photoshop retouching cookbook for digital photographer

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Barry Huggins

PHOTOSHOPfor

Retouc

I L E X


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CONTENTSContents

Introduction 6

Selections 9

Layer Masks 10

Clipping Masks 11

Exposure Correction 12

Correcting over- and underexposure 14

Controlling contrast 18

Difficult exposure problems 20

Color Correction 24

Strengthening color 26

Saturating color 28

Working with color casts 30

Focus Manipulation 34

Sharpening images 36

Soft focus techniques 40

Depth of field effects 42

Motion blurring 46

Retouching Portraits 50

Removing red eye & changing eye color 52

Whitening teeth & eyes 54

Enhancing lips 56

Changing hair color 58

Removing skin blemishes and wrinkles 60

Perfecting skin tones 62

Reshaping faces 64

Retouching Landscapes 66

Interesting skies 68

Extending image areas 74

Removing unwanted objects 76

Correcting perspective 84

Color Effects 86

Creating black and white from color 88

Color effects 92

Tinting images 94

Emulating photo filters 96

Lighting Effects 100

Lighting Effects filter 102Portrait lighting 104

Lens Flare 106

Creating night from day scenes 108

Creating reflections 112

Removing reflections 114

Traditional Darkroom Techniques 116

Creating film grain 118

Infrared film effects 122

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Photoshop Retouching Cookbook for Digital Photographers

Copyright 2005 The Ilex Press Limited

First published in the United Kingdom by

I L E X

3 St Andrews Place

Lewes

East Sussex

BN7 1UP

ILEX is an imprint of The I lex Press Ltd

Visit us on the web at www.ilex-press.com

This book was conceived by:

ILEX, Cambridge, England

ILEX Editorial, Lewes:

Publisher:Alastair Campbell

Executive Publisher: Sophie Collins

Creative Director: Peter Bridgewater

Managing Editor: Tom Mugridge

Editor: Stuart Andrews

Art Director: Tony Seddon

Designer: Ginny Zeal

Junior Designer:Jane Waterhouse

ILEX Research, Cambridge:

Development Art Director: Graham Davis

Technical Art Director: Nicholas Rowland

Any copy of this book issued by the publisher as a paperback is sold subject to the

condition that it shall not by way of trade or otherwise be lent, resold, hired out, or

otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or

cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition

including these words being imposed on a subsequent purchaser.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from The British Library.

ISBN 1-904705-59-6

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form, or

by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or

information storage-and-retrieval systems without the prior permission of the publisher.

Manufactured in China

For more information, and to download image files from the workthroughs in this book,

please visit www.web-linked.com/cretuk


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INTROD


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8

INTRODUCTIONIntroduction

Over the past decade, the digital revolution has aff ected us all,

changing our everyday lives in a thousand small but significant

ways. Computerization continues to have an impact on everyone,

regardless of generation, gender, or our own technophilia or phobia. There

is scarcely an element of our existence that is not influenced in some way

by the microchip, from the way we work to the way we play, how we

communicate and shop, the flow of our finances, our methods of learning,

and even simply moving from A to B.

Photography has not been left unscathed by this digital invasion.

In fact, it has seen some of the most dramatic alterations. The traditional

wet darkroomthe esoteric preserve of the professional and keen amateur

photographernow teeters on the edge of obscurity, its arcane practices

consigned to dusty volumes for posterity.Today, a new digital darkroom heralds a utopia for anyone

interested in creative photography. Whether you are a professional, an

amateur, or somewhere in between, this book has been written to

demonstrate how you can use an industry-standard image-editing

application to retouch your photographs with a power and flexibility that

goes beyond what even experts could achieve in the old-fashioned wet

darkroom. Using Adobe Photoshop, the choice of professional retouchers

and graphic designers, youll see how to add a professional finish to your

photographytouches that can often be the difference between a

winning image and one consigned to the bottom drawer.

Digital photography is a great medium, but it does have some

limitations. It wont enable you to recompose a shot or bring the sun out

from behind a cloud or brighten the red paintwork. And it definitely wont

prevent the unsuspecting tourist from walking into frame just as Krakatoa

is erupting. However, using Adobe Photoshop, we can resolve all these

problems, plus a myriad other irritating situations that can render your

image a failure.Color correction and creative color manipulation are the mainstays

of photographic post-production. Along with brightness and contrast

adjustments, and the general control of light, this area is probably the

most intensively worked element of the digital darkroom. As anyone who

has ever attempted to recover an image from the depths of darkness or

revitalize a washed-out image will attest, the prescribed solution is not

always successful. One size definitely does not fit all when it comes to

digital manipulation. As a result, this Cookbook covers a variety of

recipes that should take care of most scenarios. By engaging in a little

creative mixing of techniques, only the most under-performing image will

be headed for the trashcan.

If color and brightness/contrast editing are the bread and butter of

digital manipulation, then the crme brule has to be special effects: the

subtle reflection that would have stopped Monet in his tracks and

implored him to commit it to canvas; the strategically placed blur that

renders the subject almost three-dimensional against a distracting

background; the suggestion of fluid motion left by a ghostly trail in the

moving subjects path. All these tricks will be added to your collection.

We can also take a second look at some traditional wet darkroom

techniques, as many can be replicated in digital form. Techniques such as

film grain, a favorite tool of many photographers to invoke a certain mood.

Reticulation and mezzotints both exist as standard Photoshop filters, but

in keeping with our theme of multiple recipes, well also outline a more

customized approach. Solarization, a haunting and enigmatic style

embodied famously in the work of the surrealist artist and photographer

Man Ray, is covered, using an unusual approach that allows you

tremendous scope for creative transformation. Infrared photography was

traditionally the domain of the scientist, but now this compelling

photographic style is easy for anyone to mimic.

Arguably the most commonly photographed subject is the human

form itselfand perhaps no other subject is more prone to criticism. Here

you will learn how to construct the essen tial elements of the cover girl

shot, from whitening teeth and eyes, and removing wrinkles and skin

blemishes, to enhancing lips and skin tone, sculpting the face, and even

changing hair color.

On a more functional note, you will be guided through the

techniques of creating strong black-and-white and color-tinted imagery

a function omitted from many digital cameras. Well also look at removing

unwanted elements from your photographs, whether its people in the

background or a stray speck of dust. And if you have valuable, irreplaceable

images that have been damaged by age or poor storage, well show you

how to fix these too.

Though the emphasis is on updating old photographs and cleaning

up imperfect ones, well also run through some recipes designed to makeyou equally adept at doing the reverse: simulating an antique photograph,

resplendent with fading, cracks and all the telltale signs of advancing

years. In a similar vein, your photographs can be turned into classic prints

using a range of posterization techniques.

Finally, for anyone seriously delving into the hidden power of

digital photography, we will take a tour into the RAW formatthe digital

equivalent of the negative. Using Photoshops camera RAW plug-in

unleashes a powerhouse of adjustments, enabling you to not only perfect

your image prior to opening it in Photoshop, but also helping you to rescue

detail which may otherwise be lost.

Whatever your level of expertise, working through the recipes in

this book or just using them as the basis for your own experimentation will

help you come a step closer to what we all dream of: the perfect picture.

Barry Huggins

Throughoutthis book, well bedoings omework thatinvolves adjustingor transforming

isolated elementswithinan image. EveryPhotoshop artisthas hisorher ownfavorite

methodsof selection, buttheyall havetheirplaceand theiruses.

1 THE MARQUEE TOOLS

Ideal for selecting regular areas, including windows and doors

with the rectangular Marquee, or irises and pupils with the

elliptical Marquee. The single line Marquees are useful for

adjusting existing selections or removing a single line from

an image or a layer. To select a perfectly circular or square area

while using either the elliptical or rectangular Marquee, hold

down the Shift key as you drag it out. To drag out from a

central point rather than the edge, hold down the Alt/Opt key.

To do both, hold down both keys.

SELECTIONS

2 THE LASSOTOOLS

With a graphics tablet and a steady hand, the freeform

Lasso can be an excellent tool for making rough selections.

Otherwise, the polygonal Lasso is ideal for isolating simple

shapes, or complex ones provided you have the patience to

make a lot of anchor points. If the edge of your object gives

you some contrast to work with, the magnetic Lasso can also

make extractions very easy. You can switch quickly from the

Magnetic Lasso to the Polygonal Lasso by holding down the

Alt/Opt key, then clicking. This is a useful trick if your selection

loses its edge for a small section, giving the Magnetic Lasso

very little to work with.

3 THE MAGICWAND

As with the Polygonal lasso, the Magic Wand works wonders

where there is a clear edge and plenty of contrast: it can be a

great tool for removing backgrounds from a shot or selecting

cutouts. The Magic Wand and the related Color Replacement

tool are designed to select areas of a specific color in theimage. However, by checking or unchecking the Contiguous

checkbox, you can define whether it confines the selection to

adjacent pixels within the Tolerance range, or whether it picks

all colors in the image within the Tolerance range. This can be

useful if, say, you wish to select a sky behind the branches of

a tree, though in some of these cases it may be wiser to switch

to the Color Range command.

