From time to time questions are posted here as to how to obtain a certain image result, where the answer is to use the colorize module.
The colorize module has, however, been left out from the modules lists as presented with the preset “workflow: scene-referred”. (It is included in the effect modules list in preset workflow: display-referred.)
This means that new users who try to stick with the modern scene-referred approach may not so easily become aware of colorize and the possibilities it offers.
Colorize belongs in the display-referred part of the pixelpipe, but that it shares with the watermark and framing modules that are included in the SR effect modules.
In the manual there is no warning about any inherent problems with using the colorize module, and AFAIK there are no other module that can fully replace its function. So, it is somewhat difficult to understand why it’s been left out.
I therefore suggest to include colorize module again.
A candidate for rather being removed from the same list of effects modules in SR workflow (and DR as well) is the vignette module.
The vignette module has warnings attached to it, and its function can in the main be replaced by masked exposure module.
So I am unfamilar with the colorize module. Would you be able to share some examples of what I am missing out of in my ignorance? Today I came to appreciate the color lookup table courtesy of a video by @s7habo
Well, I’ve for my part so far suspended digging into the CLUT module, so maybe we are in the situation where the one-eyed try to explain to the other one-eyed …
What I understand from the description of CLUT in the manual is that the key is a source color (hue) that we want to amend to something different.
In colorize, however, the focus is on a color we want to end up with, and that can be totally independent from what the original color/colors is.
Colorize overlays one particular color on the image. Using the source mix slider we can decide to what extent the original image shines through the overlaid color (as can also be done with standard uniform mask and opacity). By setting that slider to 0 % the overlay is solid color – and this will only have a meaning when used with a mask, (otherwise the whole image area will be filled with one, solid color). So, a parametric mask may be used to define where a color (range) will be covered, but I guess that many (most?) use cases will be about using a drawn mask to obtain a fill color in a defined part of the picture, and that part may contain a mix of many colors.
The two modules clearly has some potential overlap in usage, but as far as I can see, CLUT doesn’t cover all colorize’s use case.
But you anyhow point to CLUT, which also is a usable module which for some reason are left out of the module set-up that meets a new user.
I am puzzled by all this talk of altering colors in a scene-referred image. ICC says:
A scene-referred image is an image where the image data is an encoding of the colors of a scene (relative to each other), as opposed to a picture of a scene. In a picture, the colors are typically altered to make them more pleasing to viewers when viewed using some target medium.
Sorry, I am too old to “learn how DT works” but I remain interested in some aspect of it’s use, especially when it appears to oppose basic photography such as altering colors in scene-referred work when the ICC says different.
I am familiar with Elle Stone’s work, thank you.
As to “effects” ICC also says:
The Blacks, Brightness, Contrast, Clarity, Vibrance and Saturation sliders are color rendering sliders and should be set to zero in the creation of scene-referred images.
Tone Curve:
The application of a tone curve is part of color rendering and both the Parametric and Point tone curve panes should be set to linear to produce scene-referred image data.
I think I’ll butt out of this one, no disrespect intended.
"A scene-referred image is an image where the image data is an encoding of the colors of a scene (relative to each other), as opposed to a picture of a scene. In a picture, the colors are typically altered to make them more pleasing to viewers when viewed using some target medium. "
Did you read anything out of the different terms “image” and “picture”?
Have you thought of the difference between “A scene-referred image” and “scene-referred image processing”?
Fine, because with dt we are not creating scene referred images, but are creating pictures by means of scene referred image processing, where scene referred images are the starting points, (-- to the extent that camera makers doesn’t do some kind of pre-prosessing to their raw files).
Yes, fine, for the questions is: Doesn’t the colorize module ought to be included in the modules layout also of the scene-referred workflow? - and viewpoints on that are appreciated.
Thank you the link which is helping me to understand dt scene- vs. display-referred terminology (while it takes a 100 years to convert the dt epub to a pdf so I can read it, grump).
Putting three different URLs into one string is confusing to say the least. Of course I clicked on the wrong one at the time, not realizing them to be separately clickable.
DT also gives you some tips if you hover on the module…you will be shown the expected input, what sort of transform is done and what sort of output is created from the module…this can give you guidance on which module will perform linear operations and which will not and which ones can access the full range of data via their GUI and which do not.
