The Hidden Power of Adjustment Layers in Adobe® Photoshop

67 Pages·2013·5.69 MB·English

by  Scott Valentine

Final spine = 0.4518 in.
the hidden Power oF
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in adobe® PhotoShoP®
Scott Valentine
Foreword by bert Monroy
artiSt, author, teacher
the hidden Power of
Adjustment LAyers
in adobe® PhotoShoP ®
Scott Valentine
the hidden Power of adjuStment layerS in adobe® PhotoShoP®
Scott Valentine
Adobe Press books are published by Peachpit, a division of Pearson Education.
For the latest on Adobe Press books, go to www.adobepress.com.
To report errors, please send a note to [email protected].
Copyright © 2014 by Scott Valentine
Adobe Press Editor: Victor Gavenda
Project Editor: Nancy Peterson
Development Editor: Bob Lindstrom
Technical Editor: Rocky Berlier
Copyeditor: Darren Meiss
Production Editor: Rebecca Winter
Compositor: Danielle Foster
Cover and Interior Designer: Mimi Heft
notice of rightS
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without
the prior written permission of the publisher. For information on getting permission for
reprints and excerpts, contact [email protected].
notice of liability
The information in this book is distributed on an ”As Is” basis, without warranty. While
every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the author nor the
publisher shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or dam-
age caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in
this book or by the computer software and hardware products described in it.
trademarkS
Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the
United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products
are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Peachpit
was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of
the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout this book are
used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of
infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to
convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.
Printed and bound in the United States of America
ISBN 13: 978-0-321-95771-9
ISBN 10: 0-321-95771-7
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Dedicated to Carla & Austin: Life is a constant adjustment.
Thanks for helping make it nondestructive.
Thanks GuesT auThors
This is where you would expect to see my These are the honored guests of this book
expression of undying gratitude for the many (listed in order of appearance), all of them
people who helped craft this book. Indeed, professionals and luminaries in the Photoshop
I did not accomplish this task alone at any arena. Each has taken time to share wisdom and
step—from the many years of learning about experience. I am humbled by and grateful for
Photoshop, through the months of technical their efforts.
and mechanical effort of actually getting to
Alan Hess alanhessphotography.com
print. Lots of people deserve credit for placing
Katrin Eismann katrineismann.com
this book in your hands.
Seán Duggan seanduggan.com
While I have included some names here, I have
chosen to more fully offer my thanks and appre- Mark Heaps markheaps.com
ciation with a mix of private correspondence and
Glyn Dewis glyndewis.com
on my website (www.scoxel.com/hpoal). This
page is devoted to the unsung heroes behind Colin Smith photoshopcafe.com
The Hidden Power of Adjustment Layers: Patrick LaMontagne cartoonink.com
Carla and Austin, to whom this book is Janet Stoppee m2media.com
dedicated. I love you with all my heart.
Pete Collins petecollins.com
Nancy, Bob, Mimi, Danielle, Becky, Darren, and
Howard Pinsky iceflowstudios.com
Jack—The Peachpit project team who conspire
to turn everything they touch into gold. Corey Barker coreysbarker.com
Rocky—The first true Photoshop guru I Rocky Berlier concierge-publishing.com
ever knew, and one of my oldest friends and Weston Maggio wacom.com
mentors in the pixel world.
Mark—Crazy schemer, sympathetic ear, artist,
friend
Zorana, Daniel, and Jeff—What could be better
than a team that encourages you to break
Photoshop so they can improve it?
Pamela, Wes, and Joe—The talented and
amazing Wacom crew
Finally, thanks to the entire Photoshop
community for being mighty. We are all in this
together, and I am continually in awe of the
things we share and accomplish.
-scoTT
iv
Table of conTenTs
Foreword .............................................. viii
ParT I adjusTmenT layer basIcs 1
chaPTer 1
InTroducTIon 3
What’s in This Book? ...................................... 4
Who Is This Book For? ..................................... 6
What Are Adjustment Layers? .............................. 7
Anything Else I Need to Know? ............................ 10
chaPTer 2
General TechnIques 13
Adding Adjustment Layers................................ 15
Workflow ............................................... 23
Conclusion.............................................. 32
Table of ConTenTs v
ParT II creaTIve TechnIques 35
chaPTer 3
PhoToGraPhy 37
Color Correction Curves .................................. 39
Basics—Channel Mixer ................................... 43
Color Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Basics—Brightness & Contrast ............................. 51
