carbro / tri-color emulation ?

<p>Hello,<br /><br />I found this website today<br />http://www.photoconservation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106:three-color-carbro&catid=37:photographic-processes&Itemid=57<br /><br />and I would like to ask for some information how I can achieve those (particularly) skin colour tones in photoshop?<br>

<br />I understand that lighting and make-up play a part, but I am trying to understand the proportions and mixing of the colour channels - it seems Yellow, Cyan, Magenta are stronger?<br>

There are these modern day practitioners doing it the original way: http://www.colorcarbonprint.com/<br /><br />Thank you for any help.<br /><br />Frank</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I understand that lighting and make-up play a part, but I am trying to understand the proportions and mixing of the colour channels - it seems Yellow, Cyan, Magenta are stronger?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Which look do you want?</p>

<p>The faded color skewed version in your first link or what's shown in the second link which btw if you look at their process section shows that it isn't a tri-color process but four colors...cyan (dark cerulean blue), black, magenta and yellow.</p>

<p>The link that shows the real carbro process is something completely different than the one you're referencing in the first link in that the modern version uses custom pigmented emulsions and papers that weren't around back then.</p>

<p>Also they mention digitally scanning and EDITING? "images"=(made by what?) and doing 4 color negative separations to be printed on film and exposed to this light sensitive colored emulsion.</p>

<p>I suggest if you want the faded and dull look from the first link, you just copy the look of the pigments shown in the new link and mix them with duller and less saturated color in Photoshop. You're just going to have to use your eyes on this because digitally "emulating" the <strong>process</strong> in Photoshop by the more modern methods shown isn't going to give you the same faded dull look which btw isn't the intended look as stated on the Art&Soul website.</p>

<p>So what is the "carbro" look? Faded, dull and distorted hues? Or vibrant and color balanced and long lasting?</p>

<p> </p>

<blockquote>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Neither link specifically. In general, I am simply looking for some direction on which way i might adjust the hue/saturation, channels, and/or col balance to achieve a less modern and perfect col rendition.A more limited palette, in a certain 'spectrum', that is reminiscent of the look of the fifties ie skin looks more pale & peachy, some other colors are muted. I can't be more specific or I'd know how to do it or have found a preset / action</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Neither link specifically.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>That makes it very hard to give the right advise, so I'll just point you in a direction.</p>

<p>I'ld look into playing around with converting your image to Multichannel mode in Photoshop and tweaking each channel with curves and saturation levels. And/or convert a copy of the original to CMYK to get the black channel to put back into a copy of the Multichannel.</p>

<p>Play around with Duotone channels. You need to get a preview whose channels are made up of lower gamut inks as opposed to the original channel mix of RGB phosphors that make up a modern image. Just switching to CMYK invokes color management encoding of the channels which makes it difficult to change the vibrance of those inks. Multichannel may help in this way.</p>

<p>Otherwise you'll have to resort to using RGB curves, Hue/Sat and Channel Mixer tools which aren't very intuitive and require a lot of futzing around with the adjustments. </p>

<p>thank you</p>

 

<p>For "approximation" tasks such as this, I've had the most success (in both accuracy and speed) using an old plugin called, "Color Mechanic". To demonstrate that it works, I was able to take a different, full-color photo of Gina Lollobridgida and, with two passes of Color Mechanic, transform it to look much like the 1st image of her on the page you cited. Unfortunately, the TOS of photo.net don't allow me to post an image that I didn't take, so I can't post it in this thread, but if either / both of you would like, I'll be happy to email you the results - just send me an email.</p>

<p>Cheers,</p>

<p>Tom M</p>