4 COLOR RANGE

An undervalued selection tool, the Color Range tool (Select>

ColorRange) works well, as you might expect, for selecting

areas of a particular color or tone. You can use the standard,

plus, and minus eyedroppers to select a hue, then increase or

decrease the range of colors affected. Alternatively, you can

make a basic selection, then move the Fuzziness slider up and

down. As with so many of Photoshops tools, experimentation

will help you master the tool and its uses.

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10

INTRODUCTION

LayerMasksareanotherPhotoshop featurethatwell useextensivelyinthisbook. As

youreprobably aware, Photoshop enablesyou to build compositeimages usinglayers.

Adjustmentsorselected portionsof an imagecanbeassigned to a layer, which can be

mademoreor lesstransparentusingthe Opacity slider. Theorderof thelayerscan

also berearranged bymovingthem up and down withintheLayerspalette, and the

waysin which thelayers interact with each othercan bechanged usingthe Blend

drop-downmenu. Changingtheseblendingmodescan havedramaticeffects, aswell

seelateron.

LayerMasksenableyouto easilycustomizewhich partsof alayerare visible, hidden,

orpartiallyvisible. Inthis example, thebottom layerisa full-colorshotof a windowin

ahotel bedroom. Thetop layeristhesame shot, desaturated. By addingalayermask

(theeasiestwayis to highlightthelayer, then clickthethird button from theleft at

thebottom of theLayerspalette), wecan paintoverthe window inblack to let the

colorwindowbelowshowthrough. Paintingonwhite restoresvisibilityto the layer,

and paintingingrayenablesyouto do thesameat varyinglevelsof opacity, depending

on th e strength of th e tint. Th is be comes p articularly useful wh en creating

compositionsorwhentweakingtheeffectof astrongimageadjustment.

LAYER MASKS

ClippingMasksuse thecontentof onelayerto maskthelayersaboveit. A shapeor a

logo ononelayerwill allowthecontentsof thelayeraboveto showthrough. Thishas

amultitudeof uses, and well exploresomeof them inprojectslateron. Thisis justa

simpledemonstration. On thebottom layer, wehave astraightstudio portraitshot.

Onthetop layer, wehavethesame shot, inverted. Inthe middleis asimpleblackbox

(with a drop shadowand strokelayerstyleadded foreffectdontworryaboutthese

fornow). Clickingthe middlelayer, holdingtheAlt/Optionkey, thenhoveringon the

linebetweenthetop and middlelayerswill bring up a special createclippingmask

pointer. Clickagainto createtheclippingmask.

As youcan see, themiddlelayer nowacts as a mask, hidingmostof thetop layer

exceptforthe portionin theblackbox. Notethatmovingtheboxchangestheportion

of thelayerrevealed. Thistechniqueopensup amultitudeof othereffects.

CLIPPING MASKS


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EX

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Correcting o

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14

EXPOSURE CORRECTIONCorrecting over- and underexposure

Most photographers, whether amateur

or professional, would put over- or

underexposure at the top of their list of

reasons to reject an image. However, some of

these images can still be saved. With a few simple

adjustments from Photoshops impressive arsenal

of tools, washed-out photos can be rescued from

the scrapheap, and gloomy shots brought into

the light of day.

2However, as brightnessincreases, contrast will startto decrease. To compensate,drag the Contrast slider to

the right to match. This toolis fine for simple tasks, butits not very flexible. Allpixels are brightened by thesame degree, which causesproblems in more compleximages where differentareas require differentadjustments.

1Well use the simplest ofall brightness adjustmenttools on this underexposedshot. Go to Image >Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast.The controls arepretty straightforward: dragthe Brightness slider to theright to increase brightness.

Method 1:Brightness/Contrast

Most Photoshop professionals will ignorContrast command and reach for the Lepalette gives you a histogram of the tonimage, with sliders at the bottom to conand gray (or gamma) points. In this examstonework against a bright sun causes afor the cameras auto exposure systemscompensates, resulting in a dark image.

Method 2:Levels

2The gray slider in betweenthe white and black slidersadjusts the gamma point. Byshifting this, we can makefine adjustments to thebrightness withoutdramatically affecting theextreme light and dark areasof the image. Drag thegamma point to the left tobrighten the midtones, or tothe right to darken them.Here we make a smalladjustment to the left tointroduce a little more light.

1Press Ctrl/Cmd + L forlevels (Image >Adjustments> Levels). Our image is toodark, so well leave the blackslider alonebut notice howfar to the right the whiteslider is positioned. Drag thewhite slider to the left to avalue of about 229thepoint where the histogramgraph begins.

Tip

Fora quickLevelsadjustment, tryImage> Adjustments>

Auto Levels. Thiscan beaneffectivetool, or offerapointof

comparisonfor yourown , morecontrolled Levelsadjustments.


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Users of Photoshop CS2 have a more powerful and intuitiveexposure-correction tool within their grasp. Go to Image >Adjustments > Exposure.

Method 4:The Exposure commandMethod 3:Curves

Sometimes Levels doesnt work effectively, and then its timeto wheel out the big guns: C urves. This image suffers fromoverexposure in the sky andto a certain extentthe ocean.The rest of the scene suffers from underexposure. This wouldbe a challenge for Levels, but Curves copes with ease.

EXPOSURE CORRECTION

1Press Ctrl/Cmd + M (Image> Adjustments > Curves).The brighter parts of theimage are defined along thetop half of the diagonal line.Click and drag the line froma point as shown in theexample. (To replicate thissample curve exactly, typethe numbers into the Inputand Output boxes in theCurves dialog boxselectthe points on the curve toactivate the boxes.) Draggingthe diagonal line downwards

darkens RGB images. Nowthe sky and ocean no longerlook washed out. Dont clickOK yet, though. Thissweeping curve darkens thewhole image, which isntactually what we want. Thelower half of the diagonalline represents the darkerparts of the image, and asthis line is now lower thanthe original position, thedark areas have becomedarker still.

2Luckily, this isnt aproblem, as Curves gives usthe flexibility to edit up to14 different points ofbrightness between whiteand black. Click and drag thecurve from a point on thelower half of the line.Alternatively, just click tomake a point on the lineanywhere below the currentexisting point and type thenumbers shown into theInput and Output boxes.The resulting image hasenhanced contrast in thesky and ocean, whileimproving visibility in thedarker areas.

Correcting over- and underexposure


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Tip

CURVES

Wecanget exactlythesame effectusingthe

Curvesc ommand. SelectImage > Adjustment

> Curves(Ctrl/Cmd + M)butthistimewe

wontactuallymakeacurve. Instead, bringthewhiteand blackpointsclosertogetherto ramp

up thecontrast. Firstclickand dragthe white

pointatthetop rightcornerof thediagonal

lineslightlydownto theleft, thendragthe

blackpointinthebottom leftcornerof the

lineto the right. Tryexperimentingwith the

proximityof the blackand whitepointsto each

otherto seedifferentdegrees of contrast.

EXPOSURE CORRECTIONControlling contrast

The same controls used to adjust levels of

brightness also come into play in correcting areas

of weak or excessive contrast. In fact, poor

contrast is usually a direct result of poor exposure.

The two are so closely linked as to share a common

toolthe Brightness/Contrast commandthough,

as we mentioned on the previous pages, this tool

isnt particularly effective in real-world use. As with

brightness, contrast is better adjusted using more

sophisticated methods. For a quick fix, try the automated Auto Levels and AutoContrast commands. Both work well on some images, butAuto Levels can create new problems at the same time as itsolves old ones.

Method 1:Automatic options

2Now well compare

the result of Auto Levelsby doing the same thingwith Auto Contrast. Workon another copy of theoriginal, and select Image> Adjustments > AutoContrast(Ctrl/Cmd + Alt +Shift + L). Both commandssucceed in increasingcontrast, but the AutoLevels version has a cyancast creeping in.

1As Auto Levels works oneach channel independently,it has a tendency to producea color cast, and can fail toremove one when thatwould seem an obvious stepto the human eye. Take thistonally flat landscape shot,for example. Select Image >Adjustments > Auto Levels(Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+L).

Method 2:Levels

For greater control, themanual Levels command isa better choice. Here thesun-bleached stones leavethis desert image lookingdull, and the whole shotsuffers from a lack of

tonal contrast.

1SelectImage >Adjustments > Levels(Ctrl/Cmd + L). As we detailed onpages 14 to 15, moving theblack slider to the right andthe white slider to the leftwill help with over- andunderexposure, but thecloser the black and whitesliders come together, thegreater the contrast will be.Its wise to judge the effectby eye, enabling the Previewcheckbox to assess just howclose they should be. Thegray or gamma slider in themiddle can also beemployed: drag it right todarken the midtones and

Fors

mod

wort

Method 3:Overlay

This is a slightly more unorthodox method for correctingcontrast, but its quick and often effective.

1Take this hazy shot, andduplicate the backgroundlayer, either by dragging it tothe New Layer icon at thebottom of the Layers palette,or by selecting Layer > New> Duplicate Layer.

