Week #5 ~ Section ♴
🌚Color Correction and other Enhancement Tools in PS 🌝
Adjustment Layer
you can find a variety of tools and functions under the adjustment layer panel in PS. An adjustment layer is a transparent layer that you create and by making changes in it you will apply changes to the color or tone of all the layers underneath it. The benefit of applying changes with the Adjustment Layer is to you can remove or edit changes later during the enhancement process.
Or you can go to the Adjustment Panel and choose the option you want and click on it! Either way will create an Adjustment layer in your Layer Panel! In this case, it will apply changes to the color or tone of all the layers underneath it.
To only affect the layer directly underneath it (and ignore the other underlying layers): Move your pointer on the line between the adjustment layer and the layer directly beneath it, and hold down Alt/Option. You will see a symbol appear. Click to limit the adjustment (clip to layer). Do the same thing again to toggle this option off.
Some available options in the Adjustment Layer Panel:
Solid/Gradient Layer
Pattern is an image that is repeated, or tiled, when you use it to fill a layer or selection. Photoshop has various preset patterns or you can define your own pattern!
Brightness/Contrast makes adjustments to the tonal range of your image. The brightness affects the highlights in your image and the Contrast is for adjusting the shadows.
Levels allow you to adjust the black, white, and intermediate gray points of your image to do a variety of editing tasks, including adjusting contrast and exposure.
Color Balance changes the mixture of colors in an image. Color balance can be used to correct color imperfections in your image or make a dramatic look by increasing/decreasing the amount of a specific color!
Hue/Saturation lets you adjust the hue, saturation, and lightness of your entire image or in a specific range of colors in your image.
Layer Mask
Layer mask Controls the visibility of a layer. Layer Mask allows you to paint on the mask to show and reveal portions of the image. After you click on the icon in the Layer Panel, a white layer mask thumbnail appears on the selected layer, revealing everything on the selected layer. if it is fully white it means you still haven't defined your selection and the area of the image you want! in this case, it will apply to the whole selected layer!
if you want to work on a specific area here are the steps:
Make a selection: in the Layer Panel, choose the layer you want to make a selection on it! Then make your selection with your choice of selection tool!
Create mask: Create or choose the layer you want to apply a mask on! (in this image you will see I created a new layer 1 and selected it!)
Click on the Mask icon and create the mask! (you see the mask only applied on the area that I selected from the Layer 0 )
Tip:
When you work with the Layer Mask, you should remember this rule: Black conceals (removes parts) and White reveals (bring back the removed part). You can use the Brush Tool with the Layer Mask and experiment with this rule!
In this example, I selected an area from Layer 0, then I created a solid purple layer with a mask from my selection! You see when I choose a Black color brush, it acts as an eraser on the mask! Remember you should click on the Mask and select it in order to affect the mask!
Transform
The Transform menu gives you the option to scale, shrink, enlarge, skew, distort, rotate, or change the perspective of a layer, selection, or shape. You can have access to Transform from the Edit menu. The shortcut for Free Transform is Command/Ctrl + "T".
Last updated
