In this video tutorial, photographer Brandi Nicole unveils her brand new color grade collection designed to help you achieve dreamy and captivating portraits. The Pastel Collection includes a variety of Lightroom Profiles or Photoshop Actions that you can use to brighten skin tones, add a touch of color, and create Brandi's signature dreamy, soft, and ethereal palette.
Brandi will guide you through all of The Pastel Collection's color grades including:
- Champagne Glow: This is Brandi's go-to color grade for lightening and brightening skin tones. It also adds a subtle peachy/purplish tone that she finds very flattering on her subjects.
- Peach Prism: Adds a broader range of colors to your photos, creating a more playful and vibrant look.
- Brandy Blue: This color grade replicates Brandi's signature blue tones and enables you to easily swap a white background for a beautiful blue one. It also includes masking options to ensure your subject's skin tones remain unaffected.
- Lavender Haze: Explore the world of purples with easy adjustment to the intensity of the effect.
- Crushed Velvet: This color grade creates a moody, film-like feel, perfect for achieving a nostalgic, vintage look and for use on black-and-white photos.
- French Absinth: Adds green tones to your photos while preserving the reds, creating a unique and harmonious color palette.
Brandi also offers some valuable tips on using The Pastel Collection:
- Experiment with opacity: Don't be afraid to lower the opacity of the presets to achieve a more subtle effect.
- Layer the color grades: Brandi encourages layering the color grades to create unique looks. She starts with "Champagne Glow" or "Peach Prism" as a base and then adds other presets on top.
- Adjust the individual layers: The Photoshop Actions include multiple layers that you can adjust independently, allowing for even more creative control.
We hope you find this inside look at Brandi's creative process as inspirational as we do. We hope it motivates you to start experimenting with color. With a little practice, you'll be able to create stunning and dreamy portraits that will leave a lasting impression.
Learn more about Brandi's The Pastel Collection
