One struggle I've had recently is broadening my perspective of color grading.  I've been so used to simply a color temperature slider and vibrance/saturation of individual colors that I just feel super limited. 

For instance:  I've been wanting to perfect a warm, desaturated look but just haven't been able to nail it.  I see it all the time in editorials (kind of a honey amber / copper skin tone look, downtuned but warm) and can never tell if it's film or some type of color grading in post, or both. 

So far all I currently do:


Lightroom:  Temperature, tone, vibrance, saturation.  Some individual color tweaking with saturation and luminosity.  Most of my work is built off Adobe Standard, or the Fuji 800z VSCO (just the camera profile, everything else is custom)

Photoshop:  Color channel curves, though I feel sloppy with it (lift the blue to make it cooler, drop it for warmth, etc)



Any tips or suggestions in order to improve would be helpful!   I don't like to use other people's actions or filters, but at this point I'm even willing to give some of those a shot.


Some of my work to see what I've already tried:   www.shatterleaf.com

You're ready for the next level... study color theory and how to apply it. It definitely opens up a whole new world. Just general art color theory, the basic stuff and once you get the hang of it you'll understand what to do and why you want to that to your images.

Don't get too caught up on finding ideas for "color grading", what you need is the reason behind the color moves you make.

Here are some practical steps you can use in Photoshop to change the skin color to a darker warmer color. 
This is a "mini-tutorial with specific adjustment steps".

Lets Use an Adjustment Layer to do this: Adjustment Layers are amazing...  because they are clean, transparent, interactive, and totally adjustable.  They also  work easily with masks, blend modes, and the opacity control, all on the same single layer.  Curve Adjustment Layers allow you to have complete, interactive, visual color control... and they allow you to apply the color creatively and artistically... according to your own particular tastes, your own unique standards, and taking into account the individual image you are working on as well. 

Its Fairly Easy to do: 

1. Create an Adjustment Layer: Go to the bottom of the Layers Pallet.  Look for the "1/2 moon icon" at the bottom (adjustment layers) and click on it, and then, choose Curves.  We are going to use just one curve layer... to do 4 color corrections to your skin and tonality!

2. Adjust the Curves to get the color you want:   If you want a warmer, more golden skin tone...  go to the "Curves Properties Panel" and change the RGB channel in the center of the curve display to the Red Channel by using the DropDown. 

Next: Pull the Topmost Right Point on the curve 1/8th of an inch to the left...you will now see your skin getting warmer (reddish).  Drag interactively untill you like the new reddish color and saturation!  (Note: All of the color changes you are making will apply across the whole image at first...the face and all the other parts as well.  You will use a Mask in a later step to just apply the color correction to Just the Face Only.).  Adjusting the red channel only... produces a warmer reddish face... but we actually want an orange like face color...so we will next add some yellow.

Now: Change the Red Channel to the Blue Channel.  On the Blue Channel take the topmost right point and drag it 1/8 of an inch down along the right side.  This will add yellow to the image and make your red skin become an orange color.  You now have a very warm/orange skin tone.  If you want to make it more brownish...you can do two things:  Go to the Green Channel and take the topmost right point and drag it ever so slightly down the right side.  Your skin will now look tanned or a bit more copperish.  Second thing you can do to make the skin color darker is to go back to the RGB channel in that same curve... and pull down the center point just a little.  This will make the tanned looking skin turn into a darker or more copper or brown tone.  All of these sliders and adjustments are always live...so go back and forth and adjust any channel you like till you get the color / tone you like the best as an artist.  There is no quality or time penalty in changing the colors in an adjustment layer...so go back if you like and make artistic changes...especially in the red layer.

One more thing.  Blending Modes can very drastically alter the way this color blends with your underlying image!!   Try some different blending modes on this same layer...Darken, Multiply, Soft Light etc for example.  They can create quite the different LOOK in a good way!  Also: dont forget the opacity slider on this same layer as well.  The opacity slider can reduce the intensity of the effect you have created by a large amount.  Maybe what you have seen so far is too intense for your image...well...bring down the opacity of the effect till you like it better as an artist! 

Also be aware... that NOT every skin tone can be easily made into great copper skin tones easily.  Some light skin tones are too bright or light for the copper look.  You would have to shoot the image at 1 to 2 f stops down on your model on location to really get this brownish look!  (Notice: a lot of Dark Copper models are actually under exposed as well as also being actually tanned too...check it out).   The tonality and luminousity of the models skin needs to be "Dark" to get the best brown or copper looks!   Fair haired, light skinned, models dont look copper even in real life...lobster red maybe...but its those darker skinned, tanned models, that are under exposed sometimes... that really take on the dark tans and copper looks real well.  They also use a lot of  "CopperTone"  tanning lotion as well.  LOL.

3. Use a Layer Mask for Visual Artistry.   This very same curve adjustment layer also has a built in white mask on it!!!  This mask will allow you to artistically and creatively paint on the color effect you just created.  Just hit Control or Command I to invert the white mask to a black mask.  When the mask turns black... it hides all of the color changes that we just made.  Now:  Paint with a soft, 4% opacity, white brush on the face area.  You will begin to see the skin coloration change without getting any brush marks.  The more you paint the darker the color correction will become.  This is the perfect way to paint where ever you want, however intense you want, anywhere in the image!!  Total creative and artistic control.  Paint with a Black Brush to reduce the effect you just painted... or totally erase areas ... or partially tone down areas that were too strong originally.

4. Reduce the Color Saturation: You also mentioned that you wish the color saturation was a bit lower so its almost not there.  You can  do this with a HSL Adjustment Layer.  Go to the Layers Pallet, Click on the 1/2 moon icon on the bottom, choose Hue / Saturation / Luminance.  Drag down the Saturation Slider... and you will see your flesh tones become less and less strong!  Adjust this slider till you get the desaturated look that you like the best.  You can also use the opacity slider to adjust the strength as well.  You can use a mask and selectively paint in specific areas of low saturation...while leaving other areas of your image at full strength.  This allows you great artistic control.

Good Luck.