ptg 212 Chapter 13 Next, we’ll show you several ways to strip color from a layer without changing the document color mode. Our favorite way (described here), is to use a Black & White adjustment layer because it enables us to control how the individual R, G, B and C, M, Y color channels are converted to grayscale values. To convert a layer to grayscale via a Black & White adjustment: 1. In an RGB image, click a layer or the Background. A 2. On the Adjustments panel, click the Black & White button. e Black & White controls appear on the panel. 3. Do any of the following: Click Auto to have the program choose the set- tings for you ( A , next page) or choose a preset from the Preset menu. You can customize the settings, as described in the remaining steps. Adjust the sliders to control how each color is converted to a particular gray level. A lower value produces a darker gray equivalent for a color; a higher value produces a lighter gray equivalent. Click the Targeted Adjustment tool on the panel, then drag horizontally over an area in the image to lighten or darken it. e slider corresponding to the predominant color in that area will shift accordingly. 4. To further adjust the grayscale conversion, move the sliders, starting with Reds, Yellows, Cyans, or Blues. For example, you could try using the Yellows slider to lighten or darken a portrait or to correct a landscape image that contains a lot of green ( B–C , next page). 5. Optional: To apply a tint to the whole image, check Tint, click the color swatch, choose a color from the Color Picker, then click OK. 6. Optional: To restore some original color to the whole layer uniformly, lower the opacity of the adjustment layer. Or to restore color to select areas, click the adjustment layer mask thumb- nail, choose black as the Foreground color, then with the Brush tool, apply strokes to the image (for a subtle eect, lower the tool opacity rst). A In this image, the color dierences between the skin tones and water naturally help us to distinguish between them. Converting layers to grayscale via a Black & White adjustment ptg Adjustments in Depth 213 A To produce this grayscale version of the image, we chose the Auto setting for a Black & White adjustment layer. We think the contrast between the gure and background needs improvement. C Now that the contrast between the gure and background has been improved, the gure stands out better. AUTO-SELECTING THE TARGETED ADJUSTMENT TOOL ★ To have the Targeted Adjustment tool become selected automatically on the Adjustments panel when you create a Curves, Hue/Saturation, or Black & White adjustment layer, display the controls for one of those adjustment types, then choose Auto-Select Targeted Adjustment Tool from the panel menu. ORCHESTRATING A SCENE In our environment, as in fi ne art and photogra- phy, colors help to defi ne spatial and shape rela- tionships and draw our attention to specifi c parts of a scene. When converting an image to gray- scale, think about how you want to reinterpret the composition. To orchestrate visual movement with lights and darks instead of color, choose gray levels based on which areas you want to draw the viewer’s attention to. For example, say a bright red shape is located in the center of the original composition. Using the Black & White controls, you could lighten or darken that shape to make it stand out from the surrounding grays. B To improve the contrast, we reduced the Cyans and Blues values to darken the water, and increased the Yellows value to lighten the woman’s neck and cheek. ptg 214 Chapter 13 Applying a Vibrance adjustment Using a Vibrance adjustment layer, you can either strip the color completely from a layer or desaturate a layer partially and then adjust the Vibrance to control the color intensity. To desaturate a layer using a Vibrance adjustment: 1. Click a layer or the Background in an RGB image. A 2. On the Adjustments panel, click the Vibrance button. 3. Do either of the following: For a simple, full desaturation, reduce the Saturation to its lowest value (to–100). To adjust the color vibrance as you desaturate the layer, reduce the Saturation to between –60 and –80, then to control the color intensity in the now almost grayscale layer, increase or reduce the Vibrance value. B–D e Vibrance option boosts the intensity of the least saturated colors the most. A i s i s t h e o r i g i n a l i m a g e . B To desaturate the color partially, we lowered the Saturation value for the Vibrance adjustment layer to –60 and set the Vibrance to –50. C i s i s t h e i m a g e a f t e r w e a p p l i e d t h e V i b r a n c e adjustment layer settings shown in the preceding gure. D Here the image has the same Saturation value of –60 but a higher Vibrance value of +100. ptg Adjustments in Depth 215 To desaturate a color layer and restore color selectively using Vibrance: 1. Click a layer or the Background in an RGB image. 2. On the Adjustments panel, click the Vibrance button. 3. Click the mask thumbnail on the adjustment layer. 4. Reduce the Saturation all the way to –100. A 5. Choose the Brush tool, and on the Options bar, choose a Soft Round brush, Normal mode, and an Opacity of 50% or less. Choose black as the Foreground color. 6. Adjust the brush diameter, then apply strokes where you want to restore the original colors. B–C You can change the brush opac- ity and diameter between strokes. To restore grayscale areas, press X and paint with white. C Now the color is visible only in the center of the image. A To strip the color from this image, we lowered the Saturation value for a Vibrance adjustment layer to –100. B We applied brush strokes to the adjustment layer mask to restore color to the salad, where we want to draw the viewer’s attention. ptg 216 Chapter 13 You can also use the Vibrance controls to adjust the saturation of a full color layer. To guard against over- saturation and clipping, the Vibrance slider boosts the intensity of less saturated colors more than that of highly saturated colors. For this reason, this slider is useful for reviving skin tones. e Saturation slider, on the other hand, applies the same change to all colors regardless of their original saturation levels. To adjust the vibrance of a color layer: 1. Click a layer or the Background in an RGB image. A 2. On the Adjustments panel, click the Vibrance button. 3. Do either of the following: Increase the Vibrance value, then reduce the Saturation value slightly. B Reduce the Vibrance value, then increase the Saturation value slightly. C A e c o l o r i n t h i s p o r t r a i t i s o v e r s a t u r a t e d . B For the Vibrance adjustment layer, we set the Saturation value to –25 and the Vibrance value to +40. Now the color and the contrast are less intense. C For a subtle variation, we set the Saturation value to +25 and the Vibrance value to –40. e colors are also less intense here, but the contrast is slightly stronger. . described in the remaining steps. Adjust the sliders to control how each color is converted to a particular gray level. A lower value produces a darker gray equivalent for a color; a higher value. photogra- phy, colors help to defi ne spatial and shape rela- tionships and draw our attention to specifi c parts of a scene. When converting an image to gray- scale, think about how you want to reinterpret. adjustment layer, you can either strip the color completely from a layer or desaturate a layer partially and then adjust the Vibrance to control the color intensity. To desaturate a layer using