail in the Batch Processing section of the User Guide
Photoshop CS/CS2 and PhotoKit Color 2 System Requirements:

NOTE: To automatically install PhotoKit Color 2.0, a U.S. or International English version of Photoshop CS or CS2 must already be installed. PhotoKit Color 2.0 can be properly installed in any non-English version of Photoshop but must be installed using a manual selection and navigation to find the required 'Automate' Plug-in folder.

PhotoKit Color 2.0 requires the core functionality only found in Adobe Photoshop version CS or CS2. PhotoKit Color 2.0 does NOT run in any other imaging application. PhotoKit Color 2.0 does NOT operate when installed in any version of Adobe Photoshop Elements. It does not work in PhotoDeluxe nor in Photoshop LE. The only applications that fully support PhotoKit Color 2.0 are Adobe Photoshop CS and CS2. Also note that in order to run, you must have a full color RGB color image open. PhotoKit Color 2.0 does not run on Grayscale, CMYK, Lab or Index Color mode images.

See the full list of system requirements for Macintosh and PC and for Photoshop CS and CS2

PhotoKit Color 2.0 Sets & Effects List:


Film Effects
Film Effects is designed to simulate various chrome film emulsions. These filters simulate the color rendition and contrast of various chrome films. For example, the Classic Chrome filter can be used to simulate the contrast and highlight color of the old Kodachrome film emulsion. The High Grain Contrast effects (formerly in the Color Enhance set and known as Grainy Contrast and Grainy Pastel) are designed to simulate the use of high speed color film that has been push processed.

Classic Chrome, Vivid Chrome, US Chrome, Asian Chrome, European Chrome,
High Grain Contrast 1, High Grain Contrast 2, High Grain Pastel 1, High Grain Pastel 2.


Cross Processing
Provides 14 types of cross processing actions in varying strengths which match the conventional film cross processing techniques for processing negative film in transparency film chemistry and processing transparency film in negative film chemistry. Included are 6 Lab Color-based effects which can produce vivid color results as well as inverted color cross processing effects.

C41-E6 yellow (light), C41-E6 yellow (strong), C41-E6 green (light), C41-E6 green (strong),
C41-E6 cyan (light), C41-E6 cyan (strong), C41-E6 blue (light), C41-E6 blue (strong),
E6-C41 tan (light), E6-C41 tan (strong), E6-C41 magenta (light), E6-C41 magenta (strong),
E6-C41 red (light), E6-C41 red (strong), E6-C41 orange (light), E6-C41 orange (strong),
Lab Color 1, Lab Color 2, Lab Color 3,
Lab Color 1 (inverted), Lab Color 2 (inverted), Lab Color 3 (inverted)


Color Overlay
Offers a set of 9 different color overlays that apply rich color filters to any image and add a subtle split color effect between the shadow and highlight colors.

Red Overlay, Green Overlay, Emerald Overlay, Blue Overlay, Cyan Overlay,
Violet Overlay, Magenta Overlay, Yellow Overlay, Orange Overlay,


Split Toning
Can be applied to black and white images in RGB mode. The 12 Split toning effects loosely match the conventional photographic processes used in the black and white darkroom. But the split toning effects can just as effectively be applied to full color images as well.

Blue/Sepia Split, Blue/Cyan Split, Red/Green Split, Red/Sepia Split,
Green/Magenta Split, Green/Yellow Split, Cyan/Sepia Split, Yellow/Blue Split,
Yellow/Red Split, Magenta/Yellow Split, Magenta/Orange Split.


Special Effects
The Special Effects series adds even more creative coloring options to PhotoKit Color 2.0 allowing you to create different flavors of color infrared effects, add sunshine to a photo, or alternatively, a muted sky. The Special Effects series also lets you mimic the look of a faded color print and recreate the look of certain cinematic color effects.

Blue Sky, Smog Sky, Sunshine, Dark Sunshine
Standard Infrared, Solarized Infrared, Dark Infrared, Inverted Infrared, Cross Process Infrared,
Two Color Transfer, Three Color Transfer,
Faded Cyan Print, Faded Magenta Print, Faded Red Print,
Nocturnal


Dodge Tone
The Dodge Tone series has been added from the original PhotoKit program and contains 20 Dodge effects.

