How to use channels and gradients in Photoshop tutorial

How to use color channels such as red, green etc independently etc and Photoshop gradients in CC 2018 2017 2015 CS6 CS5

Color channels and Photoshop gradients

Go to the Photoshop channels panel (window menu)
Select one of the channels and select the Photoshop gradients tool in toolbar
Apply the gradient to the color channel
Go to the green entry
Apply effect with different settings
Go to the blue and apply effect
Go back to RGB

Video tutorial on the subject by graphicxtras.com (youtube)

Colors : twirl You can use gradients in RGB (CMYK etc) as well as separate colors such as red and green etc. The tutorial mentions RGB throughout this document but you can do much the same with CMYK LAB etc. You can use the tool in the toolbar but using the split and merge, you can also use the other areas of PS that use the presets such as styles.

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Key panel : panel The key panel is the channels. Select the red entry to work just in the red with the presets. Select the green to work with the presets in the green.

You can use the presets in RGB and you can just use them in the red etc and ignore the rest.

You can use the presets more than once in the red a or the green or the blue and then combine the results with different blending modes in the red and green and blue.

If you are using CMYK, then it will be cyan / magenta etc

Adjustments : circular design You can manipulate the results of the presets by using adjustments in the red. You can do the same with the image menu adjustments in the green and so on.

You can use many different adjustments to manipulate the blending such as invert, levels and curves etc but you will notice that as soon as you click the red entry many of the adjustments will no longer be available such as vibrance, mixer etc

Use with effects : effects Also, many effects can be added to the individual entries and the presets such as applying a blur to the red but not to the blue entry or green.

Or a poster edge effect to the green and not to the red or blue.

Effects not available : warp Not all effects can be used in this way and the following are plugins that cannot be used

Adaptive wide angle

Lens correction

Vanishing Point

Blur gallery

Oil paint

Flame

Picture frame

Tree etc

You may find that they work fine for your system with the panel.

Split : split You can also split the RGB file into individual files for the red and green etc

Why do this ???

Well if you have add the effects and you want to add an effect or two and suddenly find that effect is not available in the red or green etc then the quickest way around that problem is just to use the split command with the RGB file.

Go to the panel and right side menu and use the split command

Multiple grayscale files : blue light Once you split the RGB file, you get a new file with the red and a new one with the green and a new one with the blue and then you can merge them all back together again or if you wish, merge them all back but with red using the green file and the green using the blue and the blue using the red, it is all up to you - though that is not totally true as the merge is quite fussy in that it allows you to only use them once only.

Split into RGB : effects When you split them into files, you get the artwork in grayscale so if you want to add an effect such as stylize oil paint tool then you will have to convert the artwork into RGB and then add the effect.

One trouble with the split is that it is very much trial and error as the artwork is now spread over three or four different images and where the middle point etc is purely by eye though to make it easier you could could use a grid of guide lines via the new guide layout and use the same guide layout in each.

If you are using the red file, you can also convert that to an RGB file (via the image menu and mode and RGB) and then you can then split that as well and repeat the same approach multiple times before merging the whole lot together.

Merge files : merge To merge them back into a single file, go to the red files (or green etc) and then go to the panel and right side menu and merge command.

Select the mode etc and select the files and click OK. If you have converted a grayscale image to an RGB, you will have to also convert it back to grayscale before you can use it in the merge as well. You can also modify the end result even more with tools such as adjustments so as color lookup

Selections : You can also use selections with the panel.

You can then apply effects in the red to one part of the artwork and green to another part of the design simply by using a selection of a different area

Keywords : How to use channels and gradients in Photoshop tutorial

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