Color Boost is a color vibrancy booster that can be used to enhance the colors in photos and videos. It works by increasing saturation, vibrancy, and intensity of colors without distorting skin tones. With Color Boost, you can make dull and muted colors pop and look more vivid.
Color Boost is ideal for anyone who wants to add a punch of color to their images and videos to make them look more lively and eye-catching. It’s great for processing photos for social media, blog posts, printed materials, and more. The tool is easy to use and offers flexible adjusting options to get the desired color enhancement.
In this guide, we’ll walk through how to use Color Boost step-by-step:
Installing Color Boost
Color Boost is available as plugins and standalone applications for both Mac and Windows systems.
To install Color Boost on Mac:
– Go to the Anthropic website and download the Mac version of the plugin or app.
– Open the disk image file, then drag the plugin or app to the Applications folder to install.
For Windows:
– Go to the Anthropic website and download the Windows version.
– Run the installation file and follow the on-screen prompts to install Color Boost.
If installing as a plugin for an editing program like Photoshop or Premiere, make sure to close the host app first before installing the plugin. Once installed, the plugin will appear in the host app’s plugin menu.
For standalone apps, Color Boost will be accessible directly from the Applications folder after installing.
How to Use Color Boost
Using Color Boost is straightforward. Here are the basic steps:
1. Open an image or video clip in Color Boost.
2. Adjust the vibrancy and saturation controls to boost the intensity of colors. Move the sliders right to intensify colors and left to tone down the effect.
3. Fine-tune the colors with the advanced curve controls for each color channel. The curves allow you to target specific hues and adjust their vibrancy individually.
4. Use the Selective Boost tool to selectively intensify colors in specific parts of the image. Just paint over the areas you want to boost.
5. Preview before and after views in the split-screen preview panel. Toggle the view to see how your adjustments impact the image.
6. When satisfied, export the boosted image or video clip by clicking Export.
Let’s break down how to use each of Color Boost’s main features in more detail:
Vibrancy Slider
The Vibrancy slider globally boosts the intensity of more muted colors while leaving already saturated colors untouched. Dragging the slider to the right amplifies weak colors that need a vibrancy kick.
Subtly boosting vibrancy can make the colors look more pure and lively without oversaturating the image. It’s great for landscapes, nature photos, and any images with weaker colors.
Saturation Slider
The Saturation slider increases the saturation and intensity of all colors in the image or video. It makes all colors appear bolder and more saturated.
Higher saturation levels make photos really pop with vivid colors. But going too far can oversaturate the colors and make them look unnatural. Find a balanced level of saturation for the subject matter. More vibrant photos suit higher saturation while portraits look best with moderate saturation.
Color Channel Curves
For advanced fine-tuning of colors, use the RGB channel curves. This allows you to adjust the red, green, and blue color channels individually.
Use the curve points to target color ranges you want to intensify or downplay. For example, boost the blues by adding points to the upper part of the blue channel curve. Or reduce the intensity of reds by dragging points on the lower half of the red channel down.
Adjusting the color curves takes practice but offers precise control over color vibrancy. The curve shapes can be copied and pasted to batch apply the same curve adjustments to multiple photos too.
Selective Color Boost
The Selective Boost tool lets you selectively intensify colors in specific parts of the photo rather than the entire image. Just paint over the areas you want to boost with the selection brush.
This is useful for focusing color vibrancy on key points of interest like flowers, clothing, or products. Boosting only selected elements draws more attention to those areas.
Adjust the brush size, hardness, and strength to control the selectivity. Soften the edges around the selection or sharpen them for more defined masks.
Split Preview
Color Boost provides a split preview panel to compare the original and boosted versions side-by-side as you adjust the settings. Click the Split View button to toggle this preview on and off.
Analyzing the before and after views lets you better evaluate the impact of the color changes. Ensure the boosts look natural rather than overly saturated. Toggle back and forth as needed to guide the adjustments.
Exporting
After finishing the color enhancements, export the boosted photo or video clip by clicking the Export button.
For photos, you can export JPEGs or PNGs. For video, MP4 or MOV files are supported. Choose a filename and select the file type, quality, and output color space.
The exported file contains the final boosted colors ready for sharing and use.
Color Boost Tips and Ideas
Here are some tips for getting great results with Color Boost:
– Start with subtle adjustments. It’s easy to oversaturate, so build up the effects gradually.
– Pay attention to skin tones. Avoid boosting reds too much to prevent unnatural skin tones.
– Consider the subject and color palette. More vibrant subjects like flowers can handle more intense boosts than muted tones like landscapes.
– Use Selective Boost to emphasize focal points and direct attention.
– Try copying curves from one photo to give consistent vibrancy to a batch of images.
– Boost videos scene-by-scene for a stylized cinematic look.
– Use Color Boost along with other color tools like Color Balance for more control.
– Export in a 16-bit or HDR color space to retain maximum color detail.
The following are some examples of how Color Boost can be used creatively for different photography and videography needs:
| Project Type | How to Use Color Boost |
|---|---|
| Nature Photos | Boost the greens in foliage, blues in water/sky for more vivid landscape colors. |
| Flower Photography | Intensify reds, oranges, greens in flowers to make them pop against backgrounds. |
| Food Photography | Make dishes more appetizing with saturated reds, greens, and yellows. |
| Portraiture | Subtly boost vibrancy for lively skin tones and eye colors. |
| Travel Videos | Use Selective Boost to make destinations stand out while retaining realistic skin tones. |
| Cinematic Videos | Creative color grading scene-by-scene for vivid, stylized video. |
Conclusion
Color Boost provides an easy yet powerful way to intensify the visual appeal of photos and videos. By increasing vibrancy, saturation, and selectively boosting colors, it can make content stand out with vivid colors.
The tool is versatile for use in photography, graphic design, social media, video editing, and more. While offering quick color enhancement through sliders, it also provides advanced curve controls for targeted color adjustments. Balancing the boosts is key to prevent oversaturation.
With practice, Color Boost can take your color grading skills to the next level. Vibrant images grab attention, evoke emotion, and enhance storytelling. So unlock the full potential of your color palettes with the creative use of Color Boost.