2Now change the duplicatelayers blend mode toOverlay. The new image hasincreased contrast, and aricher overall look.

left to lighten them. Thissimple Levels adjustmenttransforms the picture,giving it a much greatervisual impact.


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EXPOSURE CORRECTIONDifficult exposure problems

The methods weve already covered are the bread

and butter of Photoshop corrections, and highly

successful in most cases. However, every photo

shoot produces some images that present a dditional

problems, requiring extra work.

1Make a selection ofthe exterior view throughthe window using thePolygonal Lasso. Now invertthat selection by going toSelect > Inverse(Ctrl/Cmd

+ Shift + I).

Problem 1:Window shots

The scene through the open window presents one of themost common exposure problems. The photograph wasexposed for the outside, and this has rendered the interiorvery dark. We could use any of the techniques weve alreadycovered, but in this case a different approachtreating thephoto as if it were two separate imageswill give us a muchbetter result.

2Choose Image >Adjustments > Curves(Ctrl/Cmd + M) to open theCurves palette. Reproducethe curve in the example tolighten the selection. The

protected exterior viewremains unchanged,revealing a better overallbalance in the image.

Problem 2:Lost shadow detail

Although its difficult to tell, this image should contain alot of detail in the shadows. Sadly, exposing for the brightpatches of sunlight has caused the shadows to lookessentially black. The extremes of the heavy black shadowand the bright sunlight proved too much for the camera,but we can still keep the dappled sunlightwhich is veryflattering on the mosaic floor and rugswhile lightening upthe shadows. Photoshop CS can handle this difficult taskwith ease. Go to Image > Adjustments > Shadow/Highlight.

2In the adjustment section,

Color Correction has beenboosted to +52, with theMidtone Contrast, BlackClip, and White Clip settingsleft unchanged. The finishedimage has stronger shadowdetail, but the adjustmenthasnt affected the strongplay of sunlight.

1In this example, thesettings shown increaselight in the shadows,revealing the hidden detail.The highlights are fine asthey are, so the Highlightsettings remain at zero.


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EXPOSURE CORRECTION

The DWhile short whighligoverextool isretouctoo mproblewell uof theterrac

Problem 3:Localized adjustments

The Burn ToolThe patterned glass imagehas a couple of highlightareas that are nearlycompletely blown-out. Usingthe Burn tool, we candarken these areas andregain some of the detail.

Other images demand a more specific approach, where areasof an image are adjusted manually using two tools with theirorigins in the traditional darkroom. The Dodge and Burn toolsare highly effective at lightening and darkening small regionsof an image, or emphasizing the effects of light and shadow.

1Start by creating aduplicate layer to work on.This keeps your original safein case things go wrong.Select the Burn tool for thetoolbox, then go to the ToolOptions bar at the top ofthe screen. First, set theRange to Midtones if thisoption hasnt already beenchosen by default. It mayseem more logical to selectHighlights, but this wouldactually cause an excessivelyharsh result. Set theExposure to 31% to createsubtle, realistic results.

2Ensure you have theduplicate layer selected,then start to brush overthe highlight area withthe Burn tool until thehighlight is reduced andthe detail in the glasshas been re-established.

USING THE SHADOW/HIGHLIGHT TOOL

TheShadow/Highlight tool excelsin situations whereshadows need darkening

butotherareasaregenerallywell exposed. Itsfarmorethana dumbbrightness

adjustmenttool, asit makesadjustmentsbased onsurroundingpixelsinthe shadows

and highlightareas. This enablesus to makeindependentadjustmentsto the shadows

orthe highlights, withoutthe usual adverseeffects.

Whenthedialogboxopens, theoptionsaresetbydefaultto correctproblems

of backlighting. If thatisntyourimmediateproblem, youcanadjustthecontrols

manually. ClicktheShowMoreOptionscheckboxto reveal thefull rangeof settings.

1 SHADOWS

The Tonal Width slider is used to specify how many tones are

modified in the shadows. A low setting will affect only the

darkest areas of the shadows, leaving other areas untouched.

As the value is increased the midtones of the shadows are also

modified. With higher values comes a risk of halos appearing

where there are strong light to dark edges. Keep the preview

checkbox enabled to monitor this.

RADIUS

The Radius slider defines the size of the pixel area surrounding a

given pixel that is used to assess whether it fits in the shadows

or the highlights. Higher values result in larger areas. The setting

will vary depending on the size of the image and the size of the

area youre adjusting. Too low, and it might not affect the whole

target area. Too high, and it might affect areas you dont want

changed. If Shadow/Highlight doesnt seem to be working, set

the Amount to maximum (so you can see the effect) and nudge

the Radius steadily left or right. When the filter seems to be

affecting only the parts you want adjusted, stop and return to

the Amount setting to continue the adjustment.

AMOUNT

The Amount slider governs the percentage amount of

adjustment based on the tonal width and radius settings.

Higher values result in increased lightening of the shadows,

but overdoing it causes a problematic loss of contrast in

the shadow areas.

HIGHLIGHTS

The same controls exist for highlights. In this case increasing

the Amount slider will darken the highlights and Lower Tonal

Width settings will affect only the brightest areas of the

highlights. The Radius controls work the same way as the

Shadows controls.

2

3

4

ADJUSTMENTS

Use the Color Correction slider to make any color adjustments

to any areas revealed by your Shadow or Highlight adjustments:

the adjustments made will only apply to pixels affected by your

corrections so far. Moving the slider right saturates the pixels,

while moving the slider left tones them down.

MIDTONE CONTRAST

Midtone Contrast can be increased by dragging the Midtone

contrast slider to the right, or reduced by dragging it to the

left. A shift to the right may also make shadows darker and

highlights brighter.

5

6

1

2

4

3

5

6

Difficult exposure problems

BLACKCLIP& WHITE CLIP

Use the Black Clip and White Clip values

to determine the extent to which the

shadows and highlights will be clipped to

the new shadow and highlight settings.

Shadow is 0 and highlight is 255. Larger

values boost the contrast in the image but

can also reduce detail, as the extreme

values will be clipped to black or white.

7

7


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COLOR CORRECTION


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COLOR CORRECTION

1Select Image >Adjustments > Hue/Saturation(Ctrl/Cmd + U).The adjustment is a simpleone. We want to keep theoriginal colors in the scene,but with an increased levelof intensity. Drag theSaturation slider to theright. With the previewcheck box enabled you can

judge the degree ofadjustment needed by eye.Click OK, and this rathernondescript image becomesa bold color statement.

Correcting exposure will solve many basic color

problems, but Photoshops extensive range of

color correction tools can easily handle any that

are left over. For example, overexposure or poor

lighting conditions can give a photograph a distinctly

washed-out look, which may persist when the initial

fault is fixed. Photoshop offers several ways of

boosting color. Well explore three of them in our

attempts to enhance this lackluster shot.

Strengthening color

Method 1:Hue/Saturation

The first tool, the Hue/Saturation dialog box, is one of theeasiest and most intuitive to use. Boosting the Saturation hasan instant strengthening effect on all the colors in an image.

The same principles apply to both the Curves and Levelscommands. Adjusting the individual color channels enablesyou to boost certain colors at the expense of others.

Method 2:Curves

2Now select the blue doorsand relaunch the Curvesdialog box. Return to theBlue channel, and select acentral point, then drag itupwards. This mirrors theCurve in the last step, andhas the opposite effect:strengthening the blues andreducing the yellows. Theeffect is similar to the resultachieved with Levels.

1Open the original imageand select the car (as instep 1 of method 3). Go toImage > Adjustments >Curves(Ctrl/Cmd + M).Select Blue from theChannel drop-down. Click inthe centre of the diagonalline and drag that pointdown to decrease thestrength of blue and createa more vibrant yellow.

Method 3: Levels

PHOTOSHOP COLOR THEORY

AdjustingcolorsinPhotoshop requiresa small amountof color

theory. Lookat thecolorwheel below. Thecolorsthatsit

oppositeeach otherare called complementary colors. Red is

oppositeto cyan, greenis oppositeto magenta, and blueis

oppositeto yellow. InmanyPhotoshop dialogboxesLevels,

Curves, orColor Balancefor examplestrengtheningor

diminishingonecolorwill havetheoppositeeffectonitscomplement. Well usethis effectin methods2 and 3 onthis

page, and infutureprojectsthroughoutthebook.

The Levels command is closely associateand contrast adjustments, but its also acontrol. Adjustments made to the levelschannels affect specific colors, and can them or control the overall balance. Thinchannel in terms of a range running betwcomplementary colors. In the Red channthe white marker as red and the black mSimilarly the Green channel translates wblack as green, and the Blue channel run

1We can put the theoryinto practice. First makea selection of the yellowportions of the car. Theeasiest way to do this isusing the Color Rangeselection tool. Set theFuzziness to 50 and makean initial selection, thenuse the + Eyedropperto add to it. The selectiondoesnt need to beperfectly accurate as longas it contains most ofthe car and none ofthe background.

