Adjustments Flashcards
Adjustment Layer
Adjustment Layers are added by clicking or dragging from the adjustments pallet.
They represent all the main adjustments found in the Image > Adjustments menu but they can be applied non destructively in the form of a layer that effects everything below it. They also have an automatically generated layer mask.
Adjustment layers can be controlled further by clipping to the layer below or by setting the blend mode of a group to normal from passthrough if you wish to stop them from effecting layers beneath the group.
The adjustments from Image > Adjustments can also be added to smart objects so they become smart filters. This means they can be used non-destructively but only effect the layer to which they are applied. This is also helpful if you wish to use the few adjustments that cannot be used as layers non-destructively.
TONAL ADJUSTMENTS
Tonal Adjustments deal with the control and spread of pixels from light to dark
These are -
Brightness/Contrast - Adjust how bright and contrasty the image is with simple sliders.
Levels - Alter the position on the histogram of the black, white and mid point. Useful for general contrast adjustments
Curves - Allows full manipulation of the spread of pixels at different points in the image. control points can be used to limit changes to specific tonal regions. Also has a white and black point adjustment.
Exposure - Increases or decrease overall brightness of the image from the mid point.
Shadows/Highlights (used as smart filter) - controls the shadow and highlight distribution like levels but with more granular control for each point. The radius slider can help in reducing haloing at high contrast points.
Camera Raw filter (used as smart filter) - Offers full raw control of the image in the camera raw pane.
Whenever repositioning tonal values it is highly advisable to keep clipping to a minimum. Holding down the alt key while adjusting will show the clipping overlay - avoid black and white areas.
