Okay, so, “jay norvell black,” huh? Yeah, that’s… a thing I messed around with recently. Let me walk you through it.
First off, the context. I was trying to get a specific look for a website I’m building. You know, something that screams “modern” but also has a bit of that classic, almost gritty vibe. I kept seeing this contrast – super clean elements with a touch of darkness – and I wanted to nail it.
So, where did “jay norvell black” come in? Well, it wasn’t like I woke up and thought, “I’m gonna type that into Google.” Nah, I was actually looking at different color palettes online, bouncing around design blogs, the usual rabbit hole. I stumbled upon a forum thread where someone mentioned using a certain filter on an image to get a richer black tone. And they just threw out “jay norvell black” as a descriptor, like it was common knowledge. It wasn’t for me, lol.
I started digging. Turns out, “jay norvell black” isn’t some officially recognized color code or filter name. It’s more like a feel. It’s that deep, almost velvet-like black you see sometimes, with subtle hints of other colors in it – usually a little blue or purple. It’s not a flat #000000. That’s the key.
My experiment. I grabbed a few images and started messing around in Photoshop. First, I tried just darkening the images, but that just made them look muddy. Then, I started playing with color balance, adding a touch of blue and purple to the shadows. That got me closer, but it still wasn’t quite right.
The breakthrough. I finally realized that the “jay norvell black” effect wasn’t just about color. It was also about contrast. I needed to boost the highlights to make the blacks look even deeper. So, I used the Levels adjustment layer in Photoshop and really pushed the white point. That’s when things started to click.
Here’s what I did step by step:
- Opened the image in Photoshop.
- Added a Levels adjustment layer.
- Moved the black input slider slightly to the right to deepen the shadows.
- Moved the white input slider significantly to the left to brighten the highlights.
- Added a Color Balance adjustment layer.
- In the Shadows section, added a tiny bit of blue and purple.
- In the Midtones section, maybe a touch of yellow to warm things up slightly. (This is optional, depending on the image.)
- Played with the Opacity of the Color Balance layer to fine-tune the effect.
The result? I ended up with images that had this incredible depth and richness to them. The blacks were deep and velvety, and the highlights popped. It gave the whole website a much more sophisticated and modern feel.
Lessons learned? “jay norvell black” isn’t a magic bullet. It’s more of a concept. It’s about understanding how to use contrast and color to create a specific mood. And it’s about experimenting until you get it right. Don’t be afraid to play around with those adjustment layers!
Is it perfect? Probably not. But it’s a lot closer to what I was aiming for. And hey, that’s what this whole blogging thing is about, right? Sharing the journey, the successes, and even the kinda-sorta-successes.