2NowAdjus(Ctrl/CyellowBlue cChann(yellowopposblack

interpright wstrengselectany bldrag dintensdesireadjustresult

Alternatively, you can selectspecific colors from thedrop-down box and adjustthose individually.

COLOR CORRECTION


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COLOR CORRECTIONSaturating color

Another method of boosting color is to use the

Selective Color command. This technique offers

one key advantage: it doesnt require any

selections to be made. This shot of a Mediterranean

fishing village has a liberal scattering of boldly

painted woodwork, but the exposure has failed to

capture the vibrancy of the original scene.

5Finally the aqua-coloredwoodwork needs someadjustment to distinguish itfrom the blues. Select theCyans from the drop-downbox. Increase thepercentage of Cyan andYellow and reduce theMagenta. Greaterpercentages of Yellowcreate a strong, oceanicturquoise. The finished

result is resplendent in itsglorious huesjust the wayit was meant to be.

1Go to Image >Adjustments > Selective Color.First,choose Reds from the drop-down box at the top of thedialog box, and ensure the Absolute radio button is enabledat the bottom. This option yields a more pronounced effectwhen youre looking for rich, heavily saturated color. Thepercentage increase you designate will be applied in itsentirety, rather than as a percentage of the original number.For example, if the current value of a certain pixel is 40%Yellow and you add 20%, the new total value of that pixelwill be 60% Yellow.

2To enrich the reds, firstreduce the percentage ofthe Cyan. This shifts theselected color towards thewarmer red end of thecolor spectrum. Increases inpercentage to the magentaand yellow will amplify thiseffect. To assess the colorchange, enable the Previewcheckbox.

3Now for the blues.Select Blues from the samedrop-down menu. For a richMediterranean blue, increasethe Cyan and Magentapercentages and reduce theYellow percentage.

4The next. Cthe drreducewhile iYou mwith tpoint. percentowarcolor sricher,Decrealeans tend foAlternMagenorangthese

Using selective color

COLOR CORRECTION


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COLOR CORRECTIONWorking with color casts

Acolor cast describes an overwhelming

predominance of a certain color throughout an

imageas if the shot had been taken through a

tinted filter, shifting the hue of every color in the

scene. Color casts are easy enough to correct, but we

need to be sure of the nature of the cast in order to

make the right adjustment. Some are unmistakable,

while others need a more experienced eye to discern

between, say, a yellow or green cast. Luckily,

Photoshop offers an alternative while you develop

that expertise.

2The next image shows theresult of an additional clickon More Blue (the effectsare cumulative).

1Go to Window > Infotoopen the Info palette, thenpress Ctrl/Cmd + L to bringup Levels. Before we fix thecolor cast, we need to setthe white and black pointsfor the image. Examine theshot carefully, and look forelements of the image thatshould be pure white orpure black. Select the Blackeyedropper above thePreview box, then use theInfo palette to find thedarkest area of the image(the RGB values should beas close to 0 as possible).When youve narrowedyour search down to aspecific region, zoom in soyou can see the individualpixels. Click on the darkestpixel to set the Black point.Then select the Whiteeyedropper, and repeat theprocess, looking for thelightest area of the image (inthis case, the RGB values on

the Info palette should be asclose to 255 as possible).

RECOGNIZING COLOR CASTS

Studythepictureof thewhiteflowerscarefully. You maybe

ableto recognizea yellowcast permeatingtheentireimage.

To confirm thenatureof thecolorcast, makesure theinfo

paletteis open(Window> Info)thenselecttheEyedroppertool

from thetoolbox. Keep themouse buttonpressed while

hoveringovera palepartof the flowerpetal. We would expect

thisareato havea neutral color, wheretheRGB valuesare

virtually equal. Forinstance whiteshould beR255, G255, B255,

and thiswould beconsistentall thewaythrough therangeof

grays downto black (R0, G0, B0). Inthis image, however, the

RGB sectionof theInfo paletteconfirmsthatthepixel has more

red and greenthanblue. In RGB color, red and greenmake

yellow, so wenowhaveconclusiveproof of a yellowcolorcast.

Method 1:Variations

The Variations command is an easy, visual method, bestsuited to photographs that dont require detailed fine-tuning.Go to Image > Adjustments > Variations.

1The two thumbnails in thetop left of the dialog boxshow the original andadjusted versions of theimage. These should beidentical when the dialogbox opens, but if you haveused Variations recently, theadjusted thumbnail willdisplay the current imagewith the Variations settingyou used. Click on theOriginal thumbnail to resetit. The thumbnails belowshow the approximate resultof choosing that variation.These give you an at a

glance idea of whatvariation is needed to fixthe current color problem.We know this image has abias of red and greenresulting in a yellow cast.Logically, adding moreblue would compensate,so click More Blue.

Method 2:Levels

The Levels command offers a powerful tool for color castremoval. Keeping in mind the neutral color principle, we canuse Levels to do most of the thinking for us. The overall pinktint of our next image is a sure sign of a magenta color cast.

The

Adju

that

2Now(gray) part ofbe a neone ofriver wwell. Cthe imeyedro

cast ha

COLOR CORRECTION


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1Our problem here is one

of too much magenta.Remember: the Greenchannel can be thought ofas a range running betweenthe green and magenta,with Green the right slider(white) and Magenta theleft (black). To make amagenta reduction, drag thewhite slider to the left to avalue of about 234. Thebenefit of this method isthat you can decide exactlyhow much magenta toremove. To make it obvious,in this example I chose avalue that goes too far. Youcan now see a slight greencast creeping in when youcompare this image with theprevious correction.

The Color Balance command is one of the easiest tounderstand. Press Ctrl/Cmd + B ( Image > Adjustments > ColorBalance). We can see the complementary colors neatly laidout, and as long as we know which colors we want corrected,we can drag the appropriate slider.

1Select Image >Adjustments > Curves

(Ctrl/Cmd + M). We are stillusing the principle ofcomplementary colors here,so choose the Greenchannel from the Channeldrop-down. Move thepointer to the centre of thediagonal line, and dragupwards to reduce themagenta in the midtones.The more you drag, themore you will reduce themagenta and increase green,with the effect spreading tothe highlights and shadows.As the finished imageshows, even minoradjustments can change theappearance of a photographquite radically.

COLOR CORRECTION

Method 3:Channel adjustments

If further adjustment is needed we can delve deeper intoLevels. The real power of the tool is in its individual channeloperations. Reload the original image, select Image >Adjustments > Levels, and click on the Green channel inthe Channels drop-down.

Method 4:Color balance

1Drag the Magenta/Greenslider towards the green.This reduces the magentaand will eventually increasethe green if you drag farenough. With the Midtonesradio button selected, the

adjustment will be restrictedto the midtones of theimage, with less impact onthe shadows and highlights.

Method 5:Curves

The final method uses Curvesthe more experienced youbecome with Photoshop, the more youll realize how usefulthis multi-faceted tool can be.

Of c

rem

mor

that

remo

Dealing with color casts


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MANIPU

FOCUS MANIPULATIONh i i


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FOCUS MANIPULATIONSharpening images

After color and brightness corrections, image

sharpening is probably the most-used function

in Photoshop. Although theres no substitute

for shooting the original photograph in focus,

Photoshops sharpening tools can greatly improve

the quality of less-than-optimal originals. These

tools dont actually improve the focusinstead,

they increase the contrast along edges where

different tonal areas meet, which creates the

illusion of a sharper image.

1In this example, set theAmount to 100%, the Radiusto 1.5 and the Threshold to0. The result is a crisperimage, and it would be quiteacceptable to leave it there.However, as we are dealingwith a portrait, we may notwant such a sharp imageat least not across thewhole photo. Although thefilter has sharpened the areaaround the eyes, it has alsosharpened the skin texture,along with imperfectionsthat were previouslyconcealed by the soft focus.

Method 1:Smart Sharpen Method 2:Unsharp Mask

Users of Photoshop CS and older versions will have to stick tothe tried and trusted Unsharp Mask (Filter > Sharpen >Unsharp Mask). Well use it here on a poorly focused shot.

The

ing.

ours

1

While Photoshop has four different sharpening filters,Sharpen, Sharpen Edges and Sharpen More are really bestsaved for quick and dirty fixes. For many years, theUnsharp Mask has been the professionals choice, as itoffers more control. However, Photoshop CS2 introducesthe Smart Sharpen filter, which has been designed toremove the effects of camera shake or slightly inaccuratefocusing. It doesnt replace the Unsharp Mask, but it canbe easier and more effective provided you can identifythe basic problem.

1Open the image and takea careful look. Is it slightly

out of focus (Lens blur)?Has it been blurred duringimage editing or is it, as inthis case, the victim of somecamera shake? Either way,click Filter > Sharpen >Smart Sharpen.

2Select the type of Bluryouve identified from theRemove drop-down near thebottom of the dialog box. Inthis case, its a Motion Blur.Since weve got a horizontalblur, ensure that the Angleis set accordingly (0 or 180are horizontal) then adjustthe Radius and amount tosuit your image. You mightbe familiar with the controlsfrom the Motion Blur filter(see page 46).

