ptg 194 Chapter 8 Photoshop gives you many choices when it comes time to add or mod- ify the colors of a document—paintbrushes, airbrushes, and drawing tools, just to name a few. Two little-used but powerful tools are the Stroke and Fill Commands. Both the Stroke and Fill commands work with selection tools. For example, you may want to create a unique stroke around an object, or fill a specific area of a document with a color or pattern. If that's the case, then the Stroke and Fill commands are the best and fastest ways to perform those operations. Using the Stroke and Fill Commands Create a Stroke Create a selection using any of Photoshop's selection tools, or really get fancy and make a selection from one of Photoshop's Shape drawing tools. TIMESAVER To further control the process, perform the stroke (or fill) operations within a new layer. Click the Edit menu, and then click Stroke. Enter a Width value (1 to 250) for the stroke. Click the Color box, and then select a color (the color box defaults to the foreground color). Select a location option (Inside, Center, or Outside) for the stroke of the selection marquee. Click the Mode list arrow, and then select a blending mode. Enter an Opacity percentage value (0% to 100%) for the stroke. Select the Preserve Transparency check box to protect any transparent image areas (if there are no transparent areas, this option is disabled). Click OK. 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 9 3 5 4 8 6 7 2 pixel stroke applied to the image. From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg Chapter 8 Understanding Colors and Channels 195 Create a Fill Create a selection using any of Photoshop's selection tools. Click the Edit menu, and then click Fill. Click the Use list arrow, and then select a fill option: ◆ Foreground Color, Background Color, Color, Content-Aware (New!), Pattern, History, Black, 50% Gray, or White. Click the Mode list arrow, and then select a blending mode. Enter an Opacity value (0% to 100%) for the stroke. Select the Preserve Transparency check box to protect any transparent image areas (if there are no transparent areas, this option is disabled). Click OK. 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 Fill applied to the image. 7 3 6 5 4 Did You Know? You can use the Fill command for more than filling an area with a solid color or unique pattern. For example, select- ing a sepia color, and changing the Fill Blending mode to Color, tints the selected area with sepia, creating an old-style, sepia-toned image. Experiment with the Fill blending modes to create unique image effects. See Also See “Using Content-Aware Fill” on page 100-101 for more information on using the Content-Aware option in the Fill dialog box. From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg 196 Chapter 8 When you work in the world of service bureaus and printing presses, there are certain things you must do to create an accurate printed doc- ument. The color mode of the image will be CMYK, and the output of the document will most likely be in a format designed to create color plates such as DCS 2.0 (Desktop Color Separations). In addition, you may want to apply a spot color to the image. Spot colors instruct a printer to apply a specific color to a specific portion of a document. For example, you may want to create a book cover jacket, and you want the author's name in a specific Pantone Blue, or you may want to apply a varnish to a portion of a brochure. Whatever the case, you will need to create a spot color channel. Creating Spot Color Channels Create a Spot Color Channel Open a document. If the document is not in the CMYK format, click the Image menu, point to Mode, and then click CMYK to convert it. Create a selection, defining the area for the spot color. Use any of Photoshop's selection tools, including the Type Mask tool. Select the Channels panel. Click the Channels Options button, and then click New Spot Channel. Click the Color box, and then select a color. If you need a specific press color, such as one from the Pantone Matching System, click the Color Libraries button in the Color Picker, select from the available color sets, and then click OK. The Name box displays the name of the selected color. Enter a Solidity value (0 %to 100%) to view the spot color at a specific opacity (Solidity does not affect press output). Click OK. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 76 8 5 4 3 Spot color From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg Chapter 8 Understanding Colors and Channels 197 The Auto Contrast command adjusts the tonality of the image without impacting color. The Auto Color command adjusts the tonality and color of the image by ignoring channels and looking directly at the composite image. The automatic color commands receive their adjustment cues from information within the active image, including any erroneous color information. For example, if the image contains a large border (typically white), the auto commands will factor that information into the correc- tion of the image. It's best to correct any dust or scratch problems and crop out any borders before applying the Auto Contrast and Auto Color commands. Using the Auto Contrast and Auto Color Commands Use the Auto Contrast Command Open an image. Click the Image menu, and then click Auto Contrast. IMPORTANT Use the Auto buttons (Levels, Contrast, Color) only if you do not understand how to manually control the image using powerful adjustments, such as Levels and Curves. Use the Auto Color Command Open an image. Click the Image menu, and then click Auto Color. 