Inside Photoshop® CS

Using Adjustment Layers

Adjustment Layers, like layer masks, enable you to enter temporary or permanent adjustments to your image without altering the original pixels. This is a very cool capability. Say, for example, you add contrast to the original pixels but then a month later decide that you added too much contrast, so you want to go back to your original image. Well, guess what? You can't; the tones you removed when you changed those original pixels are gone and can never be recovered. Had you applied the contrast using an Adjustment Layer, the original tones would still be intact, and you could change your mind—and the contrast—every day, forever!

Now that you have an idea of the value and principles of Adjustment Layers, let's create a ...