Photoshop
Colour and Tonal Adjustments
Adjustment Layers
Adjustment layers give you the flexibility to try out colour and tonal adjustments on an image without changing the image itself. The colour corrections are confined to the adjustment layer, which sits over the image like a transparent layer. You can hide an adjustment layer to view the original image, edit it, change its position in the Layers panel, duplicate it or delete it. More than one adjustment layer can be used at a time.
The adjustment commands you'll be learning in the following lectures are available in the Image > Adjust menu. However, using these commands will permanently change the layer to which they are applied. Adjustment layers can apply to all layers below it in the layer stacking order or you can set it to apply to only one layer. Those below that layer will be unaffected. Best of all, it doesn't modify the underlying layers. You can merge an adjustment layer with the layer it affects to make the change permanent once you're satisfied with your adjustments.
We'll just present the concepts of adjustment layers in this lecture. You'll get plenty of practice since you'll be using them to try out many of the different colour and tonal adjustment options in the following lectures.
Adding Adjustment Layers
There are two ways to add an adjustment layer: using the menu command in the Layer menu or by using the Layers panel.
Using the Layers Panel to Add an Adjustment Layer
To select the type of adjustment layer you want to add, click on the button in the Layers panel shown here. A pop-up menu will appear with all the choices for adjustment layers.
The command names followed by an ellipsis (...) will open dialogs in which you specify settings for the adjustment. Once you've set the options and clicked OK, the adjustment layer will appear in the Layers panel. The example below shows an Invert adjustment layer.
There are two thumbnails on an adjustment layer. The one on the left is the layer thumbnail. Each type of adjustment layer has its own layer icon. The white square and circle against a black background is the Invert layer's icon. The layer was named Invert 1 by default. You may change the name of an adjustment layer just like a regular layer.
The thumbnail on the right indicates that this is actually a mask layer. When the mask thumbnail is white, all pixels on the underlying layer will be affected. If you make a selection prior to adding an adjustment layer, the mask thumbnail will display the selected areas as white and the unselected areas as black. The adjustment will only apply to the white/selected areas. The icon to the left of the layer thumbnail is the mask icon.
Using Menu Commands to Add an Adjustment Layer
To create an adjustment layer using menu commands, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer and select a layer type from the submenu. The New Layer dialog will open, allowing you to assign a layer name, layer colour, blend mode, opacity, and the option to mask the layer with the active layer. If you don't enable the Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask check box, the adjustment layer will affect all the layers below it.
Adjustment Layers in Clipping Masks
If you want an adjustment layer to affect only a single layer, you can mask it with the layer you want to apply the effect to. This can be done in one of five ways:
Create the adjustment layer as a clipping mask:
- Click on the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer button in the Layers panel while holding down the Alt (Option) key. This will open the New Layer dialog and you can enable the Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask check box to create a clipping mask.
- When using the Layer > New Adjustment Layer menu command, enable Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask in the New Layer dialog.
Make a clipping mask after creating the adjustment layer:
- With the adjustment layer active and directly above the layer you want to mask it with, go to Layer > Creat Clipping Mask or press Alt-Ctrl-G (Alt-Cmd-G).
- Link the layers you want to mask and go to Layer > Create Clipping Mask or press Alt-Ctrl-G (Alt-Cmd-G).
- Hold down the Alt (Option) key and position the pointer over the dividing line between the two layers in the Layers panel. When the double-circle icon appears, click to create the clipping mask.
The masked adjustment layer will display a bent arrow beside the layer thumbnail.
Editing Adjustment Layers
To edit the adjustment layer's settings, do one of the following to open the dialog associated with the layer:
- Double-click on the layer thumbnail.
- With the layer selected, go to Layer > Layer Content Options.
To switch from one type of adjustment layer to another:
- Go to Layer > Change Layer Content and select a new type from the submenu.
To edit the layer mask:
- Click on the layer to make it active and use any of the painting or editing tools to modify the mask with greyscale values.
Adjustment Layers Summary
- Adjustment layers give you the flexibility to try out colour and tonal adjustments on an image without changing the image itself.
- Multiple adjustment layers can be applied to an image or layer.
- To apply permanent adjustments to the active layer only, use the commands in the Image > Adjust submenu.
- To apply an adjustment layer to all the layers below it in the stacking order, do not mask it with a layer.
- To apply an adjustment layer to only a single layer, create a clipping mask with the adjustment layer above the regular layer.
- An adjustment layer has a layer thumbnail and a mask thumbnail. The adjustment settings and the mask can be edited independently.
- You can merge an adjustment layer with the layer(s) it affects to make the changes permanent.
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