Why can't PSP give me a black to white gradient?

[gbotes]

Hi Gbotes,
you may use the "Grey chart" script.

I have created the "Grey chart" script for Jasc during the PSP 8 Beta Test, years ago.
Now, this script is embedded in each version of PSP until now.
You may modify it to suit your needs.

Best regards,
Jean-Luc

Many thanks, @Jean-Luc! I am grateful for your response.

[gbotes]

Now, running this gradient through posterize produces this, exactly what I need to get the Zone System tones:

Hi gbotes,
could you explain how you use your shades of gray with "Zone System tones" ?

Thank you,
Jean-Luc

Hi Jean-Luc. Sorry, I have been slow in responding. I've had some holidays with my family and have been slow to read

About the Zone System, I watched a video by Blake Rudis that got me interested. I think this was the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taVTA0v ... NjEyMjAxNQ

So I wanted to create a script that would split an image into the Zone System zones of luminance, but needed away to posterize a black to white gradient into the 11 zones in order to get each zones RGB color range. I posted the script in the scripting forum, but it is still very much a work in progress.

Running the script I recorded creates a selection area for each Zone based on the luminance, saving each selection to an alpha channel. It then creates a luminance layer for each selection (11 zones). Using curves, you can then adjust the luminance of each layer, ultimately tweaking the luminance if each Zone of the image. This means it works for color images, and you can convert to black and white afterwards.

As I said though, it is a work in progress and needs refinement. In its present form the script does work for me, but as I play with it some more I hope to learn how to refine it further.

[photodrawken]

Running the script I recorded creates a selection area for each Zone based on the luminance, saving each selection to an alpha channel. It then creates a luminance layer for each selection (11 zones). Using curves, you can then adjust the luminance of each layer, ultimately tweaking the luminance if each Zone of the image.

How is all that an improvement over simply modifying the curve of a Curves adjustment layer? One can also use more than one Curves adjustment layer and modify the curve in each....

Actually, these questions would be very appropriate for a separate discussion thread since they're getting far afield of your original question.

[gbotes]

Hi photodrawken. I don't know. It may not be, but I like to try things, experiment and learn. Usually I learn more from what didn't work than from what did. From what I could see when I tried different ways of working with this idea, a curves adjustment layer gives me slightly different final results. I guess it is just about the aesthetics involved in how you want your final image to look. Also, I tried to script this process, and what I outlined isjustmy way of visualizing what I wanted to do.

I've been playing with single image HDR from RAW files, and I've found that being able to tweak luminance in different zones allows me to get different looks for my final image.

I'm still experimenting, and looking for different ways to do this sort of thing. A big challenge for me is to break out of Gimp-method thinking as PSP provides different tools, and often there are better or just different ways of getting to similar results.

[Jean-Luc]

About the Zone System, I watched a video by Blake Rudis that got me interested. I think this was the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taVTA0v ... NjEyMjAxNQ

So I wanted to create a script that would split an image into the Zone System zones of luminance, but needed away to posterize a black to white gradient into the 11 zones in order to get each zones RGB color range. I posted the script in the scripting forum, but it is still very much a work in progress.

Running the script I recorded creates a selection area for each Zone based on the luminance, saving each selection to an alpha channel. It then creates a luminance layer for each selection (11 zones). Using curves, you can then adjust the luminance of each layer, ultimately tweaking the luminance if each Zone of the image. This means it works for color images, and you can convert to black and white afterwards.

As I said though, it is a work in progress and needs refinement. In its present form the script does work for me, but as I play with it some more I hope to learn how to refine it further.

I see now from where you come...
As an old photographer, I know "zone system" was only referred to Ansel Adams (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_System).
It is a last century concept. It may still be applied but is complicated. Although an artistic way is an actual possibility. As you do and may produce interesting results.
Actual photographic sensors are more sophisticated than the "old" silverhalide system. Digital cameras have now a wider dynamic range (expecially in RAW mode) and other tools than "zone system" may produce similar effects. It would be interesting to compare an original black and white image, the same image processed by "zone system" and processed also by actual digital tools (curves, histograms, map toning, etc.).
And yes, this could be another discussion...

[gbotes]

I see now from where you come...
As an old photographer, I know "zone system" was only referred to Ansel Adams (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_System).
It is a last century concept. It may still be applied but is complicated. Although an artistic way is an actual possibility. As you do and may produce interesting results.
Actual photographic sensors are more sophisticated than the "old" silverhalide system. Digital cameras have now a wider dynamic range (expecially in RAW mode) and other tools than "zone system" may produce similar effects. It would be interesting to compare an original black and white image, the same image processed by "zone system" and processed also by actual digital tools (curves, histograms, map toning, etc.).
And yes, this could be another discussion...

you are right, Jean-Luc, and there are very sophisticated tools for digital processing. But I just had to try to understand, and create a script, and play. Like climbing a mountain because it's there.