2 1 2 1 2 2 Did You Know? You can use a selection to define how the Auto Contrast and Auto Color commands work. If the image contains a border, and you don't want the Auto command using the border to influence the correction, simply select the Rectangular marquee and draw a border around the image. When the Auto command is applied, only the selected areas will be adjusted. From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg 198 Chapter 8 Through interactive feedback using a Histogram, the Levels adjustment gives you live information about the tonal values in the active image. It's an excellent tool to perform overall tonal adjustments and some color correction. Auto Tone command on the Image menu or Auto but- ton in the Levels dialog box is considered a quick-fix color adjustment which, in some cases, works just as well as manually correcting color. However, the average photo usually has more than one simple problem, so it's usually best to manually adjust an image. Since the Auto Tone command or Auto button relies solely on information contained within the actual image—information that is sometimes inaccurate—it's usu- ally best to correct the image manually or use a preset level. For exam- ple, you can use a preset level to make the midtones brighter or darker, or increase the contrast. Using Levels Adjustment Commands Adjust Levels Open an image. Click the Image menu, point to Adjustments, and then click Levels. To ad jus t levels automatically, click Auto. Continue with manual adjustments, or skip to Step 9. TIMESAVER Click the Image menu, and then click Auto Tone. To se lec t preset mix leve ls, click the Preset list arrow, and then select the preset you want. Click the Channel list arrow, and then select the composite channel. Drag the Input Levels sliders to adjust the brightness level. Drag the Output Levels sliders to adjust the level of ink sent to the output device (printer). To sa ve settings, click th e Preset Options button, click Save Preset, type a name, and then click Save. Click OK. 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 3 5 6 7 984 From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg Chapter 8 Understanding Colors and Channels 199 Photoshop's Exposure adjustment is primarily designed for performing tonal adjustments to 32-bit High Dynamic Range (HDR) images, but it works with 8-bit and 16-bit images as well. The Exposure adjustment changes an image using a linear color space (gamma 1.0), not the image's current color space. When used with HDR images, it gives you the ability to draw out details of the image that otherwise might be completely lost within the shadows and highlights. Using the Exposure Adjustment Use the Exposure Adjustment Click the Image menu, point to Adjustments, and then click Exposure. Click the Preset list arrow, and then select the preset you want, or select from the following options. ◆ Exposure. Adjusts the highlight end of the image's tonal scale with little effect in the extreme shadows. ◆ Offset. Darkens the shadows and midtones with little effect on the highlights. ◆ Gamma Correction. Adjusts the image gamma, using a simple power function. Similar to adjusting the midpoints in an image's brightness. Use the eyedroppers to adjust only the image's luminance values, not all the color channels, as you would with Levels or Curves. ◆ Black. Sets the Offset, shifting the point you click to pure black. ◆ White. Sets the Exposure, shifting the point you click to pure white. ◆ Midtone. Sets the Gamma, shifting the point you click to middle gray. Select the Preview check box to view changes to the active image. To sa ve settings, click th e Preset Options button, click Save Preset, type a name, and then click Save. Click OK. 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 42 3 5 Preset list arrow From the Library of Wow! eBook . Commands Create a Stroke Create a selection using any of Photoshop& apos;s selection tools, or really get fancy and make a selection from one of Photoshop& apos;s Shape drawing tools. TIMESAVER To. ptg 194 Chapter 8 Photoshop gives you many choices when it comes time to add or mod- ify the colors of a document—paintbrushes,. eBook ptg Chapter 8 Understanding Colors and Channels 195 Create a Fill Create a selection using any of Photoshop& apos;s selection tools. Click the Edit menu, and then click Fill. Click the Use list