Quote:
Originally Posted by InTheirBadnessReign  This sounds a bit stupid, but I shall ask anyway 
Would it be possible to have a tutorial on how to use features such as adjustment layers, gradients etc. and what effects they give? I find myself able to make simple graphics using the simpler effects (darken, multiply, soft light etc.) but I have no idea on how to use the other features and what outcomes they will have.
I hope I'm not being too confusing... 
EDIT: Also, what are 'curves layers' and 'colour adjustment layers'?
Thanks, Laura xxx |
Hey Laura, this is a great question and I know that a lot of people who are just starting out with the more advanced programs are curious as to what each layer means. A lot of the time, people discover the results on their own, but there is a GREAT tutorial posted at
Photoshop Tips and Tutorials. I couldn't have explained it better:
Quote:
What is an Adjustment Layer?
We can think of them as transparencies lying on top of each other. Imagine you take a transparency and you draw something on one and then place it on a stack. Next you take another transparency and draw something on it and then place it on the same stack. What is going to happen is that you will be able to see stuff from the first sheet as well as stuff drawn on the second sheet as long as they don’t overlap. That is what basic layers are.
Adjustment layers work in the same way in that you can see through them but they don’t change anything actually below them. So you can apply an adjustment (such as hue/saturation changes) on a transparency/layer and it will become an adjustment layer. Next you take this adjustment layer and place it on our stack of layers. Magically, when look through the adjustment layer everything seen through it seems to have that adjustment. However, it doesn’t actually change the layers below thus giving you a lot of control over what you do. You can change the adjustments later if you don’t like the effect as well.
|
Quote:
The Adjustment Options
There are 12 Adjustment Options available to you when you create an adjustment layer. I will go over them in more detail for beginners in later posts but I will give a general description now. They are:
Solid Color
This slaps a solid color on your stack of layers just like the name suggests.
Gradient
This puts a gradient on your stack of layers
Pattern
This allows you to choose a pattern and it applies it to your layer
Levels
This allows you to adjust the tones in your image. You can set the darkest tone and the lightest tone in your image and make the whole image change appear. You can make a dull image appear bright using Levels
Curves
You can use this to fix your highlights and shadows
Color Balance
Adjust the colors of highlights, midtones and shadows separately using this option.
Brightness/Contrast
This lightens or darkens your image and increases or decreases the contrast.
Hue/Saturation
This can be used to control the colors, the saturation and lightness or darkness of the image.
Selective Color
This allows you to add or remove percentage of a color present in your image. If you want your reds redder and your blues less bluer then this is what you use.
Channel Mixer
This allows you to adjust the reds, blues or greens. So you are adjusting each color channels itself
Gradient Map
This adds gradients insides different colors of the image. Unlike the gradient tool, that put a solid gradient over everything, this puts colors in each color of the image.
Invert
This changes all the colors to what is opposite to them in the color wheel.
Threshold
This changes stuff to black or white. The slider allows you to choose what tones it will be changing.
Posterize
This reduces the number of colors used in the image.
|
Hope that helps, and a lot of practice and experimenting will help loads!