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6Apply the Unsharp Maskfilter as before, using thesame settings to make adirect comparison. Youshould see a subtledifference between the two,with a softer skin texturethat contrasts with the well-defined eyes, mouth, and

jewelry, or the sharp detailin the clothing andaccessories. If the imagedoesnt seem sharp enough,you may want to lower theRadius setting.

FOCUS MANIPULATION

Method 3:Sharpening with masks

One way of gaining even more control over the Unsharp Maskis to make a mask of the critical areas beforehand. Dontworry if youre not a master of manual selections: we have auseful shortcut we can follow.

1Open another copy of theoriginal image and open theChannels palette. Now finda channel with goodcontrast, so that the eyesand lips stand out from therest of the image. In thisexample, the Green channelfits the bill perfectly, butthis wouldnt be the case

with every shotif theimage was predominantlygreen, the Red or Bluechannels might give youbetter results.

2Copy the Green channel,as well use this as thefoundation for our mask(since we are working on acopy, our changes wont

have any impact on theoriginal colors). First, go toFilter > Stylize > Find Edges.This gives us a goodautomated starting point.Now invert the image usingImage > Adjust > Invert(orCtrl/Cmd + I).

3The main areas that needsharpening stand out, butwe can make them evenmore obvious using Levels(Ctrl/Cmd + L). Bygenerating some extremecontrast, we can ensure thatmost of the face texture is

5With the mask finished,we can load it as a selection.To do so, press and hold theCtrl/Cmd key, then click theGreen copy channel in theChannels palette. Nowactivate the RGB compositechannel, then return to theLayers palette. Make sureyou can see the marchingants of the loaded selection.

Manual sharpening

In some cases, a more localized form of required. For example, I was in such a rurare image of a heron having just caughthat I didnt have time to focus. As a relittle softparticularly in the birds eye adetail of the fish. The Unsharp Mask filtit also sharpens a lot of incidental noisea grainy feel.

2Withand th50%, csharpeeye anfish ascaveatusing tovershan unseffectmore okeep s

1For these small areas ofisolated sharpening, the

manual Sharpen tool is asquick and flexible to use asa paintbrush. It shares thesame location as the Blurand Smudge tools in thetoolbox (click and hold onthe Blur or Smudge to seethe alternative tools flyout ifthe Sharpen tool isntcurrently visible). Aswe paint in the sharpeningeffect, we can ignore thefeathers and the water,and concentrate on theareas in need of sharpening.For control over areas offine detail, set the size ofthe brush and the strengthof the sharpening in theTool Options bar at thetop of the screen, or usethe square bracket keys([ and ]) to increase and

decrease the brush size.

4Although we can nowsee the areas that will besharpened, any hard black-to-white transitions willmake the Sharpen filter lookfalse when applied. Toremedy this go to Filter >Blur > Gaussian Blur.

blacked out, leaving theeyes, mouth, and the edgesof the hair, jewelry, andclothing white. We want ahistogram that leansstrongly towards the darkerend, so move the Shadowsslider in.

Set the Radius to 1.9 andclick OK. This has afeathering effect on thehard edges and, once themask is in place, will ensurethe final sharpening effectis applied with moresubtlety than before.

Sharpening images

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FOCUS MANIPULATION

An alternative filter, Diffuse Glow, creatpronounced effect, minimizing rough texsoftening the edges of the eyes and lips

If you want a slightly stronger effect, use the Median filterwith another blend mode, Screen.

For a more highly finished, sophisticated effect we canuse the Gaussian Blur filter in combination with a changeof blend mode.

The quickest technique is to use the versatile GaussianBlur filter. This helps to cancel out any lines, blemishesor harsh lighting.

Despite photographys obsession with clarity

and capturing detail, sharp focus isnt the be-all

and end-all. In some situations, the opposite is

desirable. In some female portrait styles, including

the classic Hollywood studio publicity shot, a

deliberate soft focus effect is used to evoke a sense

of romance, or to create a dreamy, ethereal world.

In traditional photography, the methods employed to

achieve this range from dedicated soft focus filters,

to gauze over the lens, to smearing a diffusing gel

over a piece of glass on the front of the lens.

Photoshops methods are equally varied, but offer

a greater degree of control.

Soft focus techniques

Method 1:Gaussian Blur Method 2:Gaussian Blur (advanced)

1Select Filter > Blur >Gaussian Blur. The Radiusapplied will depend uponthe resolution of theimagefor higherresolutions, higher Radiussettings will be required toachieve the same effect asa low setting on a low-resolution image. A fineline divides a setting thatsoftens an image and asetting that merely looks

out of focus, but that lineis quite subjective. Theeffect here is subtle, butthe method has one keydrawback: critical areas suchas the eyes and lips losetheir impact as a result ofthe softening. One wayaround this is to mask thoseareas prior to blurring, butthere are easier and moreeffective techniques.

2Change the blurred layersblending mode to Lighten,and the result is reminiscentof that old Hollywoodpublicity shot, where theskin tones are softened anda gentle light pervades thewhole scene. With thismethod the eyes and lipsmaintain their impactwithout the need for anyadditional selections.

1Starting with the originalimage, create a duplicatelayer and apply a GaussianBlur with a Radius of 5.0. Initself, this setting is far toohigh and blurs the imageout of recognition.

Method 3:Median filter

1Go back to the originalimage, create a duplicatelayer, and apply the Medianfilter (Filter > Noise >Median) with the Radiusset to 1.

Method 4:Diffuse Glow

1Return to the originalimage and create a newduplicate layer. Set thebackground color to white,then select Filter > Distort >Diffuse Glow. Set theGraininess to 1, the GlowAmount to 12, and the ClearAmount to 7. The eyes andlips are still recognizable,but the overall look issignificantly softer.

2For aless wtry redopacitpurpoand chmode

2 Once again the effect onits own is too strong, butchange the layer blendmode to Screen and reducethe opacity to 80%. Theresult is similar to the effectof Method 2, but with agreater spread of light anda reduction in skin textureand detail.


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FOCUS MANIPULATIONMotion blurring


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4Finally, the originalbackground needs to bere-established. Add a layermask to the Blur layer byclicking on the layer maskicon, second from left atthe bottom of the Layerspalette. When youve

finished painting on thelayer mask (see left), theresult should look like this.

The Radial Blur filter

FOCUS MANIPULATION

The Radial Blur filter is another highly effective tool forsuggesting movement. It simulates a popular effect usedin conventional photography when taking pictures with azoom lens. A relatively slow shutter speed is used, exposingthe image as the lens is zoomed through its full focal length.The result, when successful, displays a focused centre withblurred lines emanating away from the central areaas ifthe viewer were looking down a tunnel. The picture of thefour-wheel drive vehicle in the desert looks a little static,and we want to create the sense of drama and urgencyassociated with driving in a challenging environment.Using Radial Blur will help.

1For maximum effect,images with strong contrastor lots of color work best.This generates a strongstreak effect, whichaccentuates the sense ofmotion. In this example, ahigh contrast effect isrequired. Press Ctrl+L (Win)/Cmd + L (Mac) to bring upthe Levels dialog box, thenincrease the contrast bybringing the black and whiteinput markers closertogether. The impact is clearin the foreground, wherethe heightened definition isperfect for Radial Blur.

2Now duplicate thebackground layer andrename it Blur. Activatethe duplicate layer and go toFilter > Blur > Radial Blur.Set the Blur Method toZoom, Quality to Best, andthe Amount to 38. Move thecentre point of the blur byclicking in the locationindicated in the Blur Centerwindow. This will place thecentre roughly in the middlefront of the vehicle. If youdont get it right first time,

just Undo the effect andclick again in a slightlydifferent location.

3The chosen Amountsetting creates the feel ofmovement withoutdestroying the clarity ofthe image, but the effectneeds a little sharpeningfor maximum impact. Goto Filter > Sharpen >Unsharp Maskand applythe settings shown.

ADDING THE LAYER MASK

Paintingonthemaskwith blackpaintreve

thelayerbelow(thesharperdetailsof the

dunesonthehorizon), whilewhitepaintst

again. Themaskappearsasa thumbnail on

butyoucan checkitsextentusingtwo eas

click(Mac)orAlt-click(Windows)onthe la

to viewonly themask, orOption-Shift-clic

seeitas acolored overlay.

Motion blurring


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RETO

POR

Removing red e

Removing s

RETOUCHING PORTRAITSRemoving red eye & changing eye color


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RETOUCHING PORTRAITSRemoving red eye & changing eye color

While its unlikely to be a concern in studio

portraiture, red eye is a regular problem in

snapshots of people. The phenomenon is a

consequence of a flash mounted close to the lens

reflecting back from the subjects retina. It can be

eliminated by using a flash that isnt mounted to the

camera or by using an in-camera red eye r eduction

system, and it can also be dealt with after shooting,

using Photoshop. As a bonus, the techniques used for

red eye removal can also be employed to change eye

color for cosmetic effect.

