A perfect photograph is constituted of a number of elements light conditions, the amount of exposure and selecting the ideal lens and the filter.
However, it so happens that despite these measures, the image does not always figure the way you imagined it to be. Re-shooting the image is not a very viable option, given the large investments in terms of time and money the process calls for. And hence we are lead to the art of editing. A device widely used by conventional and digital photographers, alike, editing software allows you to rework your image until you achieve the exact results you were aiming for. And as time and technology have advanced, many new kinds of software have been developed, of which Adobe Photoshop is undoubtedly one of the most prominent names.
Many a times, editing software does produce the desired effect, but significantly lowers the image quality. As a result, many photographers choose not to experiment with editing software but try the more conventional "darkroom techniques." With Photoshop, this hurdle is vanquished as you can work on your image without altering the original content itself. And this can be accomplished by using "Layers" which are similar in nature to transparencies, each of which consists of a part of the image. When stacked over each other, these layers collectively form the complete image. Hence, by using layers, you can work on only a particular part of the image to which you can apply your choice of effects while leaving the rest of the photograph unchanged.
Hence, if you have a picture which is overexposed at certain parts, you can focus on building density and modifying the color of that particular layer, until it blends in with the rest of the image. And if your judgment is not wholly accurate at the first go, you can also choose to undo the effects in parts until you reach the phase which is workable and take it from there. This is because, you are undoing, not the overall effect of the image itself, but only of the particular layer or even a section of the layer, thus saving you from investing a lot more time and effort which redoing the entire image would have called for. Here, you can also experiment with the Multiple Undo option which lets you experiment to your hearts content and yet stick with only the changes which are appropriate to your final image.
Adjustment Layers also allow you to undo all the effects that you have applied on your image, and start all over from scratch without compromising on the image quality. You can also view your editing process at every step by turning of the visibility of the layer you are working on to analyze the final outcome and then turn to visibility back on to continue with the process.
To create your customized adjustment layer, you can either opt to work with the Layer Menu, and choose an adjustment layer which is suited to your requirements from the New Adjustment Layer Sub Menu, or refer to the layer Palette Icon which lets you choose an adjustment layer type from the pop up menu. And once you have crated the perfect Adjustment layer which brings about the exact effect you wish to use, you can even save your layer adjustments to use them on future images, which will save you a lot of time and effort when the need arises.
Labeling your layers with distinct names is also helpful as you can distinguish between layers and switch to and fro without any confusion. To name the layer you are working on, double click on the Layer, and enter the moniker you've chosen in the name field and then click on OK to save your preference. To make your task easier, you can also hide all the other layers except for the one you are working on, while will also help you focus better by clicking on the eye icon next to the layers you're not using. To bring them back on, click on the eye icon again and proceed to the next layer. This makes your task a lot easier and more organized, thus saving you a lot of time and patience.
You may also inundate yourself with more layers than you can handle in which case, you can easily deleted the unwanted ones, without disturbing the others that you need. You can even select a combination of layers and merge them together by choosing the Merge layers Option in the Layer Menu. As any Photoshop expert will tell you, if there's one tool you need to master when you learn Photoshop and make the most of it, it has got to be layers. So wait no further get to work on that image which you've always wanted to work on, but didn't for fear of ruining it you can never tell just what you might unmask!
However, it so happens that despite these measures, the image does not always figure the way you imagined it to be. Re-shooting the image is not a very viable option, given the large investments in terms of time and money the process calls for. And hence we are lead to the art of editing. A device widely used by conventional and digital photographers, alike, editing software allows you to rework your image until you achieve the exact results you were aiming for. And as time and technology have advanced, many new kinds of software have been developed, of which Adobe Photoshop is undoubtedly one of the most prominent names.
Many a times, editing software does produce the desired effect, but significantly lowers the image quality. As a result, many photographers choose not to experiment with editing software but try the more conventional "darkroom techniques." With Photoshop, this hurdle is vanquished as you can work on your image without altering the original content itself. And this can be accomplished by using "Layers" which are similar in nature to transparencies, each of which consists of a part of the image. When stacked over each other, these layers collectively form the complete image. Hence, by using layers, you can work on only a particular part of the image to which you can apply your choice of effects while leaving the rest of the photograph unchanged.
Hence, if you have a picture which is overexposed at certain parts, you can focus on building density and modifying the color of that particular layer, until it blends in with the rest of the image. And if your judgment is not wholly accurate at the first go, you can also choose to undo the effects in parts until you reach the phase which is workable and take it from there. This is because, you are undoing, not the overall effect of the image itself, but only of the particular layer or even a section of the layer, thus saving you from investing a lot more time and effort which redoing the entire image would have called for. Here, you can also experiment with the Multiple Undo option which lets you experiment to your hearts content and yet stick with only the changes which are appropriate to your final image.
Adjustment Layers also allow you to undo all the effects that you have applied on your image, and start all over from scratch without compromising on the image quality. You can also view your editing process at every step by turning of the visibility of the layer you are working on to analyze the final outcome and then turn to visibility back on to continue with the process.
To create your customized adjustment layer, you can either opt to work with the Layer Menu, and choose an adjustment layer which is suited to your requirements from the New Adjustment Layer Sub Menu, or refer to the layer Palette Icon which lets you choose an adjustment layer type from the pop up menu. And once you have crated the perfect Adjustment layer which brings about the exact effect you wish to use, you can even save your layer adjustments to use them on future images, which will save you a lot of time and effort when the need arises.
Labeling your layers with distinct names is also helpful as you can distinguish between layers and switch to and fro without any confusion. To name the layer you are working on, double click on the Layer, and enter the moniker you've chosen in the name field and then click on OK to save your preference. To make your task easier, you can also hide all the other layers except for the one you are working on, while will also help you focus better by clicking on the eye icon next to the layers you're not using. To bring them back on, click on the eye icon again and proceed to the next layer. This makes your task a lot easier and more organized, thus saving you a lot of time and patience.
You may also inundate yourself with more layers than you can handle in which case, you can easily deleted the unwanted ones, without disturbing the others that you need. You can even select a combination of layers and merge them together by choosing the Merge layers Option in the Layer Menu. As any Photoshop expert will tell you, if there's one tool you need to master when you learn Photoshop and make the most of it, it has got to be layers. So wait no further get to work on that image which you've always wanted to work on, but didn't for fear of ruining it you can never tell just what you might unmask!
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