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The best way to master Adobe Photoshop. Photoshop Tips & Tricks is built on reader questions about image manipulation, painting and getting the most from Photoshop. In
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Photoshop Tips & Tricks Department. . .
Using Adjustment Layers
eliminates the need to convert to grayscale
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Here we'll be using the Adjustment Layer menu to generate a "Hue/Saturation" adjustment layer. Then we'll "desaturate" all the surrounding image to Black & White, leaving our apple nice and red -- as seen in the second block of our header above.
These magic layers allow a variety of image modifications without affecting the actual image beneath. So you can experiment and change as your whims dictate. First, however you'll need to make your selection active.
- Select and Invert the Selection
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Choose Menu: Select > Load Selection
In the "Load Selection" dialog your first Alpha channel should be pre-selected so all you have to do is say "Okay" or hit Enter/Return. If it's not selected, then you'll need to pull down ("Channel") and choose the channel. Additionally you could click the Channels in the Layers palette and then Command/Click (Control) the channel to load the selection -- and then click back to Layers in the Layers Palette. You should see the racing ants around your selection.
Choose Menu: Select > Inverse
You'll remember you selected the apple (object) itself. Well, before creating an adjustment layer to convert the background you'll need to "invert" the selection so that everything except the apple is selected.
- Adjustment Layer for Active Selection
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Choose Menu: Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation...
You probably know by now there are two ways to make adjustments to your image. You can adjust it directly, or use an Adjustment Layer. As we said before, the Adjustment Layer allows infinite adjustments without disturbing the actual image. At your option, you can 'merge' it with the original image layer when finished, or leave it active for further adjustments. I've been known to make several Adjustment Layers with different settings so that I could turn them off and on (Clicking the 'Eye' icon) thereby toggling through the various different effects to select the final one. Don't be afraid to experiment.
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Open the Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer Now
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When the Hue/Saturation dialog pops up, you'll notice several things.
- A new layer will appear in the Layers Palette representing the Hue/Saturation Plug-in.
- It will show a link (the chain icon) to your selection as dictated by the channel. Note that the icon of the channel is now reversed with the masked area (black) over your object, and the unmasked areas (white) to be modified. (Remember, we inverted the selection to select the background rather than the object.)
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You'll also see the three sliders we'll be using to make our adjustments.
- Finally, you'll see the changes taking place in the image window -- so long as you've checked the "Preview" check box in the lower right-hand corner.
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For now, we'll leave the Hue slider alone. (We'll visit that later.)
Select and move the slider labeled "Saturation" (2) all the way to the left. Watch your image window as the picture loses it's color. You may note I left mine at around 97%. This gets the "B&W" message across but retains some of the warmth of the image rather than letting it go cold as a pure B&W image. The option is yours.
Also note that I've increased the "Lightness" a bit to compensate for the density of the desaturated background. This may or may not be necessary in your image -- depending on the nature of the image to begin with. Here, the apples are primarily red which translates to black or a very dark gray in B&W. So, I felt a need to lighten it a bit.
- Finishing this method
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If the image satisfies you the next step is to save the file. I would normally use File > Save As... and give the file a new name, saving as a Photoshop native PSD file. (In case I need to return to it later!) And then flatten and image the file to its next destination.
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Now that you've familiarized yourself with just one of the methods to accomplish this image, let's experiment with a totally different approach.
- Next, let's use "Colorize" to accomplish our goals...
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