Color Correction in Photoshop - Curves and Color Channels

1. Open a photo for editing in Photoshop

2. Begin by creating a new adjustment layer by going to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves

3. Select "OK" on the dialogue

4. The Curves adjustment works by adjusting how certain color and brightness values are displayed

5. The horizontal axis represents the input, the original color values in the image; the vertical axis represents the output, the color that the input value is "converted" to

6. Dragging a portion of the curve downward will darken the image, while dragging a portion of the curve upward will lighting the image

7. The dark eyedropper can be used to select the black point of the image; any color darker than the selected color will be shown as black

8. The white eyedropper can be used to select the white point of the image; any color lighter than the selected color will be shown as white

9. The pencil tool can be used to manually draw the curve. The "finger" tool can be used to draw the curve as well

10. To adjust individual color channels, click the drop down menu and change the mode from RGB to Red, Green, or Blue

11. Adjusting an individual color channel will adjust the intensity of that color; for example dragging the curve down on the Green channel will reduce the amount of green, while dragging the curve up will increase the intensity of the green in the image