- Getting Started with Layers
- Blending Two or More Images (Intro to Layer Masks)
- Getting Started with Layer Blend Modes
- Five Layers Things to Know Before We Move On
- Adding Drop Shadows and Other Layer Effects
- Resizing Something on a Layer
- Organizing Your Layers
- Adjustment Layers
- Smart Filter Layers
- Making a Simple Composite
- Four MORE Important Layers Techniques
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Adjustment Layers
Adjustment layers allow you to not only have an “undo” for any tonal adjustments you make (like brightening or darkening your image, or adding contrast, etc.), but they also give you the ability to edit those things forever. Think about this: You have a certain amount of undos while you’re working in Photoshop, right? But, what happens when you close that document and reopen it later? Those undos are gone, right? Well, that’s just one of the benefits of these non-destructive adjustment layers—you can use them as undos that last forever. So, if you reopen that same document a week or a year later, you can still edit or even completely undo those tonal changes.
Step One:
To see the adjustments you can apply as adjustment layers, click on the Create New Adjustment Layer icon (the half white/half black circle) at the bottom of the Layers panel. In the pop-up menu that appears, choose the adjustment you want (I chose Curves here), and the Properties panel appears, with that adjustment’s options (as seen here on the right). Creating an adjustment layer adds a new layer to your Layers panel with a little icon, so you know which adjustment you applied (you can see the little Curves icon in the next step).
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Step Two:
A nice feature of adjustment layers is that they come with a layer mask, so you can use the Brush or the Gradient tools if you only want parts of your image to get this adjustment (see page 120 for more on layer masks). To re-edit the curve (or whichever adjustment you chose), double-click on this layer and the Properties panel reopens with the last settings applied still in place so you can edit them, or you can delete the layer altogether by dragging it onto the trash icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. You can change the amount of the adjustment using the Opacity setting for this layer, and you can change its look by changing its layer blend mode. Plus, because this is a layer, when you save the file as a PSD (a Photoshop document), the adjustment layer is saved with it, so it gives you an undo that lasts forever.
