LEARN PHOTOSHOP CC & LIGHTROOM THE EASY WAY!

Issue 79 October 2017

LANDSCAPE CHEATS
Boost your outdoor photos with stunning effects
MONOCHROME SKILLS | FILTER EFFECTS | LIGHTROOM TIPS
 WATCH THE VIDEO
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http://bit.ly/pracface
While nothing beats the thrill of capturing a beautiful
landscape in-camera, there are things you can do in Also available on:
Photoshop to enhance the natural world in front of
your lens, as this issues feature explains. Elsewhere,
learn how the Face-Aware Liquify filter works and http://tiny.cc/4dw9ky

master essential skills for beautiful mono images.

http://tiny.cc/rew9ky
James Paterson, Editor t james.paterson@futurenet.com

www.digitalcameraworld.com http://tiny.cc/8ew9ky

HIGHLIGHTS: WHATS INSIDE

PHOTOSHOP LANDSCAPE LOVE TO MONOCHROME LIGHTROOM
NEWS CHEATS LIQUIFY MAGIC LENS FIXES
QIntroducing the QEnhance your QBend pixels to QLearn essential QGet to grips with
new Curvature Pen outdoor photos your will and alter tricks for editing your the powerful Lens
Tool coming soon! with simple tricks faces with ease black-and-white pics Correction panel
 NEWS
NEW CURVATURE PEN TOOL
A new beginner-friendly path-making tool coming to
PhotoshopCC will make it easier tocreatecurved lines

Adobe has announced must be dragged to create shortcuts. As such, it seems

abrand-new Photoshop
tool that will be included in
Photoshop CC 2018, which is
expected sometime in the
nextcouple of months.
TheCurvature Pen is an
intuitive new tool for making
paths. It sits in the Tools panel,
alongside the normal Pen tool
that many of us know and love.
The new tool works by
automatically creating curves
for you unlike the normal Pen
tool, in which anchor points
curved lines. By contrast, as
you click anchor points, smooth
curved lines are built with ease.
New points can be added or
taken off your path by clicking
on it, and if you want an acute
angle rather than a curve, you
simply double-click the anchor
point. In short, the tool creates
curves as you click.
Adobes accompanying
Sneak Peak video of the tool
states that it works without
having to remember keyboard
the tool is a more beginner-
friendly version of the Pen
tool. For those of us who
already know those keyboard
shortcuts, the tool might be
surplus to requirements.
Well reserve judgement
until we get our hands on it,
but at first glance it seems
like the Curvature Pen tool
will provide an incremental
workflow improvement rather
than a game-changing way
ofworking.
 LANDSCAPE
CHEATS
Not got it right in-camera? Dont worry about it!
With these tips, tricks and techniques, well show
you how to cheat at landscape photography

Photoshopping a landscape is just

cheating, isnt it? Surely manipulating
the natural world for our photographic ends
is against the rules?
In the early days of digital photography,
the rules stated that minimal editing should
be carried out. These days the argument
has evolved a little, but Photoshop is still
seen as a bit of a dirty word in landscape
photography. However, the simple fact is we
all have to edit photos digitally to bring out
the best in them if we shoot raw, we dont
even have a choice. And when it comes to
editing digital photos nobody can seem to
agree on how much is too much.
Its certainly more rewarding to capture
an incredible scene in-person than build
it in a computer. But if we can build it,
why shouldnt we? With this in mind, over
the next few pages well reveal a host of
Photoshop techniques that will enhance
your landscapes...
DOWNLOAD THE PROJECT FILES HERE http://bit.ly/2hfAANu ON YOUR PC OR MAC
 PART ONE
ESSENTIAL
TRICKS
Learn simple edits that can be
used to enhance almost any
landscape scene...
 ENHANCE COLORS
One of the easiest boosts them all at once.)
ways to make colors in However, the Selective Color
any photo more intense is to Adjustment Layer can work
use Camera Raws Vibrance wonders over a scene,
and Saturation sliders. particularly colorful skies.
(Vibrance targets the weaker Click the Create Adjustment
colors, while Saturation Layer and choose Selective
Color. Target Reds from the
dropdown and experiment
with the sliders, then target
Yellows, Blues and Cyans in
the same way. Above are
thesettings weve used to
enhance our sunset
 GRADUATED FILTER
Camera Raws
Graduated Filter tool
is often the best option for
editing skies to darken, pull
out detail and add contrast.
Open your image in Camera
Raw (or, in Photoshop, go to
Filter > Camera Raw Filter)
then grab the Graduated
Filter tool from the toolbar.
Use the sliders on the right
to load the tool with an
adjustment (for example,
click the minus icon next
toExposure) then drag tune the effect, or switch to the very top of the frame. If
down over the sky to apply Brush mode to add to or objects that jut into the sky
the effect. (Hold Shift while subtract from it. also become dark, you can
dragging to keep the lines We often like to add two often combat the effect by
perfectly vertical.) You can grads: one for the entire lifting the Shadows slider in
adjust the sliders to fine- sky and a second to darken the adjustment settings.
 REMOVE DISTRACTIONS AND MARKS
Photoshops Spot Healing Brush tool
isideal for removing sensor marks
andsmall distractions within your landscape,
especially if the problem area is against a
clean backdrop. Make a new layer and grab
the tool from the Tools Panel, then set it to
Sample All Layers. Thisll keep any edits
non-destructive. For larger problem areas,
like a person in your frame, first duplicate
the layer with Cmd/Ctrl+J then grab the
Polygonal Lasso tool and click around the
area to make a rough selection. Go to Edit >
Fill, choose Use: Content Aware and click OK.
 FIX WHITE BALANCE
If you find the white neutral (or, to put it another
balance in your image way, completely colorless)
looks awry, theres an easy like a grey rock, a road or a
way to fix it. In Camera Raw, cloud. To increase your
grab the White Balance tool sample area, drag a box and
then click over a point in the itll take an average reading
image you know to be of all the pixels in the box.
In Photoshop, add a
Curves Adjustment Layer
then grabthe midpoint
eyedropper (the middle one
of the three at the side of
the Curves box) and click
over a neutral point.
 RESCUE EXPOSURES
Even a seemingly
badly under or over-
exposed image can reveal
detail, especially if it was
shot in raw format. Camera
Raw (or Lightroom) can
workwonders on poorly
exposed images. In Camera
Raw, use the Exposure,
Highlights, Shadows, Whites
and Blacks sliders to claw
back lost detail. Hold Alt
while dragging any of these
sliders for a view that shows within the image. Rescuing stop should be the Details
clipped pixels: ideally, you underexposed details will panel. Use the Noise
dont want any clipped usually lead to increased Luminance slider to combat
pixels, or a few at most image noise, so your next the troublesome noise.
 SPLIT-TONE COLORS

