While Adobe Camera Raw doesn't have a direct "Invert" button, you can invert colors by manipulating the Point Curve within the Curves panel.
Here's how to do it:
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Open your image in Photoshop and then open it in Camera Raw (Filter > Camera Raw Filter).
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Navigate to the "Curves" panel. This panel allows you to adjust the tonal range and color balance of your image.
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Target the individual color channels (Red, Green, and Blue). You'll need to invert each channel separately. Click the Channel dropdown (it defaults to RGB) and select each Red, Green, and Blue option.
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Invert the Curve: For each color channel (Red, Green, and Blue):
- Click on the bottom-left point of the curve and drag it to the top-left corner.
- Click on the top-right point of the curve and drag it to the bottom-right corner. This effectively reverses the tonal values for that channel.
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Repeat step 4 for the Green and Blue channels.
By reversing the curves for each color channel, you effectively invert the colors of your image, similar to a photographic negative.
Why this works:
The Curves tool maps input tones to output tones. By swapping the extreme ends of the curve, you're telling Camera Raw to map the darkest values to the lightest and vice versa, thus inverting the color information. Doing this for each Red, Green, and Blue channel ensures the full color inversion is achieved.
