Tips, Tricks & Tutorials

PHOTOSHOP ADJUSTMENT, FILTERS, RETOUCHING TIPS

Adjustments

Before fine-tuning colors of an image you wish to print, be sure you stay within the color gamut of the output device, such as an offset printer. Use the Hue/Saturation adjustment along with
View > Proof Setup > Working in CMYK and View > Gamut Warning. After turning these settings on, note any gray blotchy areas. These areas are out of gamut for the output device. Adjust the Hue/Saturation sliders until the gray blotchy areas disappear.This will ensure that the colors of the image are within the gamut of the offset printer.
While using the Brightness/Contrast command, you notice shadows are clipping to black (so dark that all detail is lost) and highlights to white (so light all details are lost). Deselect the Use Legacy setting. The setting is off by default to ensure details in shadows and highlights are preserved.
If your image has backlighting problems or looks washed out, try the default settings under
Image > Adjustments > Shadows/Highlights. To restrict the adjustment, reduce the Shadow Tonal Width, so that only the darkest parts of the image are lightened; similarly, reduce the Highlights Tonal Width to restrict the adjustment to the highlights, so that only the lightest parts of the image are darkened.
Did you ever wonder where the algorithms are located for the auto commands in Photoshop and how to adjust them? The auto commands I am talking about are located in the Image menu: click Image > Auto Tone or Auto Contrast or Auto Color or the Auto button found in the upper right of the Curves or Levels adjustment panels. To access the algorithms for all those auto commands, Alt+click the Auto button in the Curves or Levels adjustment panels or click Auto Options in the panels' menu to open the Auto Color Correction Options. Note the three algorithms in the Auto Color Correction Options and how they equate to the Auto Tone, Contrast and Color found in the Image menu:

Enhance Monochrome Contrast = Auto Contrast
Enhance Per Channel Contrast = Auto Levels
Find Dark & Light Colors = Auto Color

The auto commands in the Image menu and the Auto buttons in the Curves and Levels panels behavior depends on what is selected in the Auto Color Corrections Options dialog box. Lets say you want to remove a color cast in a photo. Maybe you tried Image > Auto Color to remove the color cast, but it didn't quite do the job. To change how the Auto Color command behaves, open the Auto Color Correction Options dialog box and click Find Dark & Light Colors (this is the Auto Color) and also check the box for Snap Neutral Midtones. Click OK to close the dialog box and try the auto command again (click Image > Auto Color or click the Auto button in the Curves or Levels panel). After the adjustment, the Auto command should provide a more pleasing result.

When using any of the Adjustment panels, do you prefer to type the parameters into the text boxes instead of using the sliders? If so, add efficiency to your workflow by selecting Auto-Select Parameter from the Adjustments panel menu. After selecting this option, the text fields will automatically be selected and ready for you to type in the parameter.

Filters to Adjust Photographs

The Smart Sharpen filter can help solve issues such as motion blur caused by camera or subject movement and noise in the shadows due to a high ISO setting. Click Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen. From the Remove drop-down menu choose Motion Blur, Gaussian Blur, or Lens Blur to sharpen. For the noise in the shadows, click the Advanced option and then the Shadow tab of the dialog box. Increase the Fade Amount to sharpen the overall image without over sharpening the noise that may already be in the shadows.

Retouching Images

If the option Aligned for the Clone Stamp or Healing Brush tool is not selected, each time you paint a new stroke, the tools sample from the same spot that was initially defined as a sample point. However, if the option Aligned is selected, a new sample points is selected each time you paint a new stroke while the original relative position between sample point and target is maintained. Bottom line, if you want to sample from the same spot, use small strokes and be sure the Aligned option is not selected.
Cloning Tools
Patch tool, spot healing brush, content-aware option, healing brush, clone stamp. . . when eliminating unwanted imagery or fixing flaws, how do you know which cloning tool to use? Refer to this handy chart (276 KB) that summarizes them all.