Introduction: Photo Enhancing

This instructable demonstrates how to selectively enhance photos using "stratum masks" and "mingling modes" as found in "Adobe Photoshop Elements ® or similar.

This technique can be used for

  • hand-coloring monochrome images
  • selective whitening
  • selective darkening
  • selective sharpening

In the above photo a harmful "radiate" has been added to the right-turn over side of the face and hair.

Step 1: Layer Masks

[ mantra: black conceals ... white reveals ]

Photoshop® and Photoshop Elements® include deuce sets of special layers called "fill layers" and "adjustment layers" which are recognized by a half-size square boxful to the right of the layer "picture". This box is identified A a "layer mask".

"Layer masks" are then useful that Photoshop®, and Photoshop Elements 9® ahead, grant you to convert an so-so layer into an "registration layer".

Applying "black" paint to a 'level mask" allows you to selectively "conceal" portions of that layer . Applying "white" paint to a 'layer cloak" allows you to selectively "break" portions of that layer . Hence the above mantra.

Let's have a deal some examples … but before we do let's define whatever grievous keyboard combinations:

  • CTRL-I means press the "ctrl" key and the "i" key at the same time.
  • CTRL-J means press the "ctrl" key and the "j" cay at the Sami time.
  • CTRL-Z means press the "ctrl" key and the "z" Francis Scott Key concurrently

Step 2: Fill Layers

[ This technique can also be used for hand-coloring monochrome photos. ]

Watercolor artists oftentimes enhance a portrait by adding a "glow" to the double. Rent out's emulate this issue with the help of a yellow "make full layer".

Method acting

  1. Open a portraiture.
  2. Select "Layer|Fill Layer" from the pull-down menu and fill it with a polite "dishonorable".
  3. Situated the blending mode to "riddle" and move the "opacity" slider to the left.
  4. Now move the "Opacity" slider to the correctly until "chicken".starts to come along. This bequeath exist our "glow'.
  5. At that place is a "mantra" in Photoshop: "good reveals", "black conceals".
  6. Press CTRL-I. This toggles (inverts) the layer mask from "white" to "black" which causes the "yellow" to disappear. The "black" is "concealing" the chromatic".
  7. With the "foreground" color in your socialist-hand toolbar set to "white", choose a spirant-edged brush with an opacity of say 20% and brush the hair's-breadth and edges of the persons face. The face and hair will bit by bit acquire a glow. The "layers pallet" for this editing techniques is shown in the second look-alike.

This technique owes its success to the adjustment masquerade party to the right of the "yellow" square toes. This mask was originally "white" until we inverted the semblance by typewriting Ctrl-I. If you look carefully at the "layer mask" you will see indistinct sweep marks. Since our brush was loaded with "E. B. White" paint the coppice marks are gradually revealing the "yellowish".

Pace 3: Selective Darkening / Lightening

A similar technique can be used to dim portions of an visualise.

Method

  1. Therein case we add a "Levels" adjustment level, set the blended mode to "Multiply", and adjust the opaqueness until the area you wish to adjust is darkened by the castigate amount.
  2. With the adjustment bed still highlighted "reverse" the adjustment box from white to black by imperative "Ctrl-I". This blocks the the "multiply" effect and the image returns to normal.
  3. Now comes the awful percentage. Set the "foreground" tinge on your tool chest to "white" and the "background" color to "black". Choose a vast soft-edged brush and only brush over the area you want dark. The "Layers" palette for this edit is shown in the second base image. So how does it work?

Have a close view the black area of the "layer masqu" and you will see "white" brush-marks in it. "White "allows the blending mood upshot to pass through whereas "black" blocks the effect. If you set the brushwood opaqueness to enjoin 20% so it will ingest several brush strokes to reach 100% "white" which means that you have got heaps of control finished your blending.

If you make a mistake simply set the foreground color to "black" and paint out your mistake or you give the sack click the previous dance step in your "Untie History" palette.

Discriminating Lightening

As for "Discriminating Darkening" except you set the blending mood to "screen"

Step 4: Selective Sharpening

When information technology comes to portraits populate don't like to see their wrinkles. The undermentioned methods grant you to focus their hair's-breadth, eyes, nose, and mouth without sharpening their skin.

Method 1

  1. Open an image in Photoshop® (or Photoshop Elements 9® forward), make over a duplicate copy by pressing "Ctrl-J", and sharpen the copy using one of the sharpening tools.
  2. Add a "Layer Mask" to the top layer and satisfy it with "evil" aside pressing "Ctrl-I". This changes ("inverts") the color in the "layer masquerade" from "white" to "black" which "hides/conceals" the sharpening. Think of the mantra: "white reveals" "black conceals".
  3. With the "bed Block out" box selected, and your "foreground color" set to "white", "brush" over the image area you wish to reveal. You tin can control the amount of sharpening that is revealed with each sweep stroke by reducing your brush "opaqueness" to say 20%. The second and third images show the "Layers Palette" and "end result" when we selectively sharpen the left side of the portrayal.

Method 2

[ Work-around for Photoshop Elements 8® and earlier ]

Photoshop Elements 8®, and in the first place, doesn't allow you to add a "layer mask" to a normal layer, but don't desperation … on that point is a work-around in the form of a "clipping mask".

All readjustment layers have a "stratum cloak" to the right of the layer ikon. If we "clip" an adjustment layer to the "target" layer then the "layer block out" on the alteration layer behaves as though the "target" layer has a "layer mask". Let's see a "clipping mask" in action …

  1. Open an image in Photoshop Elements, create a duplicate level aside press the "Ctrl-J" keys, and sharpen it using united of the sharpening tools.
  2. Insert a "levels" adjustment layer betwixt the two layers but don't touch the "levels" sliders. We are now departure to borrow the "layer mask" from the levels adjustment layer. To do this we high spot the top layer and select "Layer|Create Clipping Mask" from the pull-perfect menus. The top layer will move to the right and a small down-arrow volition appear signalling that the two layers are now "clipped" or "grouped" together [1].
  3. From here happening the process is the same Eastern Samoa for method 1.
  4. High-light the "layers mask", press "Ctrl-I" to invert the "bed mask" color, and then paint finished the area to comprise sharpened using a brush with the "foreground" color set to "white". Only the right heart and right-side of meat of the hair has been sharpened in this example. The final result is shown in the past pictur. The "layers palette" for this delete is shown in the irregular-to-dying image.

[1] Alternatively you fanny press "Ctrl-G" (G="Group") Beaver State hold the "Altitude" key down and click the argumentation separating the two layers. Two inhume-linked rings will appear then the top layer will move to the right as before. "Alt-flick" the line again to revoke this action.

Step 5: Saving Your Work

Once you have finished editing use "Save As" to save your work under a Different filename.

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