The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Layers Book

Book description

MasterPhotoshop CS4 with this visual, hands-on guide to using layers, under the expert guidance of digital imaging specialist Richard Lynch. Layers, Photoshop's most powerful feature, is the core of a nondestructive image-editing workflow.

Step-by-step instructions and practical examples illustrate how to.

* Polish: correct and enhance color, fix composition problems, and repair damage or flaws
* Manipulate: isolate image areas for changes, adjustments and experimental concepts
* Understand: use all forms of layer blending, including transparency, clipping masks, opacity/fill, layer masks, layer modes, channel targeting, Blend If, and Effects/Styles

The accompanying DVD comes complete with a generous library of practical actions based on techniques from the book that add functional power to Photoshop, along with practice images for all the exercises in the book.

This focused, highly accurate, comprehensive, and practical guide offers invaluable advice for all users of Adobe Photoshop CS4.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Halftitle
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Introduction
  9. Chapter 1: The Basics of Layers: Layer Functions and Creation
    1. What Is a Layer?
    2. Layer Palettes and Menus
    3. Types of Layers
    4. Layer Viewing Preferences
    5. Getting Started Creating Layers
    6. Exercise
    7. Summary
  10. Chapter 2: Layer Management: Concepts of a Layer-Based Work Flow
    1. The Outline for Image Editing
      1. Setup
      2. Capture
      3. Evaluation
      4. Editing and Correction
      5. Purposing and Output
    2. The Logic of Layers
      1. When to Create a New Layer
      2. Naming Layers
      3. Grouping Layers
      4. Merging Layers
      5. Moving and Activating Layers
      6. Clipping Layers
      7. Linked Layers
    3. Smart Objects
    4. Summary
  11. Chapter 3: Object and Image Area Isolation in Layers
    1. Isolating Correction in Adjustment Layers
      1. Detailing the Levels Slider Changes
      2. Applying Levels for Color Correction
    2. Isolating Image Objects
    3. Adding Layers for a Change
    4. Simple Layer Repair Example
    5. The Art of Color Balance
    6. Summary
  12. Chapter 4: Masking: Enhanced Area Isolation
    1. Expanding on Process
    2. Clean Up
    3. Reducing Image Noise
    4. Enhancing Natural Color and Tone
    5. Add Soft Focus
    6. Color Enhancements
    7. Sharpen and Enhance Contrast
    8. Additional Manual Sharpening
    9. Summary
  13. Chapter 5: Applying Layer Effects
    1. The Basics of Effects and Styles
      1. Saving Styles
      2. Managing Styles
    2. Manual Effects
    3. Automated Manual Effects Tools
    4. Combining Manual Effects and Styles
    5. Summary
  14. Chapter 6: Exploring Layer Modes
    1. Layer Mode Behavior
      1. Normal
      2. Dissolve
      3. Darken
      4. Multiply
      5. Color Burn
      6. Linear Burn
      7. Darker Color
      8. Lighten
      9. Screen
      10. Color Dodge
      11. Linear Dodge
      12. Lighter Color
      13. Overlay
      14. Soft Light
      15. Hard Light
      16. Vivid Light
      17. Linear Light
      18. Pin Light
      19. Hard Mix
      20. Difference
      21. Exclusion
      22. Hue
      23. Saturation
      24. Color
      25. Luminosity
    2. Separating Color and Tone
    3. Sharpening Calculation
    4. Summary
  15. Chapter 7: Advanced Blending with Blend If
    1. Blend If: An Overview
    2. Knockouts
    3. Blend If in Compositing
    4. Blend If as a Mask
    5. Creating a Color-Based Mask
    6. Summary
  16. Chapter 8: Breaking Out Components
    1. A Historic Interlude
    2. Creating Color from Black and White
    3. An Alternative: Creating Filtered Color
    4. Separating a Color Image into RGB Components
    5. Using Separations
    6. Summary
  17. Chapter 9: Taking an Image through the Process
    1. The Image
    2. General Image Editing Steps: A Review
    3. Applying the Image Editing Checklist
    4. Summary
  18. Chapter 10: Making a Layered Collage or Composite Image
    1. What Is a Collage?
    2. Guidelines for Collage
    3. An Example Collage
    4. Creating a Panorama
    5. Working with HDR Images
      1. Making an HDR Image
      2. Create an HDR Image in Photoshop
      3. Automated HDR Conversions
      4. Manual HDR Conversions
    6. Summary
  19. Photoshop’s Essential Tools List
    1. Exploring New Tools
    2. External Applications
    3. Commands
    4. Functions
    5. Freehand Tools
    6. Filters
  20. Index

Product information

  • Title: The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Layers Book
  • Author(s): Richard Lynch
  • Release date: March 2009
  • Publisher(s): Focal Press
  • ISBN: 9781136098932