Table of Contents

CHAPTER ONE: GETTING STARTED ......................................................................... 3 What is Photoshop CS5? ................................................................................... 3 Photoshops Workspace ................................................................................ 4 Working with Photos ....................................................................................... 8 Opening a File ........................................................................................... 8 Saving a File .............................................................................................. 8 CHAPTER TWO: LAYERS ...................................................................................... 9 The Layers Panel ........................................................................................... 9 The Background Layer ................................................................................. 10 Layer Order.............................................................................................. 10 Renaming and Copying New Layers .................................................................. 10 Transforming Layers ................................................................................... 11 Blending Modes ............................................................................................ 11 Normal modes........................................................................................... 11 Darkening modes ....................................................................................... 11 Lightening modes....................................................................................... 11 Overlay modes .......................................................................................... 12 Difference modes ...................................................................................... 12 Hue modes............................................................................................... 12 Layer Styles ................................................................................................ 12 Style Libraries........................................................................................... 12 Applying Layer Styles .................................................................................. 12 Hiding or Removing Styles ............................................................................ 13 CHAPTER THREE: CORRECTIONS AND ENHANCEMENTS ................................................. 14 Common Corrections ..................................................................................... 14 ............................................................................................................ 14 Straightening ............................................................................................ 14 Resizing .................................................................................................. 14 Enlarging the Canvas................................................................................... 15 Removing Flaws ........................................................................................... 15 Spot Healing Brush ..................................................................................... 15 Healing brush ........................................................................................... 16 Content-aware Fill ..................................................................................... 16 Patch ..................................................................................................... 16

Clone stamp ............................................................................................. 17 The Clone Source Panel ............................................................................... 17 Eliminating Red-eye.................................................................................... 17 Adjusting Tone and Color ................................................................................ 17 White Balance .......................................................................................... 18 Brightness/Contrast .................................................................................... 18 Color Balance ........................................................................................... 19 Levels .................................................................................................... 19 Curves .................................................................................................... 20 Vibrance ................................................................................................. 20 Sharpening Images and Reducing Noise................................................................ 20 Sharpening............................................................................................... 20 Noise ..................................................................................................... 21 Where to Begin ............................................................................................ 21 CHAPTER FOUR: EFFECTS AND FILTERS ................................................................... 22 Filters ....................................................................................................... 22 Opacity...................................................................................................... 22 Puppet warp ............................................................................................... 23 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................. 24

CHAPTER ONE: GETTING STARTED

In technical terms, Photoshop CS5 is a graphics editing software program produced by Adobe Systems Incorporated that allows you to do almost anything with digital photos. It is considered the industry standard by most photographers and other graphics professionals, but Photoshops versatility has earned its place on the home computers of regular people like you and me. In fact, Photoshop has become so mainstream that even its name has become a commonly-used verb: in the same way Kleenex has come to be synonymous with tissue, to say you have photoshopped an image means you have somehow edited it, regardless of the program you used.
Figure 1: An Example of Photoshops Versatility--Creating Scrapbook Pages

While Photoshops capabilities are extensive, we regular people tend to find it useful for basic adjustments such as rotating, cropping, or resizing, as well as for more advanced manipulations, such as airbrushing, retouching, or combining elements of different images. For the average person, Photoshops potential is virtually unlimited: from eliminating wrinkles in from your Facebook profile picture to revolutionizing how you scrapbook, Photoshop will rock your world.

Photoshops Workspace
Lets explore what you see when you open Photoshop. Photoshops workspace, which is crammed with all sorts of tools and options, can be a bit intimidating. We are going to break it down into its parts.
Figure 2: Photoshop's Workspace

The components within the workspace (see Figure 2) are located at the top of the screen and to the sides of the screen, while the image you are editing appears in the center screen. At the top of the screen, you will find the application bar (A), Figure 3: The 2-Up Arrange Document Option the menu bar (B), and the options bar (C). The tools panel (D) appears on the left, and the panel dock (E) on the right. You can have more than one document open at a time. The Arrange Document drop-down menu allows you to choose how the multiple documents appear. For example, you can choose the 2 Up option, which allows you to view two documents side-by-side within the workspace. It may seem overwhelming at first, but here is the cool thing: Photoshops user interface is very similar to the one in Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe Flash. Once you get comfortable, youll know how to navigate within the other applications.

