ptg 148 Chapter 7 Adjustment layers perform two functions—they adjust the image and they give you control. Since an adjustment is held in a separate layer, you have the advantage of isolating the adjustment and keeping your original image information intact. Combine that with an adjustment layer's ability to manipulate pixel information and you have a very pow- erful image-editing tool. Blending Modes change how two or more layers interact. For example, the Multiply blending mode instructs Photoshop to mix the pixels of two or more layers, thus creating an entirely new image from the mix. With that in mind, the five modes that produce the most stunning results are Multiply, Screen, Hard Mix, Difference, and Exclusion. The opacity of an adjustment layer controls the intensity of the selected adjustment. You can reduce the opacity of the Hue & Saturation adjustment to 50% and it would reduce its effect on the image. Since each adjustment layer has its own opacity settings, multiple adjustment layers can be fine-tuned to create a custom effect on the image. Using Blending Modes and Opacity with Layers Use Blending Modes with Adjustment Layers Select the Layers panel. Click the layer you want to adjust. Click the Blending Mode list arrow, and then select from the available options. The results of the blend are visible in the document window. 3 2 1 1 2 3 Blending Mode change applied to image From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg Chapter 7 Working with Adjustment Layers, Filters, and Tools 149 Control Through Opacity Select the Layers panel. Select the layers you want to adjust. You can apply opacity to one or more (New!) selected layers in the Layers panel. Click the Opacity list arrow, and then drag the slider to lower the opacity of the layer. The results of the change appear in the document window. TIMESAVER Click inside the Opacity box, and then use the Up and Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease the opacity 1 percentage point at a time. Hold the Shift key, and then use the Up and Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease the opacity 10 percentage points at a time. You can also select the percentage in the box and enter a value. 3 2 1 1 2 3 The effect of lowering the opacity of the layer by 50% mutes the adjustment layer. From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg 150 Chapter 7 When you create an adjustment layer, the effects of the adjustment are applied to the entire image. For example, if you use the Curves adjust- ment, the resulting changes are applied to the entire image. It's true you can modify the adjustment with the use of layer blending modes and opacity settings but the effects are applied equally to the entire image. The problem is that many times you don't want the adjustment applied to the entire image. For example, you may want to color-correct just a portion of the image, or lighten the shadows of an image without applying the same lightening adjustment to the highlights. Photoshop handles this problem with the use of masks. When you create an adjustment layer, Photoshop automatically creates a mask with the image. The mask controls how the adjustment is applied to the image, and you control the effect by painting in the mask with black, white, or a shade of gray. When you paint in the mask with black, it will totally mask the adjustment; painting with white fully applies the adjustment. If you paint with 50% gray, then the adjustment is applied to the image at 50% strength. Using Masks with Adjustment Layers Paint on an Adjustment Mask Select the Layers panel. Click the layer mask thumbnail in which you want to paint a mask. Select a Paintbrush tool. Select a brush size on the Options bar. Select the Masks panel to display details about both pixel and vector masks and select from options to change the opacity (density) of the mask, as well as feather options. You can also access the Color Range command from here and invert the mask. Set the Foreground Color box on the toolbox to black as the paint color. Paint the areas of the image that you want to mask. The adjustment layer must be selected. The areas painted black mask the adjustment, returning the image to normal. To re st ore the maske d areas, switch to white and drag across the image in the areas previously painted black. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 2 7 5 From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg Chapter 7 Working with Adjustment Layers, Filters, and Tools 151 You can create an instant mask using traditional selection techniques. Before creating the adjustment layer, select the area of the image to which you want the adjustment applied. Use any of Photoshop's selec- tion tools for this purpose. When you create the adjustment layer, Photoshop converts the selection into a mask, and only the selected areas of the image are changed. Creating Masks with Selections Create Masks with Selections Use any of Photoshop's selection tools to create a selection around the area of the image to which you want the adjustment applied. Select the Layers panel. Click the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer button, and then select from the available adjustments or use the new Adjustments panel to choose one of the adjustment icons. Photoshop creates a mask based on your selection with the selected areas being adjusted and the non-selected areas masked. 3 2 1 1 3 2 Did You Know? You can use any of Photoshop's filters on an adjustment layer mask. For example, you could use the Gaussian Blur filter to soften the edge between adjustment and mask. Experiment with different filters for different creative effects. From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg 152 Chapter 7 The Add Noise filter applies random pixels to an image. When you want to simulate a film grain effect, you can apply the Add Noise filter. For example, you could use the Add Noise filter to make an image look like it was taken using high-speed film. In addition, the Add Noise filter can be used to reduce banding in feathered selections or graduated fills or even give a more realistic look to heavily retouched areas. Experiment with the Add Noise filter in combination with other filters, such as Motion Blur filters, to create eye-catching special effects. Using the Add Noise Filter Use the Add Noise Filter Select the Layers panel. Select the layer to which you want to apply the Add Noise filter. Click the Filter menu, point to Noise, and then click Add Noise. Select from the following options: ◆ Amount. Drag the slider, or enter a value (0.10 to 400) to increase or decrease the amount of noise added to the image. ◆ Distribution. Click the Uniform option to create a more ordered appearance, or click the Gaussian option to create a more random noise pattern. ◆ Monochromatic. Select this check box to apply the filter to the tonal elements in the image without changing the colors. TIMESAVER The plus and minus signs, located directly under the image preview, let you increase or decrease the viewable area of the image. Click OK. 