Split-toning isnt just
for black-and-white
photos: it can also be used to
subtly alter the mood of your
landscape scenes. To split-
tone, simply open the image
in Camera Raw and go to the
Split Toning panel on the
right. Start by dialing in a low
saturation for the highlights
and shadows; try around 20.
Then experiment with the
two Hue sliders. The Balance
slider in this area can also be
very powerful, as it allows
you to shift the bias between
shadow and highlight shades.
Experiment and have fun!
 CORRECT DISTORTION
Landscapes are often shot with a
wide-angle lens (or even a fish-eye
lens like this), and the wider the lens, the
greater the chance of barrel distortion or
converging verticals. Luckily these are easy
fixes in Photoshops Camera Raw plugin.
Simply open the image in Camera Raw
and head to the Lens Correction panel.
Check both Enable Profile Corrections and
Remove Chromatic Aberration. Camera Raw
automatically detects the lens used and
applies corrections.
You can set these as defaults so that
every image opened in Camera Raw will settings have been changed, then click the
have these adjustments applied. To do so, flyout menu at the top right of the panel and
check both boxes and make sure no other choose Save New Camera Raw Defaults.
 PART TWO
TIPS, TRICKS
AND TECHNIQUES
Go deeper into image-editing
landscapes with advanced
Photoshop skills
 THE DOUBLE-PROCESS TRICK
Run an image through Camera Raw twice once for the sky, once for the land...

One of the constant problems faced by the landscape photographer is how to balance
land and sky, as skies are usually brighter than land. In this technique well process the
image in Camera Raw twice, then blend them together. If you have the foresight to shoot
two exposures on location, you can blend them both together in a similar way...

WATCH THE VIDEO

http://tiny.cc/x3ntny
01 PROCESS FOR THE LAND
Navigate to your image (or double_
process from our download) in Adobe
Bridge, right-click it and choose Open In
Camera Raw. Once open, use the sliders
in the Basic panel to enhance the land.
Ignore the effect this has on the sky at
the moment. Weve set Exposure +1.65,
Contrast +37, Saturation +14.

02 COPY THE SMART OBJECT

Hold Shift, and youll see that the
Open Image button at the bottom will switch
to Open Object. Click this button then,
once open in Photoshop, go to the Layers
panel, right-click the layer and choose New
Smart Object Via Copy. Next, double-click
the thumbnail of the newly copied layer to
sendit back into Camera Raw to carry out
some image processing.