The Application Bar

The first feature we are going to explore is the Application bar, which appears at the top of the workspace.
Figure 4: The Application Bar

The Application bar (see Figure 4) contains several important features: the Launch Bridge button (A), the Launch Mini Bridge button (B), and commonly used controls related to document and workspace manipulation. On the right side of the Application bar are the CS Live button (C) and common window clip controls. You can customize your workspace and which controls appear in the Application bar.

The Menu and Option Bars

Next to the Application bar, you will find the Menu bar (see Figure 5).
Figure 5: The Menu Bar (with Adjustments Submenu Expanded)

This toolbar lists available menus, each of which contain a list of commands you can use to perform tasks such as opening, saving, printing, and editing photos. To display a menu, such as the Analysis menu, click the Analysis menu name on the menu bar. If you point to a command on a menu that has an arrow on its right edge, as shown in Figure 5, a submenu, or secondary menu, displays another list of commands. Below the menu bar, you will find the options bar (Figure 6), also referred to as the Control panel. This bar contains buttons and boxes that allow you to perform tasks more quickly than when using the menu bar and related menus. Most buttons on the options bar display words or images to help you remember their functions. When you point to a button or box on the options bar, a tool tip is displayed below the mouse pointer.

Figure 7: Options Bar

Figure 6: The Tools Panel

The options bar changes to reflect the tool currently selected on the Tools panel. You can float, or move, the options bar in the workspace by dragging the gray gripper bar on the left side of the options bar. You can dock or reattach the options bar below the menu bar by resetting the workspace. To hide or show the options bar, click Options on the Window menu.

The Tools Panel

In the Tools panel (see Figure 7), Photoshop houses an incredible number of tools, several of which you may never use. Many tools are grouped together, indicated by a black triangle in the lower-right corner of the icon (see Figure 6). When you see the triangle, you know more tools are hidden beneath it. You can access hidden tools by clicking and holding on a tool until its entire group is listed in a menu.
Figure 8: The Brushes Tool Group (Expanded)

The table on page 7 lists and describes Photoshops most commonly-used tools.

Figur-e 9: Table of Commonly-Used Tools

Panels
Much of the work you do in Photoshop involves interacting with panels. Panels are collections of settings related to specific tasks. Each panel, in addition to the settings within it, has its own menu, which is accessible from the icon on the panel title bars right side and contains commands specific to that panel. Figure 8 shows the expanded menu of the Adjustments panel.

Figure 10: Adjustment Panel Menu (Expanded)

OPENING

FILE

Obviously, in order to make use of Photoshops workspace and tools, you must have a file open. Files saved in Photoshops native file format will end with .PSD, which stands for Photoshop document. However, you can open just about any kind of graphic in Photoshop (TIFFs, JPEGs, PDFs, PNGs, etc.). To open a file:

1. Click Open on the File menu (or CTRL + O) to

display the Open dialog box (see Figure 9).-

2. Click the arrow in the Look in drop-down

menu to display the locations on your computer.

3. Choose the file you wish to open, and click the

Open button.

4. Your photo will display in the Photoshop

workspace.

SAVING

FILE

Here is a bit of advice I learned the hard way: when you open a file, immediately save it as a working copy in a separate PSD file. This way, you are working with a copy and can make any changes you like without affecting the original. This trick allows you to use the original image for something else later, or if you end up disliking the changes you make, you can return to the original and start over. To save a working copy: 1. Choose File > Save As. 2. Select Photoshop (*. PSD, *.PDD) from the Format menu at the bottom of the Save As dialog box. 3. Name the file something youll recognize. (Its easiest just to add something to the original filename. 4. Click Save.