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 Using Filters to Retouch an Image One of Photoshop's most powerful features is its ability to recreate a photographic image. Photographers use the term photographic restoration to describe image retouching. Photo restoration describes the process of returning an image to its original state. For example, you could remove dust and scratches from an old image using the Dust and Scratches filter, or repair other problems associ- ated with old or damaged images using Photoshop filters. Since the same tools and filters can be used to restore an image as you have been using to apply effects to your images, you can experiment with various filters to find out which ones will help you with your image restoration. For Your Information From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg Chapter 7 Working with Adjustment Layers, Filters, and Tools 153 The Reduce Noise filter helps to remove the random noise that crops up in digital images. It's called noise, but in reality it is a pattern of dis- tracting color or grayscale information on top of the original image information. Noise can be generated by the Add Noise filter, but it typi- cally comes from scanners and even digital cameras. Since there is a mathematical pattern to most noise, the Reduce Noise filter is designed to seek out and reduce the amount of noise in an image. The Reduce Noise filter works on individual layers, not the entire document. After applying the filter, you can use other restoration tools, such as the Healing Brush and Patch tool, to further clean up problem areas in your image. Using the Reduce Noise Filter Use the Reduce Noise Filter Click the Filter menu, point to Noise, and then click Reduce Noise. Select the Preview check box to view the changes to the image. Select the Basic or Advanced option. Advanced allows you to adjust the noise on individual channels. Select from the following options: ◆ Settings. Click the setting arrow and select a user-defined preset. ◆ Strength. Drag the slider to determine how strong to apply the Reduce Noise filter. ◆ Preserve Details. Drag the slider to determine a balance between blurring the noise and preserving details. ◆ Reduce Color Noise. Drag the slider to convert noise composed of colors into shades of gray (this may desaturate other areas of the image). ◆ Sharpen Details. Drag the slider to determine where the details of the image exist, in terms of shifts in brightness. ◆ Remove JPEG Artifact. Check to help remove artifacts (typically noise within shadows) from severely compressed JPEG images. Click OK. 5 4 3 2 1 5 3 4 Noise filter applied to the image From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg 154 Chapter 7 Vanishing Point gives you the ability to move and/or copy objects and still maintain the same visual perspective of the original. Let's say that you shoot an image of a roadway disappearing into the distance, and along the road there's a billboard. You want the billboard to appear as if it's farther away, but to retain its proper perspective within the image. With Vanishing Point, you simply create a framework, or plane, that identifies the depth of the image, and then move the billboard (using the Move or Clone Stamp tools). Wherever you move the sign, it will appear within the proper perspective. If you have Photoshop Extended, you can adjust the angle of the plane for greater flexibility or take measure- ments. When you finish working in Vanishing Point, you can use the Vanishing Point menu to render grids to Photoshop. With Photoshop Extended, you can also export 3D information and measurements to DXF or 3DS formats. Keeping Proper Perspective with Vanishing Point Use the Vanishing Point Tool Open an image. Click the Filter menu, and then click Vanishing Point. The following tools are available: ◆ Edit Plane. Adjusts the grid to match the perspective of the image. ◆ Create Plane. First tool to use; it creates the initial perspective grid plane. ◆ Marquee Tool. Makes selections in the grid and then changes their perspective as you move them to match the perspective of the grid. ◆ Stamp Tool. Lets you make copies of areas and then stamp them onto other areas using the perspective of the grid. ◆ Brush Tool. Lets you paint with color within the grid. If you click the Heal button and then click Luminance, Vanishing Point adapts the color to the shadows or textures of the areas being painted. ◆ Transform Tool. Lets you rotate, resize or flip a selection created with the Marquee tool. ◆ Eyedropper Tool. Click to select a specific color from the image. 3 2 1 Edit Plane Marquee Brush Eyedropper Hand Create Plane Stamp Transform Measure 1 Zoom Vanishing Point menu 11 From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg Chapter 7 Working with Adjustment Layers, Filters, and Tools 155 ◆ Measure Tool. Lets you draw a measurement line over an object in a perspective plane (Extended). ◆ Hand Tool. Click to move the image within the Vanishing Point window. ◆ Zoom Tool. Click to Zoom in, or Alt+click (Win) or Option+click (Mac) to zoom out. Select the Create Plane tool. Click on the image to create the first point of the grid, and then click three more times to create the box shape of the grid. ◆ Angle. Lets you adjust the plane angle (Extended). Use the Edit Plane tool to change the perspective of the plane, and to extend the plane over the area you want fixed. The grid should be blue; however, if the grid turns red or yellow, that means Vanishing Point believes you have a bad grid. Select the Zoom tool, and zoom in on the working areas of the image. Select the Stamp tool. Position the Stamp tool directly over the image area you want to use to fix the offending portions of the image, and then Alt+click (Win) or Option+click (Mac) to confirm the selection. Move to the area you want to fix and then click and drag with the Stamp tool, which replaces the original information; the perspec- tive changes to match the grid. To sh ow the grid in Photosh op, click the Vanishing Point menu, and then click Render Grids To Photoshop. Click OK. 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 5 6 9 10 7 Edit Plane 8 4 From the Library of Wow! eBook . the same lightening adjustment to the highlights. Photoshop handles this problem with the use of masks. When you create an adjustment layer, Photoshop automatically creates a mask with the image which you want the adjustment applied. Use any of Photoshop& apos;s selec- tion tools for this purpose. When you create the adjustment layer, Photoshop converts the selection into a mask, and. adjustment icons. Photoshop creates a mask based on your selection with the selected areas being adjusted and the non-selected areas masked. 3 2 1 1 3 2 Did You Know? You can use any of Photoshop& apos;s