"But grief is a walk alone.  Others can be there and listen.  But you will walk alone down your own path, at your own pace, with your sheared-off pain, your raw wounds, your denial, anger, and bitter loss.  You will come to your own peace, hopefully, but it will be on own, in your own time."  ~  Cathy Lamb.

It has been a while.  I believe that I am finally coming into my own peace.  The loss of my brother weighed heavy on me for quite a while.  I haven't picked up my camera since he passed.  I'm not ready to shoot yet, but I am moving on with processing.  I have been captivated recently by color grading.

Color grading is the process of altering or enhancing the color of an image.  Primary color grading affects the whole image by providing control over the color density curves of red, green, blue color channels.  Color "grading" should not be confused with color "correction".  One of the main reasons for color grading is to stylize an image to indicate a flashback, dream sequence, or re-creation—or simply to give the entire project a unique feel.  At the present, I am fascinated with the teal/orange tones in an image.  This is known as cinematic color grading.




However, you can tone with any colors you create:





Color grading with curves is not the only method.  I am also exploring gradient maps (which are awesome by the way).  Create a gradient map adjustment layer, choose any gradient available or create your own gradient, and change the blend mode to soft light.



The possibilities are absolutely endless....only limited by your imagination.


There are tons of tutorials on color grading.  Let your imagination run wild and create beautiful images.