Your photoshop tips please!

[Nicole]

Create your own actions: Make actions for things that you do often. I have sharpening ones, saving ones, and basic ones for image adjustments (the basic ones add a curves layer, a levels layer, and a duplicate of the original for sharpening). Saves a ton of time, even if it is just a few steps (like my saving one which saves it to my preferred location for uploading).

Use blending modes: Duplicate and use screen (lighten) or multiply (darken), or change the blending mode of a B&W layer to bring back a slightly desaturated / darker set of colours and bring in some detail to certain shots.

Duplicate part of an image: Use Ctrl+J to duplicate just your selection, handy sometimes.

Image masks: You know you can use the black and white brushes to change what shows on an image mask, but you can also use grey brushes to vary the level of opacity in certain parts of the layer mask so it's not all or nothing.

[kencaleno]

Originally Posted by zespri

I stand by my tip. Brightness/contrast is certainly appropriate for some pictures, other tweaks are better with levels/curves - which is why my tip included both.

I think I recall seeing a post by you with lots of photoshop tips at some stage which I remember thinking was great, do you have a couple of favourites to add to this thread?

Ok:

1. To boost color for landscapes:

Image>Adjustments>match color

luminance +119

Color intensity +126


2. To sharpen without haloes:

Ctrl+J

filter>sharpen>unsharp mask

amount 18%
radius 40
threshold 0

amount 150%
radius 0.3
threshold 0

Edit>fade unsharp mask 100% darken

filter>sharpen>unsharp mask
amount 150%
radius 0.3
threshold 0

edit>fade unsharp mask 50% lighten

flatten and save (if you record this as an action, you only need to click one button)

Regards, Ken

[acedrew]

Originally Posted by Japaslavian

Dodge highlights/Burn Shadows: On very low opacities, these can really help make beautiful contrast with precision. It can also help accentuate lighting on certain subjects. Especially in black and white photos.

Measure Tool for straight horizons: Behind the eyedropper tool there is a ruler called the measure tool. Say your horizon is a little tilted. Take the measure tool and click on the horizon on the left, and then click on the right. Make sure the line goes across the tilted horizon as accurately as possible. Then go to Rotate Canvas>Arbitrary, and there will be a number there for you already that will make the line you made with the measure tool perfectly straight.

FYI in CS3, Filters>>Distort>>Lens Correction gives you a GUI to do this in, as well as fix chromatic aberration, Vertical and Horizontal Perspective, and regular (radial) lens distortion. I find this tool invaluable for landscape shots made on the fly.

[kencaleno]

Originally Posted by acedrew

FYI in CS3, Filters>>Distort>>Lens Correction gives you a GUI to do this in, as well as fix chromatic aberration, Vertical and Horizontal Perspective, and regular (radial) lens distortion. I find this tool invaluable for landscape shots made on the fly.

simpler way: view>show>grid
rotate image to fit to gridlines

[DavidWayne]

I use this ALL THE TIME...learned it here http://digital-photography-school.co...-pictures-pop/

[OsmosisStudios]

Ken: those settings dont always apply, unfortunately. Ive tried it on a few pictures and it rarely worked out very nicely.

[prgiunta]

great tips. thanks!

[kencaleno]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

Ken: those settings dont always apply, unfortunately. Ive tried it on a few pictures and it rarely worked out very nicely.

Works for me, every time. regards, Ken

[acedrew]

[QUOTE=kencaleno;280296]simpler way: view>show>grid
rotate image to fit to gridlines[/QUOTE

Just having a grid doesn't give you the ability to adjust pincushion and view angle, very different methods for very different needs.
Andrew

[kencaleno]

- Soft light portrait

Press ctrl+j to duplicate the layer and press shift +control +u to de-saturate the new layer.
Click on Add layer mask button
Click on layer mask thumbnail to active it and go to Image> Apply image :-
Layer- merged
RGB
Multiply
100%
Now, click on image thumbnail to active it. ( It is located just before the layer mask thumbnail ). Now do two things :-
1. Go to filter> Blur> Gaussian blur and give 2.5 radius.
2. Change the blending mode of the layer to Multiply.
Duplicate this layer again and change its blending mode to Linear dodge. You now have soft light effect on your image. If you want more light than change the blending mode to Color Dodge.


Graduated Neutral Density Filter effect

Add adjustment layer> levels
Drag right slider to left
Drag middle slider to left (These moves enable you to get the foreground how you want it)
Press “D” or "X" to make foreground color black
Press “G” for gradient
Choose linear gradient -black to transparent-2nd icon from left
Drag cursor from top of image down to horizon
flatten/save


Polarizer

1.Ctrl+J
2. Window> Channels
3. Red Channel
4. Ctrl+A; Ctrl+C
5. Lab Colour (Don’t Flatten)
6. Channel> Lightness
7. Ctrl+V
8. Image> Mode> RGB (Don’t Flatten)
9. Select top layer- Layer> Layer mask Reveal All
10. Click on layer mask thumbnail
11. Image> Apply Image
12. Layer-background; channel red; “Invert” Ticked Blending-Multiply-opacity 100% Flatten and save.


Regards, Ken