Luminosity Selection ..................................... 55
Basics—Vibrance......................................... 59
Haze Removal with Lab Color ............................. 63
Basic Adjustment Stack ................................... 67
B&W for Color........................................... 71
Graduated ND Filter ..................................... 75
Sepiaesque.............................................. 79
chaPTer 4
effecTs and comPosITInG 83
Vintage Photo Print....................................... 85
Graphic Novel........................................... 91
Gradient Fill Vignette..................................... 95
Blending into a Scene..................................... 99
Tweaking Masks and Channels............................ 103
Day into Night.......................................... 109
Stamped Portrait........................................ 113
Soft Glow (Orton Effect) ................................. 117
Painting with Adjustment Layers.......................... 121
Texture Blending........................................ 127
chaPTer 5
IllusTraTIon and desIGn 131
Experimenting with Patterns from Adjustments............. 133
Controlling Conversion to B&W .......................... 141
Water Colors and Pastels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Topography Map........................................ 151
Illustrated Texture....................................... 159
Web UI Color Variations ................................. 163
Adjustment Layers for 3D ................................ 169
vi Table of ConTenTs
ParT III advanced TechnIques 177
chaPTer 6
channels, color sPace, and bIT dePTh 179
Color Space ............................................ 180
Channels............................................... 182
Bit Depth .............................................. 183
chaPTer 7
hIsToGrams and curves 185
Histograms............................................. 186
Curves................................................. 188
chaPTer 8
GradIenT maP adjusTmenT layers 191
Zones.................................................. 193
A conversion quick start.................................. 195
Divide and Conquer..................................... 196
Contrast Control and HDR ............................... 200
The Technique .......................................... 203
ParT Iv aPPendIxes 205
aPPendIx a
onlIne resources 207
aPPendIx b
aPPlyInG adjusTmenTs wITh a
wacom TableT 211
aPPendIx c
adusTmenT layers reference 221
Index.................................................. 254
Table of ConTenTs vii
foreword
Photoshop has become the main tool used by most professionals
who need visuals of any kind. It is the digital darkroom of
the photographer. It is the canvas of the painter. It is the data
visualization of the scientist. It has become such an everyday tool
that its very name has become a verb.
The fact that you are reading this says that you are ready to take
your work to the next level. You are beyond the “I just want to fix
the red eye” stage. You are ready to master this powerful tool in
order to turn your work into a masterpiece!
But, when you launch Photoshop you are confronted by a
myriad of tools, menu items, and panels that can, at times, be
overwhelming. Some of those features are particularly difficult
to understand. Take for example the subject of this book—
adjustment layers. What are these things? Do I need them? What
good are they?
This is what this book will answer. I can hear you now—
“Aw man! I could have used this last month!”
When I co-wrote the first book on Photoshop, it was the only book
for almost two years. Today, the Photoshop section in a bookstore
can rival the cooking section for the quantity of books available.
How do you choose? If I may, I would like to give you some
reasons why this particular book stands out from the rest.
viii Foreword
Scott Valentine has spent many years tinkering with the features
within Photoshop. He has always been determined to fully master
this powerful tool. In the end, everything he has learned he passes
on to you in a way that is easy to grasp. Curves, for instance,
can be so confusing! Scott’s approach gives you a thorough
breakdown of how they work and what they do. He goes beyond
the basic explanation, giving you a better understanding of the
many situations in which they can be applied.
He is not only a master of Photoshop; he is, more importantly, a
great teacher. You might think, “Authors with similar credentials
write many of the books, so what makes this book better?” Scott
has added tremendous value to this wonderful book by bringing
in other masters who are also great teachers. I personally know
and have sat in on sessions presented by most of the contributors
to this book. Believe me, this is a collection of heavy-hitters! They
not only push the boundaries of Photoshop, they possess an
uncanny ability to guide and inspire others to do the same.
This is a book you will find yourself referring to many times over.
It is an investment that will pay for itself every time you launch
Photoshop. But enough of me telling you how good this book is.
Launch Photoshop, dig into the book, and get to work. You are
embarking on a journey into a wondrous new world. Have fun!
berT monroy
Foreword ix