How to make color adjustments by mixing color channels

Our eyes are unable to pick out many different levels of light and darkness. But they are much better at distinguishing different colors. In order to get the full photographic color on screen, we make use of the RGB model, which is a system to stand for colors. R is for red, to store the amount of red. G is for green, to store the amount of green. B is for blue, to store the amount of blue. The individual sets of values for the color data are so-called channels. Sometimes, one color channel might have high values and the other color channels have low values. To fix this problem, we can share some of those high color values around. Take values from one channel and add them to another. This is channel mixing, which photographers usually use to correct the exaggerating color. Though lots of photo editors with channel mixer adjustment are available on the market. Many of them are very difficult to use and not suitable for photo editing beginners. If you are searching for a simple tool to handle the task, please continue the reading. In this article, I will introduce a beginner-friendly software tool that helps you make color adjustments by mixing color channels.

Photo Effects by Vertexshare

As the name suggests, Photo Effects by Vertexshare is a photo effect filter. Coming with various adjustment parameters and decorative objects, the application lets you quickly adjust the photo effects to make your photo look good.

You will be greeted by a sleek and clean window after you launch the program. The window consists of three panels. In the left-side panel, there are a collection of predefined effects, each with its own preview thumbnail. The middle panel takes up most of the window. It is the preview area where you can see the result of changes you make to the photo. You can compare the original photo with the changed photo. There are also options for zooming and panning the photo and discarding all changes. A variety of parameters are classified in different adjustment sections. These adjustment sections are located in the right-side panel. You can change the exposure level by adjusting the exposure compensation, exposure compression, lightness, saturation, and contrast. Moreover, you can fine-tune the shadows/highlights, tone mapping, dynamic range, white balance, and image sharpening. Other parameters you can adjust include channel mixer, soft light, vignette filter, local contrast, and vibrance. What's more, you are given the possibility to reduce the noise level.

Overall speaking, Photo Effects is a piece of simplistic photo editing software that enables you to make fine adjustments to your photo effortlessly. It is designed for both less experienced users and professionals.

Now, let's dive into the part of how to mix color channels with Photo Effects.

How to use the channel mixer of Photo Effects to make color adjustments

Step 1.

• Drop your photo into the region "Drag and Drop Your Photo here". Or click on "File"->"Add Photo" to add your photo. You can also add the photo by clicking on the "Add" button. If you import the wrong photo into the program, click on the "Remove" button next to the "Add button" to remove the photo.

Step 2.

• Go to the right side panel and scroll down to the "CHANNEL MIXER" section. Click on the "CHANNEL MIXER" button to activate the function of adjusting parameters. The parameters in this section are red 1, red 2, red 3, green 1, green 2, green 3, blue 1, blue 2, and blue 3.

Channel Mixer

Red 1, 2, 3, green 1, 2, 3, and blue 1, 2, 3 are respectively the values of red channel, green channel, and blue channel. Increasing values will increase the total values of the corresponding color channel. Decreasing values will reduce the total values of the corresponding color channel and add the tones of the opposite color to the photo.

For example, if you raise the value of red 2 to 50, you will add the values from another channel to the red channel, the photo will look a little more magenta.

Then, raise the value of green 1 from 0 to 50 and it will increase the total amount of green. The photo will look a little yellowish.

The opposite color of red is blue on the RGB color space. If you lower the value of red 2 to -50, you will add blue to the photo.

If you set the values of green and blue channels to zero, you will see only the red channel representation of your photo.

• Drag the slider to adjust the parameters to fit your needs. Click on the "View" button to compare the differences between the original photo and the changed photo. To readjust the effect, click on the "Redo" button to discard the adjustments.

Step 3.

• When you are all set, press the "Export Photo" button to export the photo to a desired location. Or click on "File"->"Save As" to save the photo in a destination folder.

An alternative to Photo Effect

Photo-kako is a free online photo editor. It comes packed with plenty of photo effect adjustment utilities. Due to the intuitive layout and options, it is super easy to use.

• Head over to the site and click on the "All Editors" tab. Select "Channel Mixer" in the C3 line.
• Click on "Choose file" to upload your photo. You can also enter the image URL and press "Select the image" to import your photo.
• Go to the "Main Config Items" in the left pane. Drag the slider to adjust the values of the channel. For example, if you want to increase greens, pull the red slider to the right in the green channel. This will add the values of the red channel to the green channel.
• Click on the "Config" button in the "Config and Convert" section to preview the changes.
• When you are satisfied with the adjustments, click on the "Download" button to download the photo.

Summary

Channel mixer allows you to mix the red, green and blue channels to tweak the colors of your photo. Photo Effects is a handy tool with this feature. With the help of it, you can adjust the channel values of your photo without any hassle. Color channels are represented by grayscale. When using the channel mixer, you should keep it in mind that you don't add or subtract colors to a specific color component. You just add or subtract the grayscale data from one channel to another one.