CHAPTER TWO: LAYERS

Understanding layers is essential to working in Photoshop. (In fact, layers are such a fundamental part of Photoshop, I gave the topic its own section!) Layers let you work with one part of an image without affecting others. When you first open an image in Photoshop, it has just one layer, the background layer. As you work with the image, you or Photoshop may add more layers. Photoshop includes special kinds of layers, such as text layers, which are created every time you add text, and adjustment layers, which let you make changes to your image without altering the actual pixels.

To open the Layers panel choose Window > Layers. This panel lists all the layers in an image, shows each layers name, and displays a thumbnail of its content. From within the Layers panel, you can reposition, show, hide, and make other changes to layers.
Figure 11: The Layers Panel

H I D I NG /S H O WI N G L A Y E R S
You can choose whether to hide or show a layer from within the Layers panel. To make the layer visible, click beside within its Show/Hide Visibility column to display the eye icon. If the

eye icon does not appear, the layer is hidden. In Figure 12 (below), the Background layer is hidden while the layer named Color Fill1 is visible.
Figure 12: Hiding/Showing Layers

T H E B A C K G RO U N D L A Y E R
When you create a new image with a white or colored background, the bottom layer in the Layers panel is named Background. (When you create a new image with transparent content, the image doesnt have a background layer.) A padlock icon (see Figure 12) indicates the special locked status of background layers: They cannot be scaled, rotated, skewed, distorted, flipped, or warped. You cannot change the stacking order, the blending mode, or the opacity of a background layer.

What can you do if you want to alter the background layer? Convert it to a regular layer: 1. Double-click the background layer in the Layers panel. 2. Give it a new name in the New Layer dialog box 3. Click OK.

LAYER ORDER
The order of layers makes a big difference in the appearance of your image, determining whether certain objects are on top of or obscured by others. Think of layers as sheets of clear plastic stacked on a table, each with a different portion of a drawing. If you rearrange the sheets, different portions of the image may appear or be hidden. To change the order of layers, simply drag a layer to another position in the Layers panel.

RENAMING

AND

COPYING NEW LAYERS

You can add content to images while concurrently creating a new layer: 1. Drag an object or layer from one file into the image window of another file. 2. You may drag from the image window of the original file or from its Layers panel. 3. Either way, only the active layer will be copied into the destination file.

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T R A N S F O R M I N G L AY E R S
To transform a layer: Select the desired layer from the Layers panel. From the Edit menu, select Transform. The Transform submenu will appear. Select the transformation you want to apply. Layer handles will appear and the cursor will change to represent the transformation. Drag the layer handles to a new position. (You can also choose to enter values in the options bar.) 7. Click Commit in the options bar. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

One of the most important features of Photoshop is blending modes. By applying different blending modes to a layer, you affect how one layer blends with the layers underneath, changing the way layers combine. The right blending mode can give pizazz to a boring picture or calm the effects of really wild filter. Blending modes can dramatically change your image. You can access blending mode options in a number of places within Photoshop: Blending modes can be set within the Layers panel (See Figure 13). To change the blending mode for a tool, choose an option from the Mode menu in the options bar. Set a blending mode for layer effects in the Layer Styles dialog box.
Figure 13: Setting Blending Modes from within the Layers Panel

Photoshop offers six types of blending modes: normal, darkening, lightening, overlay, difference, and hue modes.

N O R M AL

MODES

This category of modes includes Normal and Dissolve. Normal hides pixels unless the top layer includes transparency. By randomly replacing pixels with the color of either layer, Dissolve results in the top layer appearing to dissolve into the one beneath it.

DARKENING

MODES

The Darkening modes, as their name implies, always produce a darker image. This modes include Darken, Multiply, Color Burn, Linear Burn, and Darker Color.

L I GH T E N I N G

MODES

Conversely, the Lightening modes (Lighten, Screen, Color Dodge, Linear Dodge, and Lighter Color) always result in a lighter image by lightening different parts of the image.

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OVERLAY

MODES

Overlay, Soft Light, Hard Light, Vivid Light, Linear Light, Pin Light, and Hard Mix produce varied results by increasing contrast.

DIFFERENCE

MODES

The Difference modes (Difference, Exclusion, Subtract, and Divide) compares each layers colors.

