Channel Mixer Tutorial
Photoshop's Channel Mixer (RGB)
INTO
In 1 Step
If you're already familiar with the Channel Mixer, Skip To Icon Tutorial. Otherwise, please read a few basics about the Channel Mixer.
Most PSers tend to use the Channel Mixer for greyscale conversions or eliminating red-eye from their photos. If you're talking about color adjustment, especially here on LiveJournal, you're going to find an abundance of Selective Color, Curves, or Blending Modes used. Not so much with Channel Mixer.
Which is a shame, because you can get a lot of milage out of the channel mixer. This tool controls the very essance of an image's colors, the three primary bits of color data combining into what you see on your pallette. Let me show you what I mean.
RED GREEN BLUE
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These are the three 'channels' photoshop combines in an RGB image to create your colored image. Feel free to save the red, green, and blue icons above, and layer them as I have in the left-hand image to see the effect for yourself. Be sure to set the top 2 layers (in this case Blue and Green) to Lighten.
The Channel Mixer tool allows the user to manipulate these raw channels. By adding or subtracting red, green, and/or blue in any or all of the three channels, you can make minute or drastic changes. If you use this tool in combination with others, like Selective Color or Curves, you'll have even more ways to create great-looking icons. As always, experimentation is the key.
Let me show you a few basic combinations to give you a better idea of how adding or subtracting Red, Green, and/or Blue in your channels changes your overal icon.
RED GREEN
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RED BLUE
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GREEN BLUE
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If you're used to working with Selective Color, you've probably noticed that I've just created 6 of its color options (Reds, Yellows, Greens, Cyans, Blues, and Magentas). For the record, Channel Mixer also works with grayscale, giving you all 9 color controls of Selective Colors, but I'm focusing on RGB for this tutorial.
USING THE CHANNEL MIXER
To use the Channel Mixer on your image, click on the New Filler Adjustment Layer button, located at the bottom of your Layers box. At the pop-up menu, select Channel Mixer...
OR you can go to Image >> Adjustments >> Channel Mixer...
I prefer the first method since it creates a Channel Mixer layer that can be re-adjusted at any time.
Here are the default settings of the Channel Mixer. As you can see, it starts off in the Red Output Channel (see red icon up top). When you first open the Red Channel, Red will always be set to 100%, while Blue and Green are at 0%. If you change channels, say to the Green Output Channel, you'll find Green set to 100% while Blue and now Red are at 0%. So on with the Blue Output Channel.
Move the Red slider to the right, and you'll increase the amount of red in the Red Channel. Move it to the left, and you'll decrease the amount. So on with the Blue and Green sliders. You can increase or decrease any color by as much as 200%.
Constant flushes the entire image with more Red.
Constant at 200% in the Red Output Channel.
Checking Monochrome turns your image to grayscale. This is an excellent way to create and/or manipulate B&W images.
Now That You Have the Basics...
Lets turn this base
into
.
Looking at the base, I know right away it needs color, and stat. Channel Mixer will bring in a good punch of color quickly and easily.
1) Create a new Channel Mixer layer.
SETTINGS
Output Channel: Red
Red: +200%
I usually begin by punching up the red (skintone), but as soon as I did that, I had a whole lot of problems. Like, someone had spilled a can of neon pink paint over this icon. Ick. No worries though, because by dialing the blue and green way down, we'll fill in all blinding pinks with some gentle cyan-greens.
Green: -52%
Blue: -65%
This looks pretty good, and you can stop here or go on to do other sorts of adjustments in other tools. However, I think bringing in a bit more orange and really kicking that blue mask in the teeth will make this icon pop.
Output Channel: Blue
Red: -23%
Green: -66%
Blue: +200%
So easy it's almost criminal.