03 PROCESS FOR THE SKY

This time round, use the Camera
Raw sliders to enhance the sky, ignoring
whatever effects it might have on the land.
Weve set Exposure -0.45, Contrast +44,
Saturation +41. Once youre happy, click OK
to send the image back to Photoshop, where
its a layer over the other version. Now
we simply have to blend the sky and land
versions of our scene

04 SELECT AND MASK

Go to Select > Select And Mask. Press
O (the letter, not the number) to access the
Onion Skin view. Grab the Quick Selection
tool from the palette on the left, then paint
over the sky area to select it. Switch to the
Refine Edge brush and paint along rough
patches like the trees to improve the edge
so youve got an accurate selection to work
with. Once thats done, set Output: Layer
Mask and click OK.
 ADD A RAINBOW
Use the Gradient tool and a little-known preset for easy rainbows

Making a rainbow is simple with the

Gradient Tool. First make a new layer
then grab the Gradient tool from the Tools
panel. In the options at the top, click the
gradient preview dropdown, then click the
cog icon and choose Special Effects. Click
Append, then scroll to the bottom of the list
of gradients to choose the Russells Rainbow
preset from the available options. Next,
choose the Radial Gradient style in the
choice of five at the top.
Make a new layer and set it to the Screen Blur, then lower the layer opacity slightly.
Blend mode, then drag out a gradient. Once Finally, add a Layer Mask and paint with
done, blur it with Filter > Blur > Gaussian black to restrict the effect to the sky.

WATCH THE VIDEO

http://tiny.cc/33ntny

Mimic the effects of a long exposure on slow-moving clouds
01 APPLY THE BLUR
Right-click the
background layer and select
Convert to Smart Object,
then go to Filter > Blur >
Radial Blur. Set the Blur
Method: Zoom and Quality:
Best, then use the little box
to choose a center point; set
a starting amount of around
30. Click OK then see how
the blur affects the clouds.
BLUR CLOUDS
02 TRIAL AND ERROR
A little trial and error
is usually needed to get
the blur looking right. If you
need to tweak it, double-
click the smart filter in the
Layers panel called Radial
Blur then adjust the settings.
Keep the center point of the
blur below the horizon and
experiment with the amount
until the clouds look good.
03 CONFINE TO CLOUDS
Next, highlight the
white smart filter mask
thumbnail in the Layers
panel then press Cmd/Ctrl+I
to invert it to black. Thisll
hide the blur effect. Now
you can paint to reveal it in
the places you want. Grab
the Brush tool, then paint
with white over the clouds
to reveal the blur.
WATCH THE VIDEO
http://tiny.cc/r5ntny
 WATCH THE VIDEO
http://tiny.cc/55ntny
CREATE GOD RAYS
Create atmospheric shafts of sunlight in seconds
01 DRAW A GRADIENT
Grab the Gradient tool
then click the preview to
open the gradient editor. Set
Gradient Type: Noise, check
Add Transparency and set
Roughness to 75. Choose
the Angle Gradient style in
the tool options. On a new
layer, drag out a gradient
over the sky, picking a bright
spot to position the sun.
02 DESATURATE AND
BLUR
Press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+U to
03 ADD A MASK
Click the Add Layer
Mask icon in the Layers
desaturate the gradient, panel then grab the Brush
then change the layer Blend tool. Right-click and set
mode to Screen. Go to Filter Hardness to 0 then press 5
> Blur > Gaussian Blur and for 50% opacity and set the
blur the rays to make them color to black. Paint to hide
less sharp. Press Cmd/Ctrl+L parts of the rays where you
for Levels and drag in the dont want them to appear.
black and white points until Switch to white if you need
the toning looks right. to reveal any areas.
 PAINT IN A SUNSET
Discover how to paint sunset colors to enhance the evening sky

Painting in extra colors can do

wonders to a sunrise or sunset. First
make a new layer, then click the Blend mode
dropdown in the Layers panel and change it
from Normal to Overlay (Soft Light can also
work well), then grab the Brush tool from
the Tools Panel and press 4 to set the brush
opacity to 40%. Hold Alt to sample a bright,
saturated color from the sky, then paint over
similar colors to intensify them.
Once done, adjust the layer opacity of the
layer if you need to tone the effect down, or
add a Layer Mask if you need to remove the
effect from parts of the image.

WATCH THE VIDEO

http://tiny.cc/p6ntny
 WARM UP THE SCENE
Use a simple Gradient Map to create a warm glow over your landscapes

WATCH THE VIDEO

http://tiny.cc/r7ntny

A Gradient Map adjustment layer

maps colors onto the tonal range of
an image, meaning you can choose a color
for the highlight and shadow tones. As
such, you can give images a warm sunset
feel with a simple adjustment. First click the
Create Adjustment Layer icon and choose
Gradient Map, then click the gradients
preview strip to open the gradient editor.
Double-click the little box to the left and
right sides of the gradient and choose
colors (R246, G45, B18 / R245, G220, B102
here). Adjust the layer opacity to tone down
the effect until it looks right.
 DODGE AND BURN MASTERCLASS
Blend exposures, then dodge and burn your scenes with ultimate control

WATCH THE VIDEO

http://tiny.cc/eeotny
01 SELECT THE SKY
Open our tutorial files
dodge_burn01 and dodge_
burn02 in Photoshop. Grab
the Move tool from the Tools
panel. Drag the dodge_
burn02 image up to the tab
of the other image, then
bring it down and in to copy
the image over as a new
layer. Next grab the Quick
Selection tool and paint over
the sky to select it, then click
the Select And Mask button.

