Photoshop Basics

1. Photoshop Basics Marty Kesselman Oct 20, 2009

2. Photoshop Basics Marty Kesselman October 20, 2009

3. What will be covered by this talk? • I will discuss layers • I will take you through a beginning-to-end picture enhancement session : • Navigator • Healing brush • Dodge & burn using blending modes • Curves • Composite layers • Cloning • Exposure • Copying a layer • Levels • Selections • Masks • Dust & spot removal

4. Why use layers? • Allows you to concentrate on one aspect of the entire image at a time • Can control all aspects of the image that appears on each layer – separately • Can remove layers to see affects with and without a layer

5. How do you get layers? • Photoshop will automatically create layers for you • Puts original image on a “background layer” • Adds a layer for any “adjustment layer” operation • Adds a layer for “text” • Adds a layer if you drag an image into another image

6. How do you get layers? • You can create your own layers manually • Layer>new>layer • Click “new layer icon” in the layers palette • Copy a layer: • Ctl+j • layer>new>layer via copy • Copy / Paste • Copy a selection: ctl+j • Create a composite layer - Hold “alt+layer>merge visible”

7. Are there different types of layers? • Pixel carrying layers • Contain image information • Instruction carrying layers • Contain only instructions – no image information • Text layers – technically do not contain pixels ; they contain vectors • Contain mathematical vectors that define the characters (making them editable and scalable)

8. What happens to all the work when you exit the program? • Always save your work as a PSD “photoshop data” file • This saves everything you have done so that you can pick-up where you left-off • Saving as a JPG will compress your layers to one layer and compress your image to reduce storage requirements. • Do not save as JPG unless you have previously saved as PSD • Saving as TIF will preserve layers

9. Saving JPGs – Causes Aberrations

10. Tip-Expose for Highlights • You will learn that you lose all information if highlights are saturated – “blown-out” • There is still much information in the shadows to extract • With a choice; choose to expose for highlights

11. Workflow-1 • Shoot RAW if you can • Provides more post processing flexibility • Expose photo in camera as best as possible • Save your images on a CD or DVD • Open in RAW Converter to achieve best over-all image • Exposure • Color • Tonal appearance

12. Workflow-2 • Open image in Photoshop with ; • RGB (1998) color space • 300 dpi resolution to achieve size and printer resolution for later • Open as a 16 bit image mode – “depth” • Choose image size that is default for camera • Not a plus or a minus

13. Workflow-3 • Make global image adjustments • Levels adjustment – if necessary • Concentrate on tonal values • Curves adjustment – if necessary • Concentrate on contrast • Dust Spot removal

14. Workflow-4 • Address all of your enhancements to specific picture areas • Lightening certain areas • Darkening certain areas • Increasing contrast in certain places • Cleaning-up by using cloning • Isolating subjects with blurring or darkening of background

15. Workflow-5 • Prepare for output to the viewer • Resize • Sharpen • Output

16. Image we will work with • Exposed as best as I could for tent roof • Now we have to adjust the lighting and see what we can get out of this shot • Copy your background layer to a new layer to preserve the original in case you need it

17. This adjustment will adjust; brightest pixels Darkest pixels Midtones It can do color correction using the “gray” eyedropper It can adjust each individual color as well Use a LEVELS adjustment layer

18. Tent roof is now blown-out • Fix with a mask over the tent – to reveal the tent image below • Amazingly; one can extract most of the image information

19. Activate mask: Select tent, fill with black

20. Click the page-in-page icon – you get a new layer Dust is most visible in a uniform blue sky Double click the magnifier glass tool – expands image to 100% Press home key- view left top corner Press “page down” – move down Press “ctl+page down” – move right Press “page up” – move up Press “ctl+page up” – move left Use “spot healing brush” – click on dust to blend it out Make a new LayerLook for dirt or dust spots

21. Create a new layer • Use Spot Healing Brush tool to eliminate dirt spots

22. Notice rider’s face is dark and could use lightening • We will do this with blending modes and masks • Open a levels adjustment layer and close it – doing nothing • Change blending mode to “screen”-entire image is lightened • Assure mask is active • Invert mask to make it black (ctl+i)-image is restored • Set default foreground color to “black” • Paint on face with a soft edged brush with low opacity (10-20%)

23. Original Levels adjust Curves adjust • Lightening face indicates it also needs more contrast • Use a “curves” adjustment to provide both lightening and contrast • Create a curves layer – as before with a “levels” layer • Alt+drag the “levels mask” to the “curves” mask – copies the mask • Click “eye” on “levels” layer to turn OFF the layer • Set “curves” blending mode to screen • Click on image icon to activate it and ctl+click on the face to set a point on the curve. • Ctl+click on curve above and below “face “ point to allow you to increase the slope through the face point.

24. In this casethe black point was moved to increase contrast

25. Clone out paper in grass • Create a composite layer – hold alt+layer>merge visible • Select an area to cover the paper from along side • Ctl+j will put it on its own layer • Move it over the paper to cover it – blend with a mask

26. Original Partially Enhanced Finished Always Expose for Highlights