1First, select the EllipticalMarquee tool and make afeathered selection of thepupils of the eyes. PressCtrl/Cmd + B to bring up theColor Balance dialog box.

Method 1:The Red Eye Tool

Photoshop CS2 users can save time and effort by using thenew Red Eye tool. Its found i n the Toolbox, in the samesection as the Healing Brush and the Spot Healing Brush.

1First, select the Red EyeTool from the Toolbox.A crosshair pointer willappear: drag this to forma rough rectangle over thearea that contains the pupil.It doesnt need to be veryaccurate, but it mustencompass the whole pupil.

2The software willautomatically identify thered area of the pupil anddarken it. Repeat thisprocess to fix all of theother red eyes in the photo.

Method 2:Color Balance with selections

Users of Photoshop CS and older versions will have to employanother technique. Luckily, this method is virtually automatic.

3In ththe rerequirto comthis haunnatcompeMidtoMagenleft tothen dslider tlittle bShadoYellowright. Tfor lotinterpcolor iremov

2Red so seleTone Band drto thedecreapupilsvisiblethe puTone Band drslider treduce

RETOUCHING PORTRAITSWhitening teeth & eyes


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g y

Whenever the need arises to make a natural

element white or whiter, its tempting to set

the foreground color to white and reach for

the airbrush. This works if applied with care, but its

easier to achieve a more realistic effect using other

Photoshop tools. Here, a small amount of whitening

applied to the models teeth and eyes will lift the

whole image.

1Create the new layer,select the Dodge tool, thengo to the Tool Options barand set the Range toMidtones. The defaultExposure setting is 50%,which is a good startingpoint. Now run the Dodgetool over the teeth untilthey look whiter. The Dodge

tool is very powerful, somore than three brushstrokes could leave theteeth looking overdone. Ifthats the case, use Undo(Ctrl/Cmd +Z) to step back,then reduce the Exposuresetting in the Tool Optionsbefore returning to work.

Method 1:Dodge

The first technique successfully whitens your teeth withoutplacing demands on your brushwork. As with most retouchingtasks, its best to work on a duplicate layer in case you makea mistake.

2 Work over the eyes inthe same way, zoomingout often to get a lookat the image as a whole.The close-up view canoften be misleading.

Method 2:Screen mode

If youre not comfortable with applying brush strokes forwhitening, there are other options. In this technique, all youneed to do by hand i s to make a selection around the areas tobe retouched. This technique works equally well with teeth orthe whites of eyes.

1Press Ctrl/Cmd + J tocopy and paste the selectionto a new layer, calledteeth. Change the newteeth layers blend modeto Screen.

2 This effect is too strongin itself, but by reducingthe layers opacity you havecomplete control over thedegree of whitening. Thenext example shows thelayer opacity set to 60%.

M

We catheir cfine-tu

1Makof theImageCurveneed aso keeRGB acornerto the

RETOUCHING PORTRAITSEnhancing lips


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g p

As with eyes, the first resort of the novice

Photoshop retouch artist is to slap a brushload

of scarlet on the models lips. However, a more

sophisticated approach will pay dividends when the

style awards are handed out. In this example, the

models lips are quite muted in color and the surface

is almost completely matte.

1Make a selection of thelips and apply a smallfeather setting (Select >Feather) to keep the edgesof the selection soft andnatural. Press Ctrl/Cmd + Jto copy and paste the lipsselection to a new layer.Rename it lips.

2There are several optionsto boost the color of thelips, but the Selective Colorcommand is particularlyflexible. Go to Image >Adjustments > SelectiveColor.Choose Reds fromthe drop-down and enablethe Absolute radio button.

Applying the settings asshown will generate astrong pink color.

3To change the pink to aluscious red and bring outthe underlying texture,change the Lips layersblend mode to Color Burn.The gloss still needsemphasizing. Press Ctrl/Cmd+ M to bring up the Curvesdialog box and apply thecurve in the example tocreate a realistic wet look.

4The last stage adds a fewhighlightsessential for theHollywood studio glamourshot effect. Create a newlayer called highlights atthe top of the Layerspalette. Activate the newlayer, then paint over thenatural highlight areas ofthe lips with a smallpaintbrush using 50% gray.

5Whechangmode highligbrightoverdoFor threduceHighligapprox

Adding a glamorous gloss

92.7J973.UF8

RETOUCHING PORTRAITSChanging hair color


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Converting blonde hair to dark hair in Photoshop is

easy, but how about making very dark hair into a

realistic blonde? Its certainly more demanding,

but it is possible, and we can even define what kind of

blonde tone to create. Lightening the dark brown hair

of this model is a case in point.

1As a starting point, weneed to lose the heavy darkshades of the hair but keepall of the texture. Go toImage > Calculations. Thedrop-down boxes forsources 1 and 2 should beidentical, with both usingthe background layer of thesame document and the redchannel. Set the Blendingdrop-down to Add and theResult drop-down box toNew Channel. Click theChannels tab and you willsee a new channel calledAlpha 1 has been created.

Brunette to blonde

5At thprobaof a dihair pastrongsamplshadeeffectchoiceGo toAdjustBalancBalancChecka clippbetwehair la

4When all the hair ispainted, add a layer mask tothe pasted selection layer,set to Reveal All. Paint onthe mask with black toreveal the all of the originalbackground layer with theexception of the hair.

3We now have a neutralblack-and-white canvas onwhich to paint. Select thePaintbrush from the toolboxand set the brush mode toColor from the tool optionsbar. Use a large, soft-edgedbrush (125 pixels in thiscase), and choose a yellowcolor as the foregroundcolor (you can always usethe eyedropper to samplean actual blonde shade fromanother image). The colorIm using here is R229 G232B138. Paint over the entirehair area. Dont worry if youspill over onto the skin area

a little, as we can deal withthat later.

2The newly created channelmust now be copied andpasted as a new layer. Clickthe Alpha 1 channel toactivate it, then press Ctrl/Cmd + A to select all andCtrl/Cmd + C to copy. Clickthe RGB composite channel,then return to the layerspalette and press Ctrl/Cmd+ V to paste the selectionas a new layer above thebackground layer. Call itpasted selection.

RETOUCHING PORTRAITSRemoving skin blemishes & wrinkles


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If you are a reader of popular womens magazines

you might be forgiven for believing that the

glowing faces that grace the front covers all

possess the most perfect satiny skin. Sadly, this is

an illusion. Perfect skin does not exist; at least not

over the duration of a lifetime. But while imperfection

is a part of life, you can still sell the illusion with a

little Photoshop magic.

1First, make featheredselections of the areaswhere more than oneblemish exist.

2Now go toFilter>Noise>Dust andScratches.As the namesuggests, this filter isassociated more commonlywith cleaning up scans andold images, but dont letthat put you off. Set theThreshold to 9, as thisallows some of the skintexture to show through. Ifthe threshold is too low, thearea becomes too smoothand looks false. Set theRadius to 21, but gauge thisby eye, increasing the value

until the unwantedblemishes fade away. Theend result is the appearanceof blemish-free skin,without losing that all-important texture.

Removing individual marks

This model has certain blemishes that can easily be removed.For isolated blemishes, the Healing Brush offers the fastestand least destructive method of removal.

1Select the Healing Brush,go to the Tool Options bar,and set the Source toSampled. The tool will nowcopy the texture from thearea first sampled, whileretaining the current colorand brightness values.

2Place the cursor over anarea from which you wantto copy pixels. Keep the Alt/Option key pressed and clickthe mouse button to make aregistration point. This nowbecomes the sampledorigination point.

3Now place the cursor overthe blemish requiringremoval and click to paintout the offending area. Inthis instance one click willsuffice, provided the size ofthe brush is big enough tocover the blemish. The greatthing about the HealingBrushunlike the olderClone Stamp toolis that itmatches the texture,shading, lighting andtransparency of the originalsubject, making the editseamless in all but the mostdifficult of situations.

Tip

SPOT HEALING BRUSH

Photoshop CS2 supplementsthe HealingBrus h with anew Spot

HealingBrush. Thistool makesan intelligentguessatthetexture

itshould useto covertheblemish, meaningthatthereisno need

to Alt/Opt-clickon asamplepointfirst!

Smoothing wrinkles

Multiple blemishes

Although highly effective, the healing brush requires aseparate action for each element to be removed. This is nota problem when there are only one or two areas requiringattention, but it can become time-consuming for multipleblemishes covering a wider area. On page 76 we look at usingthe Patch tool as a method for hiding unwanted areasamethod that works well as long there is an area big enoughfrom which to copy replacement pixels. This may not alwaysbe possible on a persons face, so instead we will use a lessobvious technique.

RETOUCHING PORTRAITSPerfecting skin tones


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Shiny faces are the bugbear of make-up artists

in film, TV and still photography. Walk into any

studio and you will see them furiously damping

down shiny foreheads, noses, and any other glowing

features. You might not have access to these

facilities, but when there isnt a make-up artist to

intervene, Photoshop can work wonders.

3Fill the selection with thesampled color, then deselect(Select > Deselect). Reducethe remove shine layersopacity to about 60%, andthis should hide the shine.