02 MAKE A GREY LAYER

In the Select And
Mask command, increase
the Radius to about 2
pixels, then paint over any
unselected parts of the edge
with the Refine Radius tool.
Set Output: Layer Mask and
click OK. Next, go to Layer >
New Layer. In the New Layer
dialog that appears, set
Mode: Overlay and check the
Fill with... box then click OK
to confirm.

03 DARKEN THE EDGES

A newly created
grey layer will appear in the
Layers panel. You can paint
or dodge and burn on this
layer to lighten or darken the
tones in the photo. To get
started, grab the Burn tool
then go to the tool options
and set Range: Midtones,
Exposure 20%. Paint with
the Burn tool to gradually
darken the rocks on the left
side of the frame.
04 DODGE THE ROCKS
Switch to the Dodge
tool again with Range:
Midtones, Exposure 20%
and paint to lift the tones
of the central rocks and any
other details you like. Next
youll make another layer
for revealing texture. First,
press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E
to merge a new layer. Go to
the Layers panel and change
the Blend Mode of this layer
to Luminosity.

05 PICK OUT DETAILS

Zoom in closer on the
photo and use the Dodge
and Burn tools to pick out
fine details, by lightening
the ridges and darkening
crevices in the rocks. This
time, set the Dodge tool
to Highlights and the Burn
tool to Shadows, lower the
Exposure to about 10% in
both tools and use a small
brush tip. This is a delicate
job; take your time.

06 SELECTIVE
CONTRAST BOOST
Click the Create Adjustment
Layer icon in the Layers
panel and choose Curves,
then plot an S-shaped curve
line to boost contrast. Press
Cmd/Ctrl+I to invert the
layers mask to black, then
paint with white to reveal
the contrast boost over the
rocks. Finally, add a Hue/
Saturation layer and boost
the Saturation.
 ADD THE MOON
Combine a moon with your
night-timescenes in seconds

Its easy to drop a moon into a

night-time sky. Open moon.jpg from
our download files, then use the Move
tool to drag it across to your chosen
image as a new layer. Press Cmd/Ctrl+T,
then transform and position the moon in
the sky. Next, change the Blend Mode of WATCH THE VIDEO
the layer from Normal to Screen, then http://tiny.cc/18ntny
finish off by tweaking the layer opacity
until it looks right.
 BUILD A SCENE FROM SCRATCH
Is your beautiful backdrop lacking in foreground interest? Then why not
combine two photos to create a completely new scene?

WATCH THE VIDEO

http://tiny.cc/h9ntny
01 COPY IMAGE OVER
Open build_foreground
and build_background from
our download. Grab the
Move tool from the Tools
panel and use it to drag the
mountains image across to
the other image. Bring up
the Layers panel (Window >
Layers). Each image will sit
on its own layer inside your
working document. Double-
click the layer names to
name them accordingly.

02 POSITION THE
MOUNTAINS
Highlight the top layer, then
drag the layer opacity down
slightly. Press Cmd/Ctrl+T
to transform the layer then
drag it into position and use
the bounding box to resize
or rotate it if necessary.
(Hold Shift while resizing to
constrain the proportions.)
Once its in position, press
return to apply, then bring
the opacity back to 100%.

03 PAINT A MASK
Click the Add Layer
Mask icon in the Layers
panel then grab the Brush
tool and press D then X to
set the color to black. Right-
click and make sure the
brush hardness is at 0. Paint
with black to hide parts of
the top layer, blending it
with the image below. Try
using a lower brush opacity
to fine-tune the blend for
the best results.
04 SELECT THE POSTS
Some areas might
need more precision, like
the posts here. Hide the top
layer and highlight the lower
layer, then grab the Quick
Selection tool and paint
over the posts to select
them. (Hold Alt and paint
to subtract if the selection
goes wrong.) Next click
Select And Mask, increase
Radius to about 5 and set
Output: Selection.

05 FINE-TUNE MASK
Reveal and highlight
the top layer, then click the
mask thumbnail attached to
the layer to edit the mask.
Grab the Brush tool and set
its color to black, then paint
over the selected areas
to reveal the posts. When
youre done, press Cmd/
Ctrl+D to deselect. Next
press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E
to merge a new layer at the
top of the stack.

06 TONAL TWEAKS
Right-click the new
layer and choose Convert
To Smart Object, then go to
Filter > Camera Raw Filter.
Use the sliders to apply
some final tweaks. First
adjust the Temp and Tint
slightly to skew the colors
(thisll help the separate
elements to gel), then click
on FX and add a subtle dark
vignette around the edges.
 ADD SHAFTS OF LIGHT
Enhance your woodland scene with shafts of misty sunlight

Adding shafts of light to a woodland

scene is a simple task. First duplicate
the layer with Cmd/Ctrl+J then desaturate
with Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+U. Right-click the layer
and select Convert To Smart Object, then
setthe Blend mode to Screen. Go to Filter >
Blur > Radial Blur; choose Zoom and a high
amount, set the center point of the blur and
click OK. Next go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian
to blur the rays slightly. Press Cmd/Ctrl+L
forLevels then squeeze in the black and
white points to control the look of the rays.

