|
 |
There are several tools and techniques that you can use to pop your colors, and I will start with the most basic and then end with a cool technique with endless possibilities. The image to the left is the original picture that I took straight from my camera. |
 |
Step 1: Levels
With this tool, you can adjust your highlights, shadows and midtones. Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels and click OK. Your new adjustment layer will be on a separate layer than your original file and can be discarded easily at any time. Move the slider arrows located under the histogram to adjust the shadows, midtones, and highlights of your image.
|
 |
Step 2: Curves
With this tool, you can also adjust your highlights, shadows and midtones.
Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves and click OK. Slightly move the diagonal line to see effects.
Some people ask, how do you know when it is right? I think the best way to get a good eye for it is to keep looking at all of the most popular and most downloaded images on iStockphoto. |
 |
Step 3: Selective Color
Using the selective color option, you can adjust each color in your image separately. Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Selective Color and click OK. Choose which color
you would like to adjust in the drop down color menu. Then use the slider arrows to adjust the color tones. You probably wont need to adjust too much. After you use the three techniques above, you will get a feel for when you need to use them. |
| A Cool Technique With Endless Possibilities: Using Layer Mask
So what if you want to adjust only part of an image? For example, you could sharpen just the eyes, smooth out part of her face, or desaturate part of an image. In this tutorial, I will desaturate the yellow background. When editing an image, keep in mind that it is always good to duplicate your layer so you are not working on your original file.
|
Step 1:
Choose Layer > Duplicate Layer and click OK. Do this step two times so that you have three layers with the same image. |
 |
Step 2:
Select the top layer and then choose Image > Adjustments > Desaturate. |
 |
Step 3:
Select the top layer and choose Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All. You should now be able to se the layer underneath the top layer. |
Step 4:
Use your paintbrush (color white: ffffff) to paint where you would like the hidden layer to show through, or black (000000) to paint where you would like to keep the layer hidden. |
|
Home