Photoshop - Perfecting your image, layer by layer
Posted on July 28, 2008
Filed Under Computers and Technology |
Photography, as an art form is constituted of numerous intricacies. From selecting optimal light conditions, to varying the amount of exposure to even selecting the appropriate lens and filters and yet we find that despite our best efforts, we are usually never completely satisfied with the final outcome. The feeling of “What if” lingers and given the constraints of time and expenses incurred, it re-shooting the entire image, or series of images, as the case may be, is not always a feasible solution. And here’s where editing comes into the picture. Not just limited to digital photography, many conventional photographers edit the imperfections away from their photographs in their dark rooms. And with the advent of time and technology, many new and advanced kinds of software have been developed, amongst which a worthy forerunner is Adobe Photoshop.
Many photographers shy away from using editing software as extensive retouching of the image significantly deteriorates the image quality. But Photoshop effectively nullifies this obstacle as it allows you to touch up the image without burning the image itself. This it does through the use of layers. Layers function in a manner similar to transparencies, which when stacked on top of each other, form the complete image. Each layer consists of different parts of the image, to which you can apply different effects to modify only those parts of the picture which need to be worked on and leaving the rest intact.
Thus, you can work on the overexposed part of your image, building density and correcting the color until you are completely satisfied with the results. What’s more, if you aren’t too happy with the final outcome, you can even undo the specific effect on the explicit part of the image, as you are not modifying the image itself, but rather only the part which is superimposed on the screen or ‘Layer’. Here, the multiple undo option proves invaluable, as it allows you to experiment with as many effects as you wish and retain only the ones that enhance your final product.
If your editing skills go haywire, and you end up with something you didn’t quite expect, you can also undo all the changes you’ve made and start all over, without even the slightest bit of change to the original image quality. You can also gauge if your editing is proceeding the right way by turning off the visibility of the layer you are working on, to view the overall effect and then turning the visibility back on to proceed with your editing.
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.
If you divide your image into too many layers, you may find it exceedingly difficult to manage all the layers without messing them up. So, you can either delete the unwanted layers, or merge a combination of layers together using the Merge Layers Option in the Layer Menu. The key to your success with Photoshop undoubtedly lies in perfecting your skills with layers. A little bit of practice and loads of creativity imperfect images will soon be ancient history!
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