WATCH THE VIDEO

http://tiny.cc/q9ntny
 WATCH THE VIDEO
http://tiny.cc/mgotny

PUT A SMILE ON HER FACE

WITH THELIQUIFYFILTER
Discover how Photoshops recently upgraded Liquify
filtercan detect and alter facial features like eyes or
adjustexpressionslike smiles

DOWNLOAD THE PROJECT FILES HERE http://bit.ly/2hfAANu ON YOUR PC OR MAC

 STEP BY STEP MAKE A SMILE
Use the Liquify filter to create a beaming smile

01 OPEN THE FILTER

Open a portrait of your
choice, then go to the Layers
panel, right-click thelayer and
choose Convert To Smart Object.
Next, go to Filter > Liquify. Go
to the Face-Aware sliders to the
right of the Liquify dialog and
experiment with the Smile slider
to make thesubjects smile more
pronounced. Keep the change
subtle for the best results.

02 ALTER THE FACE

Grab the Face-Aware tool from the toolbar on the left, then drag over parts of the
face to alter it. Try enlarging the eyes slightly and thinning the jawline. Once youre happy,
click OK. You can re-enter the settings to tweak things later if you like by double-clicking
theLiquify Smart Filter on the layer.
 1 PHOTOSHOP
USE THE WARP TOOLS
Alongside its Face-
Aware features,
Liquify has plenty
ANATOMY 6
ON-IMAGE CONTROL
of other pixel- When Face-Aware
pushing tools that
1 is active, youll see
you can use on
2 4 white outlines over
your portraits. The the face as you
Forward Warp, 5 hover over it. Parts
Pucker and Bloat of the face can be
tools can all be used 6 dragged into new
to reshape features, shapes in a way that
or tweak the results
3 feels more intuitive
of the face-aware than sliders. When
settings. Freeze adjusting either
Mask is useful for eye, hold Shift to
preserving the affect both eyes
original structure simultaneously.
in some areas while
warping others.

2
3 4 5
HOW TO ALTER FACES
Face-Aware Liquify CRACK A SMILE DETECT MULTIPLE ENLARGE THE EYES
is found under Filter The Smile feature FACES As well as altering
> Liquify. Faces is the stand-out When theres more facial expressions,
are automatically setting but it than one face in the Liquify tool
detected and facial wont work on every your photo, theyll can also be used
features can be image, and its best be automatically for quick, effective
edited in seconds, applied in small shown in this portrait tweaks.
using the sliders doses. Often when dropdown menu, Retouchers often
to alter the shape adding a smile, it ordered from left enlarge the eyes
of the eyes, nose, looks more realistic to right. If a face is slightly in beauty
lips and overall if you also thin on an angle, it wont shots, for example.
dimensions of the out the top lip and always be detected You can alter each
face. As such, it can enlarge the bottom automatically; solve eye individually
be used to subtly lip slightly, as this this by rotating or click the lock
alter expressions is what naturally the layer with Ctrl/ between the sliders
and the structure happens when most Cmd+T to make the to alter both of the
offaces. of us crack a smile. face more upright. eyes at once.
 CREATE COMEDY CARICATURES
Push Liquify settings to the max for amusing transformations

WATCH THE VIDEO

http://tiny.cc/6fotny

The Liquify filter has always been afun 1

tool for creating caricatures and altering 6 3
body features into amusing new shapes.
This used to be done with a combination 4 2
of the Forward Warp tool, the Pucker tool
and the Bloat tool. With the new Face-
Aware features [1] its easier than ever. Just 5
alter the sliders to their extremities [2] to
exaggerate the features. If the results arent
as strong as you like, click OK then go to Filter
> Liquify [3] again to push things further. To
alter features like the eyebrows, first use the
Freeze tool [4] to protect areas [5] then use
the Warp tool [6] to tweak the brow.
4 WAYS TO USE RAW CONTRAST CONTROLS
Learn how simple adjustments in Camera Raw and Lightroom
can have a dramatic impact on your black-and-white images

WATCH THE VIDEO

http://bit.ly/2f8daco

SPEEDY MONO CONVERSIONS

Camera Raws Targeted Adjustment
tool offers perhaps the quickest way
toconvert your images to mono and
start tweaking contrast all at once.
Simply grab the tool from the toolbar,
right-click and choose Grayscale Mix.
Thisll remove the color, and also
means that you can start dragging
up or down over parts of the image
to affect the color ranges. Dragging
down over the sky here darkens the
blues, resulting in greater contrast
with the white clouds for a more
dramatic, detailed sky. To complement
the effect, play with the Temperature
and Tint sliders in the Basic panel, as
these will subtly alter the black-and-
white mix.

