Tip #2754 - Adjusting Layers
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Adjusting
Layers
Every Photoshop user
at some point or the other needs to adjust the properties of their images.
Properties like color balance, levels, hue/saturation or something as
simple as brightness and contrast. Usually, we all would apply the change
on the image or the specific layer itself, which is a very easy way to
do it. However, sometimes we need to revert back to the original image,
which can cause problems, especially if you have done a lot of other arrangements
to the image in the meantime. Sound familiar? That’s why today,
we are going to talk about how to apply the changes and still be able
to revert to the original image. Makes sense? In other words, if you want
the world to appear all rosy , isn’t it better to wear pink glasses
instead of going around and painting everything pink? If you're still
confused, just follow along with me!
We are going to use
the picture given below to follow some of the examples.
First off, with the adjustment layer feature, there are a total of 12
adjustments you can make to any image.
You can create a new adjustment layer by clicking on the adjustment layer
icon in the layers palette or you can go to the Layer,
New Adjustment Layer menu. Once the menu pops up, you
can select any of the 12 options to create the specific adjustment layer.
The adjustment layer appears above the image layer and its effect can
be turned on or off by clicking once on the “eye”
icon towards its left on the layers palette. To remove the layer, simply
delete it. To alter any properties of the adjustment layer , simply double
click once on the adjustment layer thumbnail (that’s the small circle
with half black, half white) to open the specific dialogue box, which
lets you tweak the settings.
An adjustment layer affects only the layers below it and has no effect
whatsoever on the ones above it. If you are working with only a few layers,
it’s a good idea to position the layers in such a way that the adjustment
layer is above the layer which is to be affected by it. Keep everything
else above the adjustment layer. However, a problem may arise when you
are working with multiple layers, but don't worry, there’s a solution
for that too. The effect of an adjustment layer can be limited to only
one layer by creating a clipping group. Before doing this, you must ensure
that the adjustment layer is above the layer to be affected. Press Ctrl
+ Alt + G on the keyboard. Make sure that your mouse pointer
is over the border between the adjustment layer and the “to be affected”
layer and left click once.
Now, in the case above, the adjustment layer will only affect the Layer
1. Anything we put on Layer 2 will appear in its original form. There’s
also another way in which you can limit the effect of the adjustment layer
on the layer below it. This is accomplished by painting on the layer mask.
To do this, click the layer mask thumbnail on the adjustment layer.
Once you do that, you will notice that the colors in the color palette
have switched to black and white. It’s rather simple. Take the paintbrush
and paint black color on the parts of the image where you want the original
form of the image to remain as it is. Paint white over the part that you
want the adjustment layer to affect. Don’t be scared to paint over
it, as this image mask is editable at any given point. For example, in
the picture below, I used the channel mixer adjustment layer to turn my
image to black and white from colored. Then later, I painted with black
paint on the layer mask to turn one of the sails of the boat back to its
original color. So, the left sail is unaffected by the adjustment layer,
while the rest of the image is under its spell.
Similarly, you can lessen the effect of the adjustment layer on the image
as a whole by simply playing around with its opacity settings. This works
just like it does on any other regular layer. If you want to have a bit
of fun, you can play around with the blending mode for the adjustment
layer.
Now, we have figured out how to create the adjustment layer and how to
work around it. The final step is to learn the 12 different options that
can be used with the adjustment layer. Some of them are self explanatory,
but I will shed a little light on the others right now.
The levels
and the curves sub options perform almost the same function.
Both of them let you adjust the tonal range of the image. The difference
is that the curves option lets you do so in a detailed manner. As any
professional photographer will tell you, this function has been a life
saver for many, time and time again. The best thing to do is play around
with it. Select all the different channels (i.e. red, green and blue)
and play around with the settings to see how it impacts the overall image.
Color balance
is probably the easiest one to master. It lets you mix the combination
of colors present in your image. You can specify how much of these different
colors go into shadows, midtones and highlights. It works exactly as it
looks. Try different color mixes on an image to see instant results.
This is what I got after playing around with the color balance setting:
The hue/saturation option lets you adjust how much color
is present in the image. Reduce saturation to get rid of the color from
the image and increase saturation to make it appear just "like a
hippies van right out of the 60s!" The lightness option in the same
dialogue box lets you decide how bright or dull you want the image to
be.
The channel
mixer seems pretty similar to the other effects in the list in
many ways. However, one way in which it distinguishes itself from the
rest is in the creation of black and white images from colored. In the
channel mixer dialogue box, there’s an option which says monochrome.
Checking that little box converts your image to black and white. Further
on, you can tweak the color settings to create different effects.
The gradient map should be used when you intend to do
something artistic with the image. As is the job of a gradient, this function
overlays the image with the colors of the gradient. Give it a shot, it
can give pretty groovy results sometimes!
The photo
filter does to the image what using a filter does to a camera.
If you want to make the image appear rosy, just apply the photo filter
and choose a rosy color to go along with it.
The invert
option reverses the colors present in the image. There are no
settings to go along with it. It is either applied or not applied. If
you want to get the film negative effect on an image, you should use this
filter after converting the image to black and white.
The threshold
effect lets you convert any image to black and white. You can use the
settings to determine how much of the image is black and how much of it
is white. This is a pretty self explanatory function.
The last one in the
list is posterize. This function lets you flatten the
image colors. There’s only one setting for this, which is the tonal
level. In plain simple words, lower the setting value and fewer colors
will appear in the image.
Now, also remember
that you can use more than one adjustment layer for any particular image.
You can have a color balance layered on top of a photo filter and top
it all off with a hue/saturation layer. As I have said earlier too, the
best way to learn about all these options is to play around with them.
No matter which one of these sub options you use to improve your image,
the basic functionality with respect to the working of the adjustment
layer remains the same.
Phew! That was a long
one, wasn’t it?! Some of this might seem confusing at first, because
you won’t use all the effects at all times. To sum it up, use adjustment
layers when you want to tweak the image without affecting the original
picture. This is the best way to enhance your images! Go give this a spin!
~ Yogesh Bakshi
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