The Secret to Dark & Moody Coloring in Photoshop

Today we show you how to create a dark and moody look in Photoshop. Learn how to add dramatic contrast, subtle color toning, and a mysterious style to your photos-and all using just a single Curves Adjustment Layer!
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[@ZombieBrainz]

I like the contrast of the subject mater vs the lighting for your video. You are super bright and cheery and you are creating a somber shot. Made me smile.

[@manmadeartists]

I wish you beautiful Christmas holidays and thank you for all the output this year! Stay safe!

[@mustafamovahed1]

Love you Phlearn

[@JoelSemel]

Could you do an "order of operations" video? In other words, if this image needed some clone stamping, should that be done before the curves adjustment or after? Like a "putting all the lessons together" tutorial would be great thank you!

[@damienabbott9805]

All I want for Christmas...are these wonderful tutorials!!!

[@Rijckenberg]

Aaron many thanks for the great tutorials in 2020. Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to everyone ad Phlearn

[@royandescartes]

the tutorial we deserve

[@victormultanen1981]

thanks for educating us in such an entertaining way!

[@marchofnature636]

oh my gosh thank you so much, I love moody photography and that's really what I wanna do when I travel and stuff and this just motivates me so much

[@veselinvasilev9362]

Thank you!

[@lonerwiththecamera]

Always glad to watch your lessons, hope you and everyone you care for have a wonderful holiday! Thank you!

[@leodistefano7424]

Sempre bravo

[@Chickboom34]

Thank you! Recently became a Phlearn member subscriber. Very much enjoying the content. The LUTs are fantastic used inside Camera RAW.

[@josediazh3890]

Muchas gracias.

[@jaimee.campuzanot.2702]

Thank you Aaron and Merry Christmas, God bless you!!!

[@WoW-js9vh]

Your video is always kind and amazing!! Thank you♥

[@user-ky3or6nh9s]

I really enjoy this video, thanks ya~❤👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@frankcich1423]

Easy, peasy, Aaron. Thank you!

[@rahulsuryavanshi4u]

❤As you say , we make learning fun. This is really true, i love your way of teaching. 😍🥰, merry Christmas

[@sarahmitchell7390]

As usual a very informative and brilliant tutorial. Cannot wait for the next one. Happy New Year Aaron

[@EricLeininger]

You should market the audio towards one of those sleep apps. I mean this as a compliment. These videos are terrific, I just realized they're also great to go to sleep to. Good tone and project oriented, but complicated enough jargon to warrant dozing off. Well done.

[@owljazzz]

Thank you for this! Simple yet powerful technique 👍

[@siratzain2443]

Hi! There I'm a new subscriber. Your videos are amazing. And happy Christmas ⛄

[@kevinspraggett7096]

Very helpful! Thx!

[@felipevasquez1965]

God i love this channel!

[@Nicomanism]

Helpful and beneficial!

[@cinestonestudios]

You are always great 😊

[@photonsonpixels]

Merry Christmas Aaron.

[@Eko9559]

finally i found this tutorial thank you 👍

[@Kongte-a]

I really miss your composition edits. Those Diys and other cool stuff. Happy christmas

[@martinhogarth3862]

Superb channel love every bit of it...but can you tell us all what happens when we don't have photoshop or Lightroom, which other programme works best for this kind of thing...martin

[@NarenMediaWorks]

Miss those high-end techniques and sharing PSD's and working together days!

[@sfrancfrancnrm8640]

Hi aron I have learnt lot of PS watching your videos, I was only worried about it's unwanted length. Thank you for keeping the video short.

[@michaelbarletta1024]

Is it just me or did the original photo look more moody? I feel like it would be cool if you used the mask to only apply the curves to the outer areas and leave the focal point crisp.

[@lazycouchpotatssub3391]

I agree. It was already dark and moody. Would have liked to see him do one that wasn't already moody to begin with.

[@suzannen.6403]

same, im like, why even do one? i wanted to see him do the lighter photo!

[@lolinshorts]

Love your Secret :)

[@toddbielby2595]

Not sure if anyone at phlearn will see this, but I’ve seen years worth of videos. What I haven’t seen is how to create objects and using photoshop styles to give them depth and dimension making them look realistic. Kinda that same way u can make text look like metal or whatever u want.

[@shahrukhraza1193]

I am your biggest fan sir 🥰🥰🥰🥰💕💕💕you are number one ☺️

[@IsaacRC]

Cool! Thank you! A light & moody would be awesome too ? : ) I've seen videography where from a bad exposure in clipped highlights make a final clean aseptic look.

[@binderiyamunkhsukh8596]

Is it possible to you to teach adobe premiere? Your tutorials are so great that other sources are losing its value. If its your tutorial, cost doesn’t seem to be a problem. Please think about it🥺

[@chelsea7342]

Hi Aaron, I recently updated my photoshop and I lost all my presets and recordings. Is there anyway I could get them back?

[@hamzamelihatv3455]

How you write narration on screen

[@ahreumra9978]

thanks for your video, Nowadays I have learnt the photoshop but, could you speak a little bit slowly ?:(((( sometimes too fast to understand lol

[@ahreumra9978]

I am really love to watch your video :)))))

[@rifieschi]

im never this early

[@unmeshdinda162]

❤️

[@muhammadazeembhatti]

💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

[@lazycouchpotatssub3391]

I'd love to see an edit of one that wasn't dark and moody to begin with. This was just minor adjustments.

[@tegalicocious]

Clicked sooo fast

[@RichardRecupero]

You're naughty Aaron

[@Sankalp402]

K

[@markritter1060]

Sent you a thesaurus so you can use different words for "crunch." ;)

[@omarfathe8590]

First comment

[@brittanyravi5388]

So honestly this is not dark and moody editing - this is just taking a dark image and washing out color. It looks maybe like a faded vintage photo but it's not improved at all.

[@BaghaShams]

Step 1: use a photo that's already dark and moody

[@suzannen.6403]

so literally didnt show how it made one dark. that one was already dark...ugh

[@Taz86]

You call it "dark and moody", I call it "underexposed"