DOWNLOAD THE PROJECT FILES HERE http://bit.ly/2hfAANu ON YOUR PC OR MAC

 01 DODGE AND BURN
Tweak exposure and white
balance in Camera Raw, then
try increasing Vibrance: this
boosts the less-saturated
colors in a scene, while
holding back the strong colors,
so its good for enhancing
color without overdoing it.
In sunset scenes, it can be
hard to balance land and sky
exposures. To tackle this, use
Camera Raws Graduated Filter
tool loaded with negative
Exposure to darken the sky,
then dial in positive Shadows
to lift any land areas that
jutintothe sky.
 02 GET TO
KNOWCURVES
The Contrast slider is fine
for quick tweaks, but Curves
offers greater control. Go
to the Tone Curve panel in
Camera Raw and click the
Point tab. Move the diagonal
curve line upwards to lighten
or down to darken, and add
multiple points to affect the
shadows (to the left) and
highlights (to the right). Pull
the bottom part of the line
down to darken shadows and
the top of the line upwards to
lighten highlights for a punchy
black-and-white.
03 BOOST THE CLARITY
Clarity is a wonderful tool
for increasing the level of
detail in textured surfaces
like brickwork, rocks or
trees especially if they were
shotunder flat lighting. It
works by boosting midtone
contrast so the lighter
midtones are pushed
towardsthe highlights, and
the darker midtones move to
the shadows. (Watch howthe
histograms central peaks
move apart as you drag the
slider.) This type of effect
can be really easy to overdo,
so watch out for any telltale
haloes appearing around
edgedetails.
 04 SELECTIVE
CONTRAST
You can use the Adjustment
Brush to paint in selective
Contrast or Clarity and add
impact to details. Grab the
Adjustment Brush and click
the plus next to Clarity: this
loads the brush with positive
Clarity and resets the other
sliders. Paint over the details,
using the ] and [ keys to resize
the brush. Press Y to toggle
an overlay that shows where
youve painted. To delete
areas, hold Alt and paint.
LEARN LIGHTROOM TODAY!

WATCH THE VIDEO

http://bit.ly/2f7iQDn

This month: fix distortion,

vignetting and fringing with
the Lens Correction panel
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 Your quick-start guide and reference
to image editing in Photoshop
If youre relatively new to editing in
Photoshop, or you just dont know
where to begin, then this section is the best
place to get started. Over the next nine pages,
youll find an overview of the different versions
of Photoshop available; a breakdown of the
typical image-editing workflow in Photoshop;
an overview of raw file editing; a guide to the
six most useful layers; and a glossary of the
most useful shortcuts. This guide condenses
most of the tools and techniques youll use
every time you import a new roll of pictures.
 LIGHTROOM 6
109.99 OR 10.10/$9.99 PER MONTH
WINDOWS, macOS
Lightroom combines
the professional raw-
processing tools in the
more expensive Photoshop
CC with the asset-organizing
powers of the cheaper
Photoshop Elements.
Lightroom is available as
a traditional boxed copy
(Lightroom 6), and as part of

PHOTOSHOP CC
10.10/$9.99 PER MONTH WINDOWS, macOS
a Creative Cloud subscription
(Lightroom CC). Essentially,
the applications are the same,
Photoshop is the software of choice for most professional except Lightroom CC has
and non-professional photographers. Beyond the standard Creative Cloud support, ongoing
photo-editing features, it boasts a vast array of more updates, and access to the
creative tools and filters. Layers are one of the key differences mobile and web workflows.
between Photoshop and Lightroom. They enable you to mask out
selected parts to build up increasingly sophisticated images.
LIGHTROOM MOBILE
INCLUDED WITH CREATIVE CLOUD
IPHONE, IPAD, ANDROID
Lightroom Mobile is
the lightweight iPad,
iPhone and Android
version of the application,
integrated with Lightroom CC
but not Lightroom 6. To use
Lightroom Mobile you need
to sign up for an Adobe ID so
that you can access the Adobe
Creative Cloud. This enables
you to create a collection
of photos on your desktop
copy of Lightroom and sync
ELEMENTS 15 79.99/$99.99 WINDOWS, macOS them viathe Creative Cloud
Elements is the consumer variant of Photoshop, and to Lightroom Mobile on your
contains many of its key tools and features within a portable devices. You can then
simplified interface. Its limited, but it does provide access use Lightroom Mobile to edit or
to layers for those who have switched to a Lightroom workflow. add ratings to your pictures.

