Adobe® Photoshop® CS2 Studio Techniques

Hidden Features to the Rescue

To achieve maximum contrast without sacrificing detail, Adobe created a hidden feature in the Levels dialog box. It's known as Threshold mode because it acts like the Threshold dialog box that we used in Bonus Chapter 1, “Line Art Scanning” on the CD at the back of this book. This feature allows you to see exactly which areas are becoming black or white, and it's the key to ensuring that you don't sacrifice detail. To get to the hidden feature, hold down the Option key (Mac) or Alt key (Windows) when you move the upper-right or upper-left sliders in the Levels dialog box.

When you move the upper-left slider with Threshold mode turned on, your image should turn white until the slider touches the first bar on the ...