Over the summer I tried to experiment and push my editing skills in preparation for my advanced photoshop class (ART 441-C). I played around with color grading and pushing color and contrast in my images, and really enjoyed experimenting with this style of photography. In the color grading panel of either Photoshop, Lightroom, or Lightroom Classic, you can tint the midtones, shadows, and highlights of an image to any color you want. The most popular and mainstream combination of these colors especially in cinematography is teal and orange, as it accentuates skin tones and creates color contrast. You can increase the coloration by dragging the circle on the wheel closer to the outside, and change the brightness of the color as well with the slider below. Changing the blending and balance can change how the colors mix, and make the transition from one color to another more dramatic or less dramatic. Each photo is different and has a different reaction to color grading, so I use similar settings to those below, but adjusted slightly.
In this particular style of editing, I try to reproduce some of the effects of film, whether that be in the colors, or in the texture and contrast of the photo. Film often has noticeable grain, which adds texture and a distinct effect to photos. You can add film grain to any photo with photoshop/lightroom, in either the details panel or the effects panel.
The photos below were taken with a slow shutter speed to create a warped and distorted sense of motion. When editing I wanted to play off of the already existing qualities of a photo taken with a slow shutter speed, and either used color grading, desaturation, film grain, or a mix of all of them. The slow shutter speed combined with the unique colors from editing in the last photo, create a painterly look. This is due to the slight movement of the camera as compared to the previous photos, creating what almost look like brush strokes similar to those in Impressionist paintings.