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
FREE IPAD, ANDROID
MIX
Mix enables you to merge two photos together
to create a composite image. It offers a simplified
compositing process that makes it easy for beginners
to start combining an object from one image with a background
from another. You can then send the composite to Photoshop
for further edits. If you like, you can also use Mix to edit a single
image. It offers a few simple tonal adjustments and more
complex edits such as Content-Aware Fill.
ADOBE COLOR
FREE IPHONE, IPAD, ANDROID
If you ever need help
selecting coordinated colors
for your designs, try using
Adobe Color. It enables you to create
color themes from photos taken on
your mobile device. This could be
anything from a scene in your local
park to a famous painting. So if you
come across an inspirational scene,
capture the colors and save them.
ADOBE SHAPE
FREE
IPHONE, IPAD, ANDROID
Adobe Shape enables
you to turn photos and
sketches into beautiful
vector shapes for use in your
designs or artwork. The app
smooths out jagged edges in
images, resulting in gorgeous
vectors that are endlessly
scalable, just as if youd drawn
them by hand with the Pen tool.
Make a shape with the mobile
app and the next time you open
Photoshop on your desktop, the
shape will sync to your Library.
Drag it in to any document to
add color and make further
adjustments.
ADOBE BRUSH
FREE
IPHONE, IPAD, ANDROID
Adobe Brush enables
you to make your
own custom brushes
from photos or sketches for
use in Photoshop, Illustrator
or the Sketch app. The most
successful subjects are usually
those that can be easily
isolated, such as a splash
against white, or a leaf against
the sky. You can capture objects
for your brush tips using your
devices camera, choose from
your camera roll, or use your
Creative Cloud library. Once
captured, you can then fine-
tune the look of the tip and
apply brush settings.
 ADOBE COMP CC
FREE IPAD
If youre a designer
who wants to build
a quick layout for a
web or print page, then Comp is
the ideal place to start piecing
ideas, images and text together.
You can draw common design
elements such as text or image
boxes with quick gestures. For
example, a couple of squiggly
lines with a dot makes a
header, and a cross makes an

ADOBE
FREE IPAD
PHOTOSHOP SKETCH image box. It makes it easy to
mock up a layout in seconds.
You can then add words and
As the name suggests, this app enables you to paint graphics. The app even spits
freehand using a selection of brushes, colors and other out a Photoshop, Illustrator or
tools. However, Sketch is more than just a painting InDesign document.
app. It also enables you to connect with like-minded creatives,
so you can follow artists and see their work updating. Once
youre done sketching the image on your iPad, you can upload
BEHANCE
to the Sketch community or continue working on the image CREATIVE PORTFOLIO
in Photoshop CC. You can also bring in brushes made with FREE IPAD, IPHONE
Adobe Brush, and for those who cant paint, theres an option Behance is the online
to overlay images so you can trace over a photo. Sketch is social space for
compatible with Adobes pen and ruler hardware, Ink and Slide, creatives to share
but you can get great results with your finger. and showcase their portfolios,
connect with one another,
and find work. With work
from the best photographers,
PHOTOSHOP FIX digital artists and designers
out there, its also a great
FREE IPAD place to find inspiration for
Fix is a retouching app a new project. If youre a
for altering portraits and Creative Cloud subscriber you
fixing marks or blemishes can set up a Behance page in
in your photos. Intelligent facial minutes. The Behance app
recognition locks onto eyes, lips for iOS devices enables you to
noses and chins, making it easy to manage your page, while the
tweak a smile, tuck in a jawline or Creative Portfolio app provides
enlarge eyes, should you wish. a polished portfolio.
Manage your photos from capture to output in three stages

The image-editing process begins as

1
soon as youve transferred your photos
from your memory card to your computer.
1 The first stage is to begin sifting
through your pictures to discover which are
the keepers. The image organizer that comes
with Photoshop is ideal for this task. Adobe
Bridge has controls for keywording, rating and
filtering your images, and there are handy tools
for batch renaming files, creating panoramic
stitches, making contact sheets and more.
Launch Adobe Bridge and navigate to a
folder containing new images. Use the cursor
keys to quickly flick through the images and
click below a thumbnail to add a star rating, or
use the keyboard shortcut Cmd/Ctrl+1-5. You 2
can then filter your images by the star rating to
group the ones you want to work on.
2 The next step is to open the images
from Bridge into Adobe Camera Raw. ACR
is the best place to make initial changes to
your images to boost tones and correct any
problems with exposure and so on. It doesnt
enable you to combine images youll use
Photoshop for that but it does enable you to
make the kind of edits photographers need.
3 In Photoshop, you can further refine 3
the image with layers and adjustment layers,
which offer a much more flexible way of
working than ACR. Once youve finished, its
time to share it with a wider audience. Go to
File>Save, and your image will be saved as a
Photoshop document (PSD). This keeps all the
layers intact, which means you can go back and
retweak the image at a later date. However,
PSD files are large and take up lots of hard drive
space. If you want to share your images online
or via email or social media, save them as JPEGs.
Discover how to process your raw files to perfection
The latest version of the raw file rather than in Photoshop, youll ensure the
processor included with Photoshop is so best possible image quality, because raw files
powerful that most photos can be processed contain more picture information than bitmap
entirely in the raw processor, with no need for images such as un-layered PSDs and JPEGs.
further editing in Photoshop. And by making Heres our reference to the features youll use
your adjustments in Adobe Camera Raw the most in the Basic panel.

