A curve could be described as the representation of all the tones in an image, from highlights to shadows. Photoshop curves are a great tool for creating a balanced digital negative. They help you control the tonal values and contrast of an image or a negative. Now you can download ready-made curves here – or upload yours to share with others.
Also send us yours, by email
You can of course adjust the curves to adjust them depending on how you manilpulated your photograph or which paper you will be printing it on. All the same, they are a good starting point.
If you have problems downloading the curves:
On a PC: Right-click with the mouse on the link and select "Save Target As"
On a mac: Hold down the Ctrl key and click on the link. Select "Download Link to Disk".
Specific about Gimp curves:
If you are using Gimp your curves need to be put in /.gimp-2.*/curves/ under your home directory.
Download cyanotype curves for Photoshop and Gimp |
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Cyanotype curveby Jim Read.
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Download gumprint curve for Photoshop |
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Gumprint curveby David Hatton.
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Note from David: The curve is applied before inversion to a negative and the image should be RGB. When printing these negatives the overall density of the ink laid down can be increased, whilst keeping the densities relative to each other, by using the photoshop ‘Apply Image’ function set to multiply. This gives better exposure control for me as I use the Sun as my lightsource.
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Download photopolymer curve for Photoshop |
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Photopolymer curveby Jim Read.
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Download platinum curves for Photoshop and Gimp |
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Platinum print curveClick here to download the curve for Photoshop
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Platinum print curve version 2Click here to download the curve for Photoshop
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Download ratio curve for Photoshop |
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Ratio Curve
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Download vandyke curves for Photoshop and Gimp |
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Vandyke curveby Grace Taylor.
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Vandyke curveby Jim Read.
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How to import a curve in Photoshop
Importing a curve is easy. Just load the curves menu.
Then press "Load":
Select the right curve:
That’s it!
How to save your curves in Photoshop
You can adjust the curves or create your own by pulling the centre or one of the handles at the end:
When you are happy with the settings you have and want to use it for another photograph, just save the settings:
That’s it! Now you can reuse it next time you want to make a negative.
8 Comments
please don’t encourage people to use canned curves. Each image and process deserves its own care. No curve works for two different images equally well. Using curves is all about understanding the tones in the image, and making a curve that places the tones where you want for the final print. It’s not about using one curve per process!
I agree, but the curves are meant to be a starting point, not a definite guide. If you have never used curves, it’s a hint of what may be right.
I downloaded the David Hatton gumprint curve but can’t seem to load it into photoshop CS4. In fact the curve dialog box does not have a load button on it. Don’t know if this is a CS4 thing or what. If I had the input and output points on the curve I could do it manually I think. Suggestions?….
Thanks
Susan
@Susan… not actually sure. Let me know what you find out, and I’ll see if it’s possible to convert them to CS4…
@Susan In Photoshop CS4 you can add the ACV file into a presets folder. I managed to do this on a Mac by adding a curve file to this folder:
Applications > Adobe Photoshop CS4 > Presets > Curves
I’m guessing you could probably do something similar on a Windows machine by going to “Program Files” and looking for a similar folder.
Once you restart Photoshop, the curve should appear in the dropdown list at the top of the curves dialog.
Thanks Ry. I’m on a Mac so was able to load curve as per your instructions….
Do you apply the curve to the image or the neg?
Thanks – christian
@Christian. You apply the curves to the image, then turn it into a neg, and print it out on transparency.
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[...] with no problems. That’s not normal.) Making my own curve instead of relying on the basic cyanotype curve from the Alternative Photography website allowed me to customize my negative to my [...]