HUE

MODES

Hue, Saturation, Color, and Luminosity affect the actual color values of the image.

Another way to enhance layers is by adding a layer style. Simple to apply, layer styles link directly to the layer you choose. Like layers themselves, layer styles:

Can be hidden (by clicking the eye icon) Are non-destructive (can be changed or removed)

Figure 14: Photographic Effects Styles Library

STYLE LIBRARIES
Photoshop comes with a number of preset styles. The presets are grouped by function in various libraries. These libraries include sets of styles designated for texts, photographs, buttons, and texturesto name a few. Figure 14 (right) shows the layer styles available in the Photographic Effects library. To browse available style libraries: Choose Window > Styles to open the panel. Choose the library you want from the Styles panel menu.

APPLYING LAYER STYLES

Applying a style to a layer is simple: 1. Select a layer by clicking on the layer. (See Figure 15.) 2. Choose the library you want from the Styles Panel menu. 3. Select a style. 4. The style will be applied only to your selected layer. (See Figure 15.)

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Figure 15: The Sepia Tone Layer Style Applied to Gram & Pop (Selected) Layer Only

H I D I NG

OR

REMOVING STYLES

Like layers themselves, layer styles can be hidden. To hide a style: 1. Select the layer you want to change. 2. Below the name of the layer and its thumbnail, you will see a the "eye" icon next to the word "Effects. 3. To hide the style, deselect the eye icon. 4. If you change your mind, reselect the eye icon to make the style visible again.

To permanently remove a style: 1. 2. 3. 4. Double-click on the style name to open the "Layer Style" box. Uncheck the style that you no longer want applied to the layer. After you have removed the style click on "OK." If you decide that you want to keep the style click on "Cancel"

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CHAPTER THREE: CORRECTIONS AND ENHANCEMENTS

Now, we are getting to the fun part: making corrections and enhancing images. Here is where you get to be the hero by learning how to eliminate blemishes and maybe even a fat roll or two.
Figure 16: The Ruler Tool

If you are like me, your photos do not always come out perfect. Sometimes I hold my camera crookedly or I dont notice the cigarette butt protruding from my kids sandcastle. Alas, Photoshop can save the day! This section covers some of the most common corrections you can Figure 17: Straightening an Image use Photoshop to make.

S T R A I G H T E NI N G
To correct angles that arent quite right, employ Photoshops Ruler tool to straighten your image. Here is how it works: 1. With your image open, select the Ruler tool. (See Figure 16) 2. Determine what the proper perspective should be. If possible, find a line within the photo that should be parallel to the top. 3. Click the left edge of the line youve chosen, and drag the Ruler tool to the other end. (See Figure 17) 4. Click the Straighten button in the options bar to straighten the image.
Figure 18: Image Size

R E S I Z I NG
Another basic correction made easy in Photoshop is resizing an image. To see the current dimensions and resolution of an image, choose Image > Image Size. The Image Size dialog box displays the dimensions in both pixels and inches (or another measurement unit, if you prefer). To change the size of the image, adjust the information in the Document Size area of the dialog box.

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E N L A R GI N G

TH E

C AN V A S

Most of the time your photo fills the canvas. Occasionally, though, you may want to enlarge the canvas to add a border or to extend a background color. There are a couple of ways to do this: You can use the Crop tool or the aptly-named Figure 19: Canvas Size Dialog Box Canvas Size dialog box (see Figure 19). To extend the canvas using the Crop tool: 1. Select the Crop tool in the Tools panel. 2. Drag the Crop tool to include the entire image in the cropping area. 3. Drag the crop boundary using its handles to pull it beyond the image. 4. Press Enter to apply the crop. Additional area in the background color appears where you extended the canvas. (If there is no background layer, the extension is transparent.)

The biggest zits and nosiest passers-by are no match for Photoshop. Several tools in Photoshop actually heal an area of the image, based on the surrounding content. The Spot Healing Brush, Healing Brush, and Patch tools, all grouped together in the Tools panel (see Figure 20), each function a bit differently. Choosing the right tool means assessing the blemish: Small spots may be improved with a quick click of the Spot Healing Brush tool. Larger areas are better candidates for the Healing Brush, Patch, or Clone Stamp tools. Where the background is fairly consistent, content-aware fill is an impressive and efficient solution.