THE BASIC CONTRAST

Makes light pixels brighter

PANEL IN ACR and dark pixels darker

HIGHLIGHTS
TEMPERATURE Controls the brightness
Use this slider to warm of the lightest pixels
or cool an image if the
White Balance tool fails to
correct a color cast SHADOWS
Controls the brightness
of the darkest pixels
TINT
This slider enables you to
correct a green or magenta WHITES
cast, again, if the White Sets a point on the tonal
Balance tool fails range at which pixels
should be pure white

EXPOSURE
Controls the overall CLARITY
brightness of the image Controls the amount
of midtone contrast

BLACKS
Sets a point on the tonal SATURATION VIBRANCE
range at which pixels Controls the overall color Adjusts the intensity of
should be pure black intensity of the image the less-saturated colors
The six most frequently used Photoshop layers for image
editing, and how to use them to improve almost any photo
Photoshop has many types of layers used may seem a little daunting for beginners,
and adjustment layers available, but but once youve got to grips with them, youll
there are six that youll find you need to use find they play a part in the creative process of
again and again. Learning how they should be almost every image you make.

01 LEVELS
This should be the first layer you add
to an image, because it fundamentally alters
the tonal range of the entire image. Create
a Levels Adjustment Layer, drag the Black
Point slider inwards until it touches the left-
hand edge of the histogram, and drag the
White Point slider inwards to the right-hand
edge. This remaps the tones of the image to
make more of the available tonal range.

02 CURVES
Curves is one of the most powerful
adjustment layers. An S-shaped curve
brightens the highlights and darkens the
shadows, resulting in extra contrast. Create
a Curves Adjustment Layer and click the
middle of the diagonal line to add a central
control point. Drag down on the lower part
of the line and drag up on the upper part of
the line to improve image contrast.

03 HUE/SATURATION
This adjustment layer is best used
for altering the intensity and brightness
of individual color channels in an image
greens and blues in landscapes, for instance.
Create a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer,
click the Master menu and choose the color
channel youd like to adjust. Small changes
are usually the most effective.
04 HEALING LAYER
Most photos contain unwanted
marks or blemishes. The Spot Healing Brush
tool is effective at removing these. The best
way to apply the healing is on a new blank
layer, so that you can easily tone down or
remove selected healing work later without
having to start from scratch because you
healed directly on the background layer. To
do this, create a new blank layer, choose the
Spot Healing Brush tool from the Tools panel
and tick Sample All Layers on the Options
Bar, then continue as normal. AFTER BEFORE

05 DODGE AND BURN

One of the best ways to enhance a
photo is by lightening or darkening selected
areas of the image. This can be done with
the Dodge and Burn tools, but rather than
use them directly on the image, a separate
grey layer gives you greater control. To
create a Dodge and Burn layer, hold down
Alt and click the Create a new layer icon in
the Layers panel. Give the layer a name,
then choose Mode: Overlay. Check Fill with
Overlay-neutral color and click OK. Now use
the Dodge and Burn tools (with Range set to
Midtones) to work on the new layer.

06 SELECTIVE SHARPENING
Once all other adjustments have
been made, you need to sharpen the image
for output. The traditional way is to create a
merged layer at the top of the stack, apply
Unsharp Mask, then paint on the mask to
remove the sharpening from those parts
of the image you want to remain soft.
However, the Sharpen tool enables more
control over the process by enabling you to
build up the effect by brushing repeatedly
with a low opacity brush. Create a new blank
layer, select the Sharpen tool, tick Sample All
Layers and set a Strength of 50% or lower.
14 keyboard shortcuts that will massively improve your
speed and efficiency while working in Photoshop

D X
Reset the foreground and background colors Switch the foreground and background
to black and white color swatches

ALT+[SCROLL WHEEL] [ OR ]
Zoom in or out of the image Resize the brush tip

CMD/CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+E SHIFT+[ OR ]
Create a merged copy of all the layers in the Cycle backwards or forwards through the
layer stack layer blend modes

SPACE BAR CMD/CTRL+ALT+Z

Temporarily switch the current tool to the Hand Undo the last change made to the document.
tool, for moving around the image while zoomed in Works multiple times

ALT+[EYE ICON] CMD/CTRL+[LAYER MASK]

Switch off the visibility of all other layers in the Load the currently active layer mask as
layer stack, for before-and-after comparisons a new selection

CMD/CTRL+I CMD/CTRL+T
Invert the color of a layer mask to black Activate the Free Transform tool

SHIFT+[LAYER MASK] CMD/CTRL+J

Disable the effects of a layer mask Duplicate the current layer
 Future Publishing Limited, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA
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