Dodge Center Oval, Dodge 4 Corners, Dodge Top Corners, Dodge Bottom Corners,
Dodge Top 1/4, Dodge Top 1/3, Dodge Top 1/2, Dodge Top 2/3,
Dodge Bottom 1/4, Dodge Bottom 1/3, Dodge Bottom 1/2, Dodge Bottom 2/3,
Dodge Left 1/4, Dodge Left Top 1/3, Dodge Left 1/2, Dodge Left 2/3,
Dodge Right 1/4, Dodge Right 1/3, Dodge Right 1/2, Dodge Right 2/3,


Burn Tone
The Burn Tone series has been added from the original PhotoKit program and contains 20 Burn effects.

Burn Center Oval, Burn 4 Corners, Burn Top Corners, Burn Bottom Corners,
Burn Top 1/4, Burn Top 1/3, Burn Top 1/2, Burn Top 2/3,
Burn Bottom 1/4, Burn Bottom 1/3, Burn Bottom 1/2, Burn Bottom 2/3,
Burn Left 1/4, Burn Left Top 1/3, Burn Left 1/2, Burn Left 2/3,
Burn Right 1/4, Burn Right 1/3, Burn Right 1/2, Burn Right 2/3,


Tone Enhance
This set of effects also first appeared in the original PhotoKit plug-in and has been incorporated into PhotoKit Color 2.0. The 12 Tone Enhance effects allow you to increase or decrease the exposure and modify the image contrast in precise increments.

Plus 1/4 Stop, Plus 1/2 Stop, Plus 3/4 Stop, Plus 1 Stop
Minus 1/4 Stop, Minus 1/2 Stop, Minus 3/4 Stop, Minus 1 Stop
Contrast Mask 1, Contrast Mask 2, Contrast Mask 3,
Boost Contrast 1, Boost Contrast 2, Boost Contrast 3,
Midtone Contrast 1, Midtone Contrast 2, Midtone Contrast 3,


Color Enhance
Enables you to selectively modify colors in an image. For example, the Blue Enhance effect returns two layers that will allow you to selectively darken the blues in an image and adjust the blue saturation. The Green Enhance effect can be used to selectively lighten the green colors in a dark forest scene and boost the green contrast. Color Enhance contains a total of 18 effects that also include: Blue/Amber grads and Warm/Cool filters.

Blue Enhance, Blue Enhance + Mask, Green Enhance, Green Enhance + Mask,
Red Enhance, Red Enhance + Mask, Skin Tone Enhance, Skin Tone Enhance + Mask,
Blue/Amber Grad 1, Blue/Amber Grad 2, Blue/Amber Grad 3,
Warm/Cool 1, Warm/Cool 2, Warm/Cool 3,


CC Correction
Offers a set of 18 effects designed to match the conventional Color Compensating filters that photographers have traditionally used to make small, precision color corrections. These CC effects have been optimized for all the main RGB color workspaces commonly used in Photoshop and they provide exact, reproducible color adjustments, no matter which common color space you prefer to use as your default workspace.

.075CC Yellow, .15CC Yellow, .30CC Yellow, .075CC Red, .15CC Red, .30CC Red,
.075CC Magenta, .15CC Magenta, .30CC Magenta, .075CC Blue, .15CC Blue, .30CC Blue,
.075CC Cyan, .15CC Cyan, .30CC Cyan, .075CC Green, .15CC Green, .30CC Green,


CT Correction
Produces larger color shifts using 4 orange warming and 4 blue cooling filters. These have also been optimized for the 4 main RGB color workspaces used in Photoshop, to provide exact, reproducible color shift adjustments.

CT Orange 1/8, CT Orange 1/4, CT Orange 1/2, CT Orange 3/4, CT Orange Full,
CT Blue 1/8, CT Blue 1/4, CT Blue 1/2, CT Blue 3/4, CT Blue Full,


RSA Color Correction
Provides a revolutionary, new type of automatic color correction. RSA Gray Balance Standard is a general purpose gray balancing tool which will color correct most photographs. RSA Gray Balance Fine offers a more accurate, but slower, method of color correction for trickier images that the RSA Gray Balance Standard is unable to correct successfully. And finally, there is a RSA Neutralize that can effectively zap any deep color cast.

RSA Gray Balance Standard, RSA Gray Balance Fine, RSA Neutralize,