Figure 20: Flaw Tools

S P O T H E A L I N G B RU S H
The Spot Healing Brush replaces the pixels you paint with pixels that are similar to the surrounding area. To use the Spot Healing Brush tool: 1. Select the Spot Healing Brush tool in the Tools panel. 2. Set up the brush size and attributes in the options bar. 3. Select Proximity Match, Create Texture, or Content-Aware in the options bar. (Note: Proximity Match should be used when the surrounding area is consistent; ContentAware is a better choice if youre repairing areas in a pattern.) 4. Click on the blemish, or click and drag to repair a larger area.

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HEALING

BRUSH

The Healing Brush tool, represented by a bandage (see Figure 20), is similar to the Spot Healing Brush in that it replaces selected pixels with a recreation of the surrounding area. However, unlike the Spot Healing Brush tool, you identify the source area. You can even source a sample from one image to heal pixels in another. If you are working on a large area or if you need more precise control over the retouch, the Healing Brush tool is a great tool. To use the Healing Brush tool:

1. 2. 3. 4.

Select the Healing Brush tool in the Tools panel. Select a brush size and attributes in the options bar. Select Sampled in the options bar. Select Aligned if you want to continue sampling from the place you left off each time you release the mouse and click again. Deselect Aligned if you want to start over from the sample point each time you release the mouse.

5. Choose which layers to sample from, if your image has multiple layers. 6. Set the sampling point: with the pointer over the area you want to sample, Alt- click (
Windows) or Option- click ( Mac OS).

7. Paint over the area you want to retouch.

CONTENT-AWARE FILL
The Content- Aware setting, though not a separate tool, is a powerful way to remove entire objects or cover blemishes. Didnt notice the helicopter in the background of your great cityscape photo? Forgot about the time stamp setting on your camera? Content- aware fill can save the day! Content-Aware is perfect when the area surrounding the blemish varies; however, it does not work to well with exact patterns or stripes. To apply content- aware fill: 1. 2. 3. 4. Select the area you want to replace. Choose Edit > Fill. In the Fill dialog box, choose Content-Aware from the Use menu. Click OK.

PATCH
Using a selection, the Patch tool copies pixels from one area to another and then uses those pixels to heal the area. You can either select the pixels you want to use or the pixels you want to replace: select Source in the options bar to select the pixels you want to replace; select Destination in the options bar to select the pixels you want to use. To use the Patch tool:

5. Select the Patch tool. 6. Select Source or Destination in the options bar. 7. If you selected Source, drag the tool to select the pixels you want to replace; if you
selected Destination, select the pixels you want to use in the repair.

8. Drag the selection either onto the pixels you want to use for the repair (Source) or onto
the pixels you want to patch (Destination).

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CLONE

STAMP

You can also clone (exactly copy the pixels to replace others) any part of an image. The clone stamp is not only a healing tool, but its a great way to duplicate areas of the image. For example, you can use it to create balance in an image of a yard by turning one tree into two. Like the Healing Brush tool, the Clone Stamp tool requires that you set a sampling point from which to start copying the pixels: Select Aligned to continue painting from your original starting point Deselect it to start over with the sampling point every time you begin a new stroke.

To use the Clone Stamp tool:

9. Select the Clone Stamp tool in the Tools panel. 10. Set the brush size and attributes, and select the blending mode and opacity levels in
the options bar.

11. Select or deselect Aligned, and choose which layers you want to sample from. 12. Alt- click or Option- click the area you want to use as source pixels to create a
sampling point.

13. Paint over the area you want to replace with the cloned pixels.

T H E C LO N E S O U R C E P A N E L
The Clone Source panel gives you control when using the Clone Stamp or Healing Brush tools. It allows you to view an overlay of the sample source, so you can preview the pixels before applying them. The Preview option, which is selected by default, lets you see what you are doing without even opening the Clone Source panel.

