Photoshop: Perfecting your image, layer by layer

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By: Digital Photography

Added: 19 May 2008 Views: 108

Path : Art

Photography

Keywords: art photography digital slr camera lens photo capture macro object photoshop image layer

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Photography, as an art form is constituted of numerous intricacies. From selecting optimal light conditions, to varying the amount of exposure to even selecting the appropriate lens and filters and yet we find that despite our best efforts, we are usually never completely satisfied with the final outcome.

The feeling of "What if" lingers and given the constraints of time and expenses incurred, it re-shooting the entire image, or series of images, as the case may be, is not always a feasible solution. And here's where editing comes into the picture. Not just limited to digital photography, many conventional photographers edit the imperfections away from their photographs in their dark rooms. And with the advent of time and technology, many new and advanced kinds of software have been developed, amongst which a worthy forerunner is Adobe Photoshop.

Despite all the benefits that editing software has to offer, many photographers refrain from using this tool for anything more than a few basic touchups, for fear of compromising on the image quality. Adobe Photoshop does away with this challenge as it does not burn your changes onto the original image, like many other editing tools, but allows you to work on your image without altering your image itself.

This remarkable feature is attained by the use of Layers, which, like transparencies, divide your image into different parts, each of which is overlaid on a layer. These layers, when stacked together, recreate the original image. Thus you can work on only specific parts of your image without altering the appearance of the remainder, as your effects will be limited to the specific layer you choose to apply them to.

This allows you to modify only specific parts of the image, where you can correct overexposure by building density and modifying the color until the anomaly is barely distinguishable. And if the final result is not quite what you imagined it to be, you can undo your effects in parts, stopping just where you want to instead of having to delete all you efforts away and then start right where you began.

This is because, when you work with layers, you are not embedding the effects on the complete image, but only modifying the part which appears on the specific layer. The Multiple Undo option lets your imagination break free, as you can toy around as much as you like and stick with only the effects which augment your image.

If you make a complete mess of the image you are working on, don't panic! Photoshop lets you undo all the changes you have made and redo your image, after having learnt from the experience all this, without an iota of damage to the image quality. You can even pause to analyze the overall appeal of your image, even while you are working on it by simply turning off the visibility of the layer you are working on and then turn it back on, when you are ready to get back to work.

You can custom create your own adjustment layer by making your selection from the New Adjustment Layer Sub-menu which you can find in the main Layer Menu, or click on the Palette Icon which opens up a pop up menu for you to make your selection from. Once you've found just the right adjustment layer, you can even preserve your preferences for later images to achieve the same spectacular effect without having to toil for hours over it.

To distinguish between layers, once you have divided your image, you can name each layer with a distinct title which will make it easier for you to switch between layers and avoid confusion. To do this, double click on the layer you wish to rename and enter the title you've selected in the name field.

Once you click on OK, the new name will be saved, letting you proceed with the other layers. If it helps you focus, you can also hide the other layers and concentrate on only one specific layer at a time. You can do this by clicking on the eye icon beside each of the layers to make them disappear and then click on the icon again to bring them back. This allows you to work on one layer at a time, without being distracted by the other un-worked or reworked layers.

If you divide your image into too many layers, you may find it exceedingly difficult to manage all the layers without messing them up. So, you can either delete the unwanted layers, or merge a combination of layers together using the Merge Layers Option in the Layer Menu. The key to your success with Photoshop undoubtedly lies in perfecting your skills with layers. A little bit of practice and loads of creativity imperfect images will soon be ancient history!

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Photoshop: Perfecting your image, layer by layer
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