Question about Filter brush

[brucet]

I'm looking for an option I often use in PSP. The Saturation Brush. I looked in the Filter Brush options and couldn't see anything similar.
So my question is - is there a brush that I can use to change the saturation of areas of a photo. (eg zooming in and saturating the colour just of a single flower. Rather than selecting it, just brush on the saturation).

regards

[photoken]

For just using a brush, try the Darken tool. Set its Channels to "HIS", and only activate the "S" (Saturation) icon. The effect is quite subtle -- you'll need to paint over the area a few times, even with the intensity at 100%.

For the most control, add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer using "HSV" mode and drag the "S" line upwards to increase the saturation. Then add a mask to the H/S layer, fill the mask with black and paint on the mask with the Painting tool using white, varying the intensity as needed.

I don't understand why I can't use the Painting tool on the "S" layer to increase the saturation, so I'll ask that in its own thread....

[Hoogo]

You could use a normal brush for that. The tool setting offers the color model, in new versions even a display mode. HIS/HSV are nice, unselect H an I/V, select only S, and when you paint with red, you can increase saturation, when you paint with gray, you decrease saturation.

But today I would prefer an adjustment layer and mask it.

[brucet]

Seems like a lot of work. Quicker for me to save the layer as a new image. Open it in PSP. Do my brush saturation and save. Then open it up again as a layer in the original file.

thanks.

[Herbert123]

Seems like a lot of work. Quicker for me to save the layer as a new image. Open it in PSP. Do my brush saturation and save. Then open it up again as a layer in the original file.

thanks.

Too much work to do it that way! Instead, add PSP as an external linked app in FILTER-->EXTERNAL PROGRAMS-->MANAGE EXTERNAL PROGRAMS. Click on the + button, and locate the PSP executable. Set PNG as the interchange format, and change the second option to "Layer".

Click OK, and assign a shortcut key to the PSP link via EDIT-->OPTIONS-->USAGE-->KEYBOARD LAYOUT. Locate the filter menu, and your PSP link. Then assign a key to it.

All set: select a layer, then hit the PSP link key - PSP opens the layer, you make changes, and save (overwrite the original temp file). Switch to Photoline, and the layer updates automatically.

For saturation painting, I prefer to add a curves adjustment layer (ALT SHIFT M), switch to HSV, and activate the S channel. Then I grab the center of the S curve, and pull it up. I hit ENTER, and use ALT-I to invert the mask.

Then it's merely a case of using a brush with white and a custom intensity setting to paint with saturation. Use black to reduce the saturation.

The one advantage of this approach is that the layer opacity can be used to control the overall effect. Don't forget: Photoline can go up to 200%, effectively doubling the effect of the saturation layer. The option to be able to control the affected areas with a curve is also very useful.

And when you turn these steps into an action, you may begin painting with saturation with flick on a key (and it will be non-destructive and far more controllable).

I've created an action for you - merge it with your actions. Open an image, run the action. Then start painting with white and a low intensity. If the max effect is not strong enough, just increase the opacity of the layer a bit.

PS to create a DEsaturation layer, repeat the same steps, but invert the S curve of my example.

[brucet]

Thanks Herber123. Time is a bit limited at the moment. So I'll have a try in the next day or two. The thing is that old habits are hard to jettison. But once I get the hang of it I'll be ok.

So far I like Photoline. Key is it's flexibility and speed.

regards

[brucet]

Herbert123 a question for you!!
I have set PSP as an external link. Works fine. My question is. Why PNG as a format rather than Tiff? Either way I'm losing the adjustment layers and the tiff works a lot faster.

I haven't tried your action yet.

regards

[Herbert123]

Herbert123 a question for you!!
I have set PSP as an external link. Works fine. My question is. Why PNG as a format rather than Tiff? Either way I'm losing the adjustment layers and the tiff works a lot faster.

I haven't tried your action yet.

regards

My choice of PNG is merely a personal choice. Thanks for the heads-up on the speed difference - I will test that for myself as well.

If you send a layer to PSP, only the selected bitmap layer is sent across. Child adjustment layers are applied and a flattened version is sent. That is why I always send a flattened copy for any external edits, and leave my original layers intact. And In these cases I also make sure the adjustment layers are not applied as a child layer, but are contained within a group, with the adjustment layer(s) on top of the layer which I send to the external app for editing.