Adobe Photoshop CS4 Studio Techniques

Gradient Map

The Gradient Map (Image > Adjustments > Gradient Map) does a rather simple and unusual thing: It first converts an image to grayscale, and then replaces the shades of gray in the image with different colors that show up in a gradient (Figure 8.85). When you first open the dialog, it defaults to a black-and-white gradient, which should just make the image look grayscale. If you click the down arrow to the right of the gradient preview, you’ll be able to choose a preset gradient to replace the shades of gray that were in the original image (Figures 8.86 and 8.87). If you prefer to bypass the preset gradients and create your own gradient, click in the middle of the gradient preview to access the Gradient Editor. To learn how to create ...