Colour popping problem using paint brush

[billtils]

I have been exploring colour popping in AP using the paint brush, and run into a problem.  It is easier to do this using at least 2 brushes, one at 5 px or less to define the edges and then one or 2 larger ones to fill in the rest.  However, if you change size by clicking on the brush size window at the top left, when you go back to the edit the new brush paints over the earlier application, and the "join" shows as a more intense shade (which ruins the effect).

 

Is this a bug or is there another way to change brush size?   (I don't have this problem in Pixelmator so it is not a generic issue to using painting for colour popping).

[MEB]

Hi billtils,

Is the opacity of the brushes set to 100% in the context toolbar?

[billtils]

Hi Miguel, no, I use it at around 50 to 75% to preserve the shadow details in the original.

[MEB]

I thought you were using masks to get the colour popping effect. Maybe i'm misunderstanding what you are trying to do or you're using a different approach. Can you post a sample file so i can see what's going on (or if there's something buggy)?

[billtils]

Will do - should be there in the morning, off to the kitchen to indulge in my other hobby (duck breast tonight)   :)

[billtils]

PS:  If I do it as a screen capture can the system stand the upload of the video?  Or would you prefer a couple of thumbnails?

[billtils]

Here you are.  "First" (the right hand image) is a capture of using the paint brush at 20px and 75% opacity to paint the edges of the phone box in red.   "Second" is a capture of what happens changing the brush size to 30px to make it easier to fill the painting.  The blue rectangles show that where the second brush stroked overlap those made by the first the colour is intensified.   This does not happen in Pixelmator - the opacity is uniform.

[MEB]

Hi billtils,

You seem to be doing what I have thought. You have applied a Black & White adjustment to a colour image and are painting over its mask to bring back the colour to some parts of it. At least, that's what I'm getting from your screenshots.

 

The issue you are having is related to the opacity of the brush. It does have nothing to do with its size. If you paint over the boundaries of a previous painted area with the same size brush you will get the same "more intense shade" effect because its opacity is not set to 100%. That's what is causing that overlapping effect you're seeing.

 

The opacity of the brush however doesn't have any relation with shadow detail. You are only working on the transparency of the Black & White version, making it more or less transparent and thus revealing more or less of the colour version shown through it with more or less "intensity". Pixelmator does the same unless you're using a different process there.

 

What you should do is change the brush opacity to 100% and paint over the areas where you want to reveal the colour version no matter the brush size you choose.

 

Shadow detail is an entirely different issue that's not related to what's being talked here.

 

 

 

[billtils]

Thanks Miguel - yes, working at 100% opacity did the trick very nicely.