The same process can beused on other areas of theface, with newly sampledskin tones as appropriate.

Removing shine

The shine on this models face spoils the shot over quite abroad area. Fortunately, its possible to fix the problem withone easy correction.

1Make a feathered selectionof the shiny area to befixed. This image has a low72ppi resolution, so aFeather setting of 8 pixelsworks well.

2With the selection stillactive, create a new layercalled remove shine.Next, use the eyedropperto sample a midtone of theskin. The color Im using isR255, G182, B144.

Adding and enhancing highlights

Conversely, a skin tone that is too flat can look dead andlifeless, so we can also use Photoshop to add highlights.Placed strategically, these can transform the face and drawattention away from any less flattering characteristics, shouldthey exist.

1For this method, workon a duplicate layer. Createone and call it highlights.This allows us to makeadjustments if necessaryin the final stages. Selectthe Dodge tool from theToolbox, setting up theTool Options as shown.

2Drag the tool over thecheekbones to enhancethe existing muted highlight.If the effect is too strong,try reducing the Dodgetools Exposure setting.You will achieve morerealistic and controllableresults by applying anumber of strokes atlower Exposure settings.

3Repeat the process abovethe eye, below the eyebrow,then do the same with theother side of the face.Dabbing with the Dodgetool over the naturalhighlight of the chin andalong the shoulder and armalso adds more definition.

RETOUCHING PORTRAITSReshaping faces


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The Liquify filter provides an intuitive method for

resculpting faces and bodies in general. Applied

methodically, the edits can be completely

indiscernible, and it can even be used in a subtle

fashion to change a persons expression. For this

example, well apply two different methods from

within the Liquify dialog box.

4Do the same on theother side of the face andneck. Click OK and thats it.Compare the final imagewith the starting imageand youll see a radicaldifference that lookscompletely natural.

For this example, well apply two different methods fromwithin the Liquify dialog box.

1Go to Filter > Liquify.Select the Warp tool (thefirst tool in the filtersToolbox). Go to the settingson the right, and set theSize of the brush to roughlycover the size of the area tobe affected. The idea here isto slim the jawline. Tochange the brush size asyou work, use the squarebracket keys: [ will reducethe size; ] will increase it.

2The other two relevantsettings are Brush Densityand Brush Pressure. TheBrush Density defines thefeathering at the edge ofthe brushthe effect of thebrush is more pronouncedat the centre than at theedge. Brush Pressure affectsthe speed at which thedistortion is made. You can

set it to maximum, but if

3In this example, the neckbulges out in a strange way

just below the jaw. Repeatthe process outlined in Step2 to streamline it.

Method 1:Warp Method 2:Pucker

you are new to the tool, itsoften better to reduce thepressure and watch theresults at a slower pace.Place the crosshair of thebrush on the left edge ofthe face, then click and dragto the right until you get thedesired results. If you go toofar, press Ctrl/Cmd + Z toundo and try again.

The second method usesthe Liquify Pucker tool.

1When youre editingsymmetrically, as here, itoften helps to use a grid.Go to the View Options areaof the Liquify dialog boxand enable the Show Meshcheckbox. Set the Mesh Sizeto large and the Mesh Colorto something that contrastswith the image.

2Increase the Brush Sizeto cover most of thebottom left corner of theface. Here Im using size270 on a 72ppi file. Placethe crosshair of the brushon a horizontal line of thegrid and count about 3 or 4

squares to the right of theedge of the face. Theexample shows where I haveplaced the cursor. Click 2or 3 times. The number ofclicks needed will changeaccording to the amountof thinning desired.


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RETOUCHING LANDSCAPESInteresting skies


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The sky is one of the landscape photographers

greatest assets. A natural backdrop, it provides a

subtle canvas that binds a composition together,

or it can be a bold visual statement on its own. Yet

many landscape shots are discarded because the sky

is too light, too dark, or just too boring. Thankfully,

with Photoshop even the most nondescript sky ca n

be easily transformed into a beautiful patchwork of

light and color.

3Rather than leave thephoto there, we can createa richer sunset with just afew more steps. Add aCurves adjustment layer tothe sky layer (Layer > NewAdjustment Layer)and, inthe Curves dialog box, dragthe curve down from thecentre to gradually darkenthe sky and water further.

Darkening skies

One of the major causes of lackluster landscapes is exposure.While, correctly exposing for the sky creates a gloomy,indistinct landscape in the foreground, exposing for thelandscape means the brighter sky is washed out of the image.This shot is a typical example.

6A quick and easy fix fora richer color is to go toImage > Adjustments >Hue/Saturation(Ctrl/Cmd +U). You can also use theHue/Saturation command

as an adjustment layer (aswith the Curves previously).The settings shown resultin a desirable orange glow:a big improvement on theoriginal pale sky. And withthe adjustment layers inplace, you can alwayschange the Hue andBrightness settings if youchange your mind later.

5Finally, well darken thesky a little more, enrichingthe color to give a soft pink/orange glow. Activate thesky layer and go to Select >Color Range, then chooseHighlights from the Selectdrop-down. This actionselects the highlights inthe layer, including most ofthe sky and the lighter partsof the water.

1We are not going to makeany adjustments to the boat

at this stage, so the firstthing to do is make aselection of it and place itout of harms way. Use theExtract tool, or the selectiontool of your choice. Withthe selection completed,press Ctrl/Cmd + J to copyand paste it to a new layer.Rename it Boat.

2Now duplicate thebackground layer (use Ctrl/Cmd + J again, since, withno live selection, the wholecurrent active layer isduplicated). Rename thelayer sky and change itsblend mode to Multiply. Thisdarkens the image, but theboat isnt affected as itsisolated on its own layer at

the top of the stack.

4The darkened sky worksbetter, but it has made theroof and bow of the boatlook too light to be real. Toremedy this, run the Burntool over the affected areaof the boat layer. Use a largebrush with the Burn tool setto Midtones at 65% opacity.


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RETOUCHING LANDSCAPESInteresting skies


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Creating skies

The previous techniques work well provided you have somesky to work on, but theyre no good if you just have afeatureless, colorless space. In this case, its time to call onartistic license, and make your own. There are two ways to goabout this. You can either commandeer an existing sky fromanother image or you can make one, workingliterallyfromthe ground up.

TIP

Fora morepronounced

effect, hold downthe

Alt/Optkeyas you

applytheCloudsfilter.

Alternatively, youc an

reapplythe Cloudsfilter,

astheeffectbecomes

cumulative.

4Create a new layer calledsky. Set up the foregroundand background colors witha blue and white. Thesecolors will form the basisfor the sky.

1The image we are usingfits into this hopelesscategory, so something newis called for. Make aselection of the sky, andsave it as an alpha channelfor later use (Select > SaveSelection).

2We want our digital sky tolook real. A commoncloudscape features randomclouds at altitude, and thesegradually diminish andbecome flatter and moreuniform nearer the horizon.The next step creates thisgradual fading effect. Go tothe Layers palette, selectthe Channels tab, click onthe arrow at the right sideof the palette to access theflyout menu, and select NewChannel. Call it Gradient.Fill the channel with a black

to white linear gradientrunning from top to bottom.

3Load the sky channel as aselection by pressing Ctrl/Cmd + clicking the channelin the Channels palette.Now, subtract the gradientchannel selection from thesky selection. This results ina new selection of the skywith a gradual fade towardsthe horizon. The beauty ofthis technique will becomeapparent in a moment.Press Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + clickthe gradient channel in theChannels palette. Notice thecursor now has a minus signto show a subtraction willbe made. At the moment,we cant see where theselection fades out, but all

will become clear when wemake some clouds.

5With the sky layerselected go to Filter >Render > Clouds. Noticehow the depth and textureis concentrated towards thetop of the image. Closertowards the horizon theeffect is more subdued, asthis is where the selectionfades from black to white,thereby limiting the effectof the Clouds filter.

RETOUCHING LANDSCAPESExtending image areas


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Landscapes often reward a more panoramic

widescreen approach, but your choices may be

limited by the shots youve taken or the lenses

used. To fill a larger area or make a landscape wider

without making it any taller, there are ways of

extending the scene by adding new, digital elements

to the scene. The success of the process has much

to do with the image in question. Extending a

textureless, flat, green meadow isnt a problem,

but an image filled with different colors and

objects can be more demanding.

Method 1:Cloning Method 2:Layer duplication

This method is the easiest, particularly if youre only creatinga small extension and the shot isnt heavy on detail.

1Increase the size of thecanvas to the new targetsize by going to Image >

Canvas Size. Well add 50pixels to the Width. Enter1250 as the new total widthsize in the Width box. Clickthe square in the anchordiagram as shown to addthe canvas to the right edgeonly. The canvas color, whichis set as the backgroundcolor in the Tools palette, isred for this example, just soyou can see where the extracanvas appears.

2Now, select the CloneStamp from the toolbox,then go to the Tool Optionsbar to paint at 100% opacitywith Aligned and Use All

Layers enabled.

