This is a Photoshop action set from The Light's Right Studio that make it easy to compare the results of candidate tone and color enhancements for your digital images. The actions simulate the printing of test strips in a darkroom. This was a common technique for deciding how many additional/fewer stops of exposure to apply to an image.

TLR Test Strips is a Photoshop action set that is compatible with Photoshop CS3 and earlier versions of Photoshop. Layers Sets/Groups are created on Photoshop CS and later. The tonal adjustment actions in TLR Test Strips require that the TLR Tone Enhance action set also be loaded into Photoshop.

Exposure Test Strips

Exposure (1 Stop)
Creates nine strips with +1 to -1 exposure in 1/4 stop increments. The center strip has no adjustment applied.

Exposure (2 Stops)
Creates nine strips with +2 to -2 exposure in 1/2 stop increments. The center strip has no adjustment applied.

Adjust Tones Test Strips

Contrast Boost
Creates four strips. The leftmost strip has no adjustment applied. The next three groups have progressively stronger levels of Contrast Boost applied from the TLR Tone Enhance action set.

Midtone Boost
Creates four strips. The leftmost strip has no adjustment applied. The next three groups have progressively stronger levels of Midtone Boost applied from the TLR Tone Enhance action set.

Highlights/Shadows Boost
Creates four strips. The leftmost strip has no adjustment applied. The next three groups have progressively stronger levels of Highlights/Shadows Boost applied from the TLR Tone Enhance action set.

Highlights Dodge
Creates four strips. The leftmost strip has no adjustment applied. The next three groups have progressively stronger levels of Highlights Dodge applied from the TLR Tone Enhance action set.

Highlights Burn
Creates four strips. The leftmost strip has no adjustment applied. The next three groups have progressively stronger levels of Highlights Burn applied from the TLR Tone Enhance action set.

Shadows Dodge
Creates four strips. The leftmost strip has no adjustment applied. The next three groups have progressively stronger levels of Shadows Dodge applied from the TLR Tone Enhance action set.

Shadows Burn
Creates four strips. The leftmost strip has no adjustment applied. The next three groups have progressively stronger levels of Shadows Burn applied from the TLR Tone Enhance action set.

Saturation Test Strips

Boost Saturation
Boost Reds
Boost Greens
Boost Blues
Boost Cyans
Boost Magentas
Boost Yellows
Creates five strips. Increases saturation from left to right in five unit increments.

Desaturation Test Strips

Reduce Saturation
Reduce Reds
Reduce Greens
Reduce Blues
Reduce Cyans
Reduce Magentas
Reduce Yellows
Creates five strips. Increases saturation from left to right in five unit increments.

Using the Actions

Judging the effects can sometimes require a careful eye when viewed on a monitor. One solution is to duplicate the image and run a test strips action on the duplicate. Then superimpose the two images.

My preferred strategy is to turn off the individual layers and then watch the image change.

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