Great care should be taken when boosting saturation in a digital image simply because there is a thin line between optimal saturation and luminance damage. Photographic saturation has a scientific definition and a practical definition. I believe we need to recognize both in order to really grasp the issue.
Photographic saturation is basically color intensity, expressed as the degree to which it differs from white. Get the picture? It’s what differentiates a grayscale image from a color image. A color image without saturation is just luminance. Now mix this with the white-bread definition of saturation: the state when no more of something can be added. Combining these two definitions actually provides a very practical guideline to the use of saturation in digital imaging. It’s called “too much of even a good thing is still too much!”
Open up an image in Photoshop and pull up the Hue/Saturation dialog box. Now slide the Saturation triangle all the way to the left. See what you have left? A grayscale (what we use to call black and white) image… all form and no color. Now slide the triangle back through the middle and all the way to the right side of the scale. Now (after you pull your eyeballs out of the back of your head) you’ll notice that the image is now pretty much destroyed… all color and no form.
We all enjoy very colorful things. God gave us an imagination that is very rich and colorful. And frankly, sometimes digital photos need a little more color. But take great care in the exercise of your imagination as it can push your pictures beyond “believable.” Here’s how to how to maintain the “best” of a good thing. Go back to the Hue/Saturation adjustment dialog and carefully slide the Saturation triangle to the right but stop short of losing any of the highlight tonal definition. You can also balance more Saturation with less of the Lightness channel (unless the picture gets too dark)
Think about it!
©copyright 2008 Herb Paynter
http://www.imageprep.net
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