3Create a new layer and callit clone. Although this isntabsolutely necessary itmakes the effect easier toedit later. Activate the layer,and position the cursor on apoint from which to startcloning pixels. Im using thehorizon, as this is a key areawhen you want the originalimage and the extension toline up accurately. When thecursor is in place, keep theAlt/Option key presseddown and click to make aregistration point.

4Now position the cursorin the red area parallel tothe registration point, and

start to paint until the redarea is covered.

5You may notice a problemwith the cloned cloud. It isobviously a duplicate andlooks false. We can disguisethis by using the CloneStamp. Alt + click to make anew registration point in themiddle of one of the clouds,then cloning areas of thecloud to fill the blue gap.

With just a few clicks of themouse the cloud seemsmuch more natural.

For large areas, we can try an alternative technique, copyingpart of the image to a new layer, then dragging that layer intoa new position.

1This time, weve extendedthe canvas out to 1352pixels. This is greater thanthe width required, but thesurplus allows for somemaneuverability whenpositioning the duplicate.Make a rectangular selectionof the area to be duplicated,and press Ctrl/Cmd + J tocopy and paste the selectionto a new layer. Call it

copied selection.

2Position the copiedselection layer so it lines upwith the background. Usethe horizon again as areference point. Look forareas that line up naturally,if they exist. In this example,Ive been able to line up twoclouds that look as if theybelong together.

3Add a layer mask to thecopied selection layer. Usinga soft edged brush at lowopacity, paint on the maskin black, running the fulllength of the visible seam.This removes the hard edge,but the different shades ofthe two layers are still toonoticeable.

4This can be fixed wisimple gamma adjustmMake sure the copiedselection layers imagethumbnail is active (nothe mask thumbnail).

Ctrl/Cmd + L to bring the Levels dialog box. the Gamma (gray) slidthe right a short distauntil the shades matchFinally, use the Crop toto crop away the surpareas at the right andbottom of the image.

RETOUCHING LANDSCAPESRemoving unwanted objects


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3Repeat the process withthe white pole and thebuildings on the other side.As the background is fairlyindistinct, you dont needto try too hard to get aneffective result.

With lighting, exposure, composition, and

timing to manage, the photographers life can

be difficult enough, so few things are more

annoying than one unwanted element which ruins

an otherwise brilliant picture. Losing that once-in-a-

lifetime moment because someone wanders into

frame, or missing a classic shot of an ancient

monument because one column has been shrouded in

scaffolding used to be a disaster, but not any more.

Once again, Photoshop offers a variety of techniques

to salvage the image. The choice of which technique

to use is dictated by a number of factors, including

the size of the offending object, the complexity of

the image, and the availability of a suitable area

from which to take pixels.

Method 1:The Patch tool Method 2:Patch with layer masks

We can use the same basic technique todetail from the area around this heron.

We cant always keep landscape shots free from humaninterference, and while the couple on the left and the poleand buildings to the right dont completely spoil this image,it would be better with the offending items removed.

2Go to the Tool Optionsbar and select the Sourceradio button, then drag theselection to an area whereyou want to copy pixels. Inthe example, you can seeIve done my best to keep

1The patching itself is quitesimple, but this is a largearea to repair, with somewide-ranging differencesin light, shade, and texture.This makes it likely thatyou will have some harshedges or elements thatdont quite line up.

2Layer masks are key toresolving this. First, undothe patch. Now make aduplicate of the backgroundlayer, naming it patch.Activate this layer, and redothe patch as before.

1The Patch tool providesan excellent method for

removing objects from aframe containing differentlevels of texture, light andshading. The toolautomatically matches theseelements when it patchesthe new pixels on. Althoughit works well in mostsituations by simply copyingfrom one area to another, itcan also be used incombination with a layermask for added control.First, select the Patch tool,then use it to make aselection around theoblivious walkers.

the textures lined up in aneffort to add to the realism.The Patch tools live previewmakes this easy. You candrag the selection whilelooking for the best placefrom which to copy.



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Method 3:Copying with clipping masks

There are times when removing an unwanted element provesto be a real challenge. In the previous examples, we could relyupon a suitably sized area from which to copy pixels. In thisimage, the people in the background spoil the composition,but the difficulty of removing them is compounded by thelack of a large enough area from which to clone or copy. Wecould work piecemeal, but that would be laborious, and thepotential for a pattern to repeat or multiple seams to appearwould be high.

1The secret in thesesituations is to look for anyarea big enough to act as astarting point from which to

make a selection to copy.You want something thatcould be increased in sizewithout looking obvious,and the more uniform, thebetter. An alternative imagecould also be used, butsticking with the originalmeans we already have thecorrect colors, whitebalance, and tones in place.Here, the area to the topright of the hat looks agood candidate.

2First make a selection ofthe area to be removed. Ivealso included theunidentifiable blue objectwhich is equally distracting.Fill the selection with awhite, then deselect.

3Hide the layer, then makea selection of the samplearea that will be used toreplace the unwantedelements. With thebackground layer active,press Ctrl/Cmd + J to copyand paste the selection to anew layer. Name andrestack the layers as shown.

4Ultimately, we will make aclipping mask between thetop two layers, but to helpavoid any harsh seams, usea soft-edged brush at 70%opacity and paint with whitealong the top edge, bottomedge, and left edge justbelow the hat of the whiteshape you created in Step 2.This effectively makes afeathered edge in thoseareas only. For best results,its important to keep theother edges crisp and sharp.

5Activate the sample arealayer and press Ctrl/Cmd + Tto bring up the FreeTransform bounding box.Drag the bottom middlehandle of the bounding boxdownward until the pixelscompletely cover the whitearea on the layer below.Press Return to confirm thetransformation.

6Now make a clipping maskbetween the top two layers.The quickest way to do thisis to position the cursorbetween the two layers inthe Layers palette (seeexample), then hold downthe Option/Alt key and clickwhen you see the cursorchange to two black circles.Heres the result of theclipping mask.

7The bottom right cornerof the image reveals aremnant of the person wehave removed. Removingthese last traces is simple:use the clone stamp tool asdiscussed on page 83.

TIP

If th

resu

to s

sub



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Method 4: Airbrush

The picture showing the facade of one of Londons mostfamous theaters is spoiled by some unsightly elements thathave crept into the picture. These include a traffic stanchionin the bottom left, the wires in the top right corner, and awhite sign that obscures one of the pillars. To get rid ofthese, well use some of Photoshops tricks, plus a tool thatharks back to pre-computer days: the airbrush.

1For accuracy, we start by

masking off the areas thatneed to be protected fromour work. The conduit inthe top right corner sits ona flat uniformly colored wall.This is a perfect environmentfor the airbrush. Make aselection as shown.

2Use the eyedropper tosample a color from withinthe selected area, then painton a new layer within theselection using a large softedged airbrush at lowopacity. It is best to build upthe paint gradually for amore realistic effect.

3Next well deal with thetraffic stanchion in thebottom left corner. The firstthing to note is theuniformity of the surface ofthe roadwe can use thisto our advantage. Make afeathered selection a littlelarger than the area to beremoved, then drag theselection to an area fromwhere we can copy pixels.

4Hold down the Ctrl/Cmd +Alt keys and drag theselection back over thestanchion, positioning it sothat the white lines line up.This action has made afloating selection.

5With the selection inposition, press Ctrl/Cmd + Dto deselect. This flattens itback into the layer. Yoursuccess will depend on thelocation of the selection,but if you see any seams trythe process again, lookingfor areas of similar tone andshade from which to copy.

6We technilight oThis tihas behave apositiopillar jused. easy. Tmakes



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Airbrush continued

7With the background layeractive press Ctrl/Cmd + J tomake a duplicate layer anddrag the pillar into place,scaling it as necessary soit completely hides theoriginal pillar.

9We are now left withtraffic lights that seem tobe growing out of the pillar.Here the hanging flowerbasket comes to our rescue,along with another oldPhotoshop favorite: theClone Stamp. Create a newlayer for the cloned flowers.This makes it easy to edit ifyoure not happy with theresult and need to startagain or fine tune yourwork. The new layer shouldsit between the backgroundand pillar layers.

10Select the clone stamptool, then go to the ToolOptions bar and ensure theUse all layers check box isenabled. Press Alt/Optionand click the area fromwhich you want to startcopying pixels. Now cloneonto the new layer until thetraffic light, gray post andwhite sign are covered.

11Repthe baa smallight plarge ssufficipost, hseparayou thyour a

8The top right cornerof the pillar needs to behidden under the roof.Add a layer mask to thepillar layer and paint onthe mask with black paintto hide the corner.

RETOUCHING LANDSCAPESCorrecting perspective

If you still have recurring nightmares from school art

i l i S i l i C


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2Press and hold the Ctrl/Cmd key, then positionthe cursor over the topright anchor point of thebounding box. Dragupwards, while keeping theShift key pressed. The Shiftkey constrains themovement as you drag,which stops you driftingaway from the vertical axis.Drag to the top of theimage area as shown. PressRetu

photoshop retouching cookbook for digital photographer

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