Page 174 - (DK) Advanced Photography Guide

172 EXPLAINING | LAYERS

WORKING WITH LAYERS

Layers can be added to photos in Adobe Photoshop and editing software such as Gimp. Adding
a layer to a photo is like laying a sheet of glass over a print: you can draw on the glass without
affecting the print underneath. Adding layers is like adding more sheets of glass, and you can
work on these without affecting anything below. There are different types of layers, but the most
useful ones for editing a photo are the adjustment layers, which let you alter aspects of the photo
such as exposure or contrast. Unlike making the alteration to the photo itself, you can either tweak
the layer settings or discard the adjustment layer altogether if you do not like the final effect.

Layers LAYER MASKS

You can add numerous layers to a photo, each
of which makes different adjustments or adds Layer mask
new content. By creating a layer mask, you blocking sky
can isolate the areas of an image to which Mask_Rocks_image
you want to apply an effect. You could Layer 1 with
mask the background of an image and Rocks_image sky masked
make an adjustment to the foreground,
for example. Even with just a few layers, Sky
it is important to organize them logically.
Start by renaming layers as you create
them, using helpful titles. To rename a
layer, double click on its name in the layer
panels. As you add layers you create a stack.
Moving layers into groups is a simple way to Background
layer with sky
tidy up a layer stack. visible ▲ IMAGE

PHOTOSHOP ADJUSTMENT LAYERS

Brightness/Contrast Darkens or brightens a Hue/Saturation Changes the color values of all or
photo globally, and adjusts the overall contrast. a selection of colors and their intensity.

Levels Uses an image’s histogram and control Color balance Adjusts the overall color tint of an
tools to make tonal corrections. image; can be used to color-correct photos.

Curves Adds or removes contrast, and alters color Black and white Converts color photos to black
as you vary the shape of the curve. and white using sliders or a small range of presets.

Exposure Alters the exposure of a photo in stops, Photo filter Mimics the use of photographic color
similar to in-camera exposure compensation. correction filters to alter the White Balance.
Vibrance Adjusts the intensity of more Invert Flips the tonal range of an image to produce
muted colors. a negative version of the original.

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