06 Grouping control points
Now I’m not sure that background is quite right yet, so does that mean I have to go back and adjust each control point individually? No! I can select one of them, shift-click the rest so that they’re all selected, then click the Group button in the toolbar on the right…
07 Adjusting grouped control points
Now I can select any one of these grouped control points, make the necessary adjustments, and they will be applied to the whole group. Here, I’ve turned the brightness right down, increased the contrast slightly and reduced the saturation. That’s much better – and so quick, too. Grouping control points in this way makes it possible to create large and complex adjustment areas, not simple circles.
08 Finishing touch 1
The picture’s now got some real depth and contrast, but there’s more to do yet, and this is where your visual eye as a photographer really comes in. Black and white darkroom workers were used to dodging and burning prints to make them really leap out, but it’s something we seem to have forgotten about with colour.
To start with, I think the bottom right corner needs darkening to help frame the tulips and give the picture some more contrast. With this control point, I’ve reduced the brightness but boosted the structure to make those dark textures more prominent.