ELIMINATING RED-EYE
Perhaps the most common photography flawy, red-eye occurs when your camera catches the reflection of a person or animals retina. The result: even the sweetest subject takes on a demonic look. The good news is Photoshop makes it super easy to fix red-eye (so no one has a chance to claim it as proof that Fluffy is anything more than a sweet kitty). In fact, Photoshop has a tool specifically designed just for this task. Heres how it works: 14. Zoom into the eye area so you can see it clearly. 15. Select the Red Eye tool, located beneath the Spot Healing Brush tool (see Figure 20). 16. Adjust the settings in the options bar if you need to.

17. Click the red area in the eye.

Thats it! (You can adjust the Pupil Size and Darken Amount settings to see how the results differ, but for most images, the default settings do the trick.) Fluffys secret is safe!

Photoshop includes a full range of tools to help you correct the lightness, darkness, and contrast (a.k.a.the tonality) of your images. Some tools are incredibly simple, while others are a bit more complex. They all work essentially the same way: they map the original pixel values to a new range of values.

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W H I T E B AL A N C E
The white balance of an image is a result of the lighting conditions under which the photo was taken. White balance includes: Temperature (how warm or cool the image appears) Tint (any magenta or green color)

If the lighting was less than optimal or there was a glare when you snapped your picture, you probably will want to adjust the white balance. Its easy to do with the White Balance tool, an eyedropper tool found in the Adjustment-Levels Figure 21: White Balance Tool panel (see Figure 21). Heres how it works: 1. If the Adjustments panel isnt open, choose Window > Adjustments. 2. Click the Levels icon to create a new adjustment layer. 3. You will see three droppers (see Figure 21). 4. Select the bottom dropper to set the white balance. 5. Click on an area of your image that should be white. 6. The white balance will be adjusted accordingly.

B R I GH T N E S S /C O N TR A S T
There are several ways to adjust brightness and contrast (how light or dark an image is) in Photoshop. One of the easiest ways, however, is to use a Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer.
Figure 22: Brightness/Contrast

To add a Brightness/ Contrast adjustment layer: 7. If the Adjustments panel isnt open, choose Window > Adjustments. 8. Click the Brightness/ Contrast icon to create a new adjustment layer (see Figure 22). 9. Move the Brightness slider to the right to lighten an image or to the left to darken it. 10. Adjust the Contrast slider.

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C O LO R B A L A N C E
You can perform a generalized color correction using a Color Balance adjustment layer, or you can let Photoshop take a stab at it by using the Auto Color option in the Levels or Curves dialog box. Balancing color removes any color cast, such as a blue or red cast, that may appear in your image. To remove a color cast using the Auto Color option:

Figure 23: Auto Color Option

1. Click the Levels or Curves

icon in the Adjustments panel.

2. Click Auto. 3. The Auto option neutralizes

midtones and clips shadows and highlight pixels.

LEVELS
The Levels panel affects the levels of intensity of shadows, midtones, and highlights. Its not all that hard to make the adjustments. The histogram (see Figure 24) helps you see where the detail is in the image: The left side represents the shadows; The right side represents the highlights; and The center shows the midtones.
Figure 24: Histogram

The input and output sliders are related, but heres what you need to know to use this adjustment: The left input slider, at the bottom of the histogram, sets the images black point the point beyond which all data is seen as pure black. The right input slider sets the white point the point beyond which everything is treated as pure white. Generally, youll get better results if you move the left slider to the point where significant shadow data occurs, and the right slider to the point where significant highlight data begins. The middle slider adjusts the gamma, which changes the intensity of the middle range of gray tones without making large changes to highlights and shadows. Adjusting levels can be a quick way to intensify the color in your image and to be certain youre seeing the appropriate detail.

