A little fun in RGB and Curves

I love puzzles, love figuring things out.  Recently I tried out two 'tests' that were posted on Facebook.

The first one tests your knowledge of curves.  The creator of the test provides a quick (I would have liked a little more information) explanation on each answer.

Understanding how curves works, whether in Photoshop or Lightroom, helps to create colour manipulations with just a few adjustments.  You are able to work independently on the red, green and blue channels (RGB - Red, Green, Blue) and the slightest shift on the curve can dramatically change the photo.

The first link here is the Curves Challenge.  The second link is each part of the challenge discussed lightly.

Curves Challenge
Curves Challenge Explained

Now the reason I posted the Curves Challenge first is because it can help you understand how RGB works i.e. moving one curve up lightens the colour, moving it down darkens and this also works as an add and subtract equation.

The more you lower the curve below the grey/gray line the more you remove the colour.

The second quiz is a little more difficult.  Here you are working with numbers, each number corresponds with the amount of red, green and blue that has been added or removed from the photo.

The first number is red, the second green and the third blue.  I'm not going to give it away and even though this is not an absolute necessity in photography it will help you understand colour a bit better.  And hey, it's fun once you get the hang of it.

Think about adding and subtracting, the higher the number the lighter the colour, the lower the number the darker the colour.  Also think about how colours work together i.e. if you mix green and red you get yellow etc.

I found that working out the first two and then adding the third is how I was able to figure out the closest answer.

RGB Challenge

Once you have an idea of this all fits together it should open your eyes to the bigger world of colour.

But...if you want to be able to test out your colour theories and practice try this Colour Chart.