[Idea] Universal All-in-One Color Grading adjustment layer

[shijan]

I want to discuss the idea of possible new all-in-one adjustment layer for simplified essential color correction (color grading or tonal correction) tasks that don't require multiple stacks of adjustment layers. Similar concept exists in many RAW editors and also in newly introduced Photo module in DaVinci Resolve 21. All these tools already available in PhotoLine, so formally same tools just grouped into single compact sized layer with sliders.
Optionally it is also could be useful to have Checkbox near each slider to temporary hide/show each correction (similar to eye toggle in layers list).

Temperature (This should be real WB adjustment and have also should have eyedropper picker. Please don't use Color Correction adjustment here, because it produce unusual and incorrect WB correction, as it was described here viewtopic.php?p=50041#p50041)
Tint

Lift (Same as Input and Output Levels left sliders)
Gamma
Gain (Same as Input and Output Levels right sliders. It also acts as Exposure if image is in Linear Gamma)
Offset (Same as Luminance slider in non-color managed Curves adjustment, or Offset in Exposure adjustment which always color managed to Linear Gamma)

Contrast
Pivot? (Optional. Moves contrast middle point. Don't exists in PhotoLine)
Luminance (Same as L* Luminance as in Exposure adjustment. Also sometimes named "Lightness" or "Midtones" in other apps)
Highlights (This could also create highlights recovery and compression effect if Gain was increased beyond clipping. This should be simple Curves-based correction, or correction based on Color Filter masks. Existing PhotoLine Light/Shadow adjustment not desirable here, because it apply unwanted edge detection effect). It is also possible that Highlights Rolloff (Soft Clip), could be an independent special slider as described here viewtopic.php?t=7075
Shadows (same)
Whites? (Optional. Don't exists in PhotoLine)
Blacks? (Optional. Don't exists in PhotoLine)

Hue?
Saturation?
Vibrance?

Sharpen?

Color Grading.jpg

[shijan]

Probably the main question which must be discussed here - which sliders should be included and in which order they should be arranged. (For example in some workflows Gamma adjusted before Gain, but in others Gain before Gamma). So if imagine deeper - it could be some user settings for this adjustment which will allow to change sliders order and also maybe show/hide unwanted sliders.

[shijan]

Also perfectly all sliders should always operate internally in 32-bit depth to avoid lossy clipping during multiple corrections. This will allow very flexible correction of 8 or 16-bit images without transforming document into 32-bit.
Same time this adjustment should not change input gamma (non-color managed adjustment).

Here are also few similar examples from other apps:

No name.jpg

[shijan]

From some point of view, instead of mixing Tonal and Color related sliders, it could be more logical to make only Tonal Correction adjustment, but with all possible advanced fine tune options.

Is it make sense to add limited version of Hue/Saturation/Vinrance?

If image is in linear gamma, WB in PhotoLine could be auto adjusted by eyedropper in White Point (Gray Point mode), Levels (require additional recovery by Output Levels in 32 bit), Channel Mixer. But none of these tools have option for manual WB adjustment. To change color temperature manually we need to add "Color Temperature" adjustment, which is color managed and so not always works as expected.

Tonal Correction.jpg

[shijan]

It is understandable that PhotoLine use modular adjustments logic and it is easy to create multi-adjustments chains. But in reality it is far from perfect. Many adjustments use not too logical and not too universal multiple sliders. For example Exposure adjustment use color managed Exposure/Offset sliders and non-color managed Gamma/Contrast/Luminance. Because Exposure don't have special Soft Clip slider, i usually use Color Filter to recover highlights data in 32-bit, and so should apply additional Exposure or Levels adjustment on top of that for further corrections. Both those tool use large amount of space and so don't fit to small multi-adjustment window without scrolling.
Same problem with Curves adjustment. Bottom Contrast/Offset(named as Luminance)/Gamma sliders in Curves are useless and unlogical and only waste space.
Many essential tools like Exposure Soft Clip, Temperature/Tint, Highlights/Shadows/Whites/Blacks are missing or works in some unusual way.
It is understandable that all those tools remains unchanged due backward compatibility requirements. But if possible i really suggest to discuss and rethink a little bit more all those tonal correction tools and match them to modern requirements. Sliders could be combined into single brand new adjustment, or separated into few logical groups.

Here is the list of all possible tonal correction tools:

Temperature (Linear)
Tint (Linear)
Exposure (Linear)
Soft Clip (Linear)
Offset (Linear)

Lift
Gamma
Gain
Offset
Contrast
Pivot
Luminance
Highlights
Shadows
Whites
Blacks