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Figure 25: Curves

CURVES
Adjust the curves to make more gradual changes through the tonal range. Why curves? Because the adjustments appear on a graph, and as you adjust the tonal range, youre adjusting the curve of the line. The horizontal axis of the graph represents the input values; the vertical axis represents the output values. Initially, the tonal range is represented as a straight diagonal baseline because the input and output values are identical. By default, the Curves graph shows the amount of light, so moving the curve upward lightens the image and moving it downward darkens the image. The steeper sections of the curve represent areas of higher contrast, and fl atter sections represent lower contrast. Moving a point in the top portion of the curve adjusts the highlights; moving a point in the center adjusts the midtones; and moving a point in the bottom section adjusts the shadows. You generally need to make only small curve adjustments to correct the tone and color in an image.

VIBRANCE
The Vibrance adjustment is a fantastic option for easily saturating colors that need it while leaving the rest alone. Its particularly useful if youre working with an image that contains skin tones, as it keeps them from becoming oversaturated. In fact, it is so effective, I rarely resort to adjusting Hue/Saturation. Here is how to adjust vibrance: 4. Click the Vibrance icon in the Adjustments panel. 5. Drag the Vibrance slider to increase or decrease color saturation. 6. To apply the same amount of saturation adjustment to all colors (even those that are already saturated), move the Saturation slider.
Figure 26: Sharpening Filters

SHARPENING
Most images can benefit from sharpening. Photoshop offers several filters that sharpen areas of an image (see Figure 26). Which one you use depends on

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whether you need to sharpen all or only part of an image, and how much control you need. Regardless of method, be careful not to oversharpen. Sharpening brings out the detail in images, but it isnt a magical fix for severely blurred images.

Figure 27: Image Before and After Reduce Noise Filter

NOISE
Noise refers to random, extra pixels that arent part of the image and give it a grainy or patchy look (see Figure 27). Noise can also refer to color noise, which appears as colored artifacts in the image. Photoshops Reduce Noise filter can fix both types of noise.

With so many ways to correct and enhance, finding where to begin can be challenging. To help, I suggest approaching your photo editing in the order below: 7. Resize or straighten your image if necessary. 8. Remove flaws and blemishes scratches. 9. Adjust color balance to remove any color casts or correct saturation. 10. Adjust the tonal range using either a Levels or Curves adjustment layer. Set the white point (highlights) and black point (shadows), and make necessary adjustments to midtones. 11. Make any other color adjustments, such as hue, saturation, or vibrance. 12. Sharpen your image. 13. Reduce noise.

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CHAPTER FOUR: EFFECTS AND FILTERS

Figure 28: Filter Gallery

From the artistic to sophisticated, Photoshop offers dozens of filters. The filter gallery, available in the Filters menu, offers a preview of available filters, grouped by category (see Figure 28 ) Important note: When you apply a filter to a standard image or layer, it changes the actual pixels, so make sure youre working in a copy of an image or a duplicate layer.

The Opacity setting determines how opaque a layer or attribute is. By adjusting opacity, you can create some pretty neat effects: To change the opacity of a layer, select it and then change the Opacity in the Layers panel (see Figure 29). To change the opacity for the content but not affect layer effects, use the Fill slider in the Layers panel. To change the opacity for a tool, change it in the options bar. Youll also see Opacity sliders in the Gradient Editor, the Layer Styles dialog box, and many other dialog boxes and panels in Photoshop.

Figure 29: Opacity in the Layers Panel

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Everyones new favourite feature, Puppet Warp, lets you distort an image in previously unheard of ways. Its hands-on nature means you can distort any portion of a layer or rotate an area. Heres how it works: 1. To warp the image, you place pins in a mesh. 2. The pins let you control movement in one area while preventing it in another area. 3. The possibilities are limitless!

Figure 30: Puppet Warp

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CONCLUSION
Whether you want to make your photographs appear more professional or you want to create something fantastical, Photoshop is the ultimate image editing software. With its seriously cool filters, layer styles, blending modes, opacity settings, and the new Puppet Warp feature, it calls to the creative in all of us. Unfortunately, this book isnt long enough to describe every option and possibility Photoshop presents. I can only hope theres enough information here to pique your interest and to inspire you to experiment!

Contact Me: John Araiza john@photoshopauthority.com

http://photoshopauthority.com/

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