The Hidden Power of Photoshop: Mastering Blend Modes and Adjustment Layers for Photography

The Hidden Power of Photoshop: Mastering Blend Modes and Adjustment Layers for Photography

by Scott Valentine
Released October 2020
Publisher(s): Adobe Press
ISBN: 9780136617075

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Book description

In this book Scott tackles some of the most complex features of Photoshop that are crucial for getting the best results in your work. He explains them in a way that makes it easy for anyone to master. If you are serious about what you do and want to do it better, this book should sit front and center in your library.

Bert Monroy

Adobe Photoshop holds an incredible amount of power, which is sometimes locked behind a dizzying array of features and tools. Scott Valentine not only shows you the keys to unlocking that power, he also demonstrates how the keys work. You will get hands-on experience with experiments and examples as you explore new techniques for editing your images.

Written for both professionals and hobbyists, this book presents essential techniques and discusses when and how to try innovative solutions. By focusing on two core capabilities blending modes and adjustment layersyou will discover how Photoshop gives you deep control over your images to address some of photographys most challenging problems. Photoshop users of all levels will find clear explanations and step-by-step procedures for expert techniques. Advanced users will enjoy exploring new ideas that can inform their own workflow. Through richly illustrated examples with clear explanations, The Hidden Power of Adobe Photoshop teaches you:

  • Multiple approaches to problem solving and creative exploration

  • How to see your images as data that you can control

  • Underlying principles that drive industrial-strength techniques

  • Instructions for building your own Photoshop experiment files

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication Page
  5. Table of Contents
  6. Foreword
  7. Preface & Acknowledgements
  8. Part I: Introduction
    1. Welcome
      1. Personal Note
      2. How to Approach This Material
        1. Wacom Graphics Tablets
        2. Monogram Creative Console
        3. Retouching Toolkit
        4. Ergonomic Keyboard
        5. Adjustable Lighting
        6. Your Brain
        7. A Note on Language
      3. How Photoshop “Sees” Your Images
      4. Seeing Images as Data
        1. Staying Ahead of the Curves
        2. Seeing In Colors
        3. Shades of Gray
        4. Onward, Dear Reader!
    2. Useful Information
      1. Layer Operations
        1. Adding Adjustment Layers
        2. Masking
        3. Clipping Layers
        4. Channels
      2. Blending Controls
        1. Blending Modes, Opacity, and Fill
        2. Blending Options
        3. Blend If
        4. “Trapping” Blend If Transparency
        5. Stamp Merge Visible (The Claw)
  9. Part II: Techniques
    1. Selections & Masking
      1. Channel Selections
        1. Using Calculations
      2. Gradient Map Luminosity Selection
      3. Hue/Saturation Selection
      4. Tweaking Channels & Masks
        1. Promote the Mask
        2. Levels Tweaking
        3. Multiply Blend for Group Masking
        4. Painting with Blending Modes
    2. Dodge & Burn
      1. Dodge & Burn Methods
        1. Overlay
        2. Using Curves
        3. D&B Best Practices
      2. Instant Image Enhancement
      3. Hard Mix Contrast
      4. Graduated Neutral Density Filter
      5. Creative Vignettes
      6. Removing Vignettes
      7. Bright Eyes
    3. Color & Value
      1. Color Grading
        1. Solid Color Fill Layer
        2. Hue/Saturation Adjustments
        3. Gradient Maps
        4. Color Lookup Tables
      2. Color Replacement
        1. Specific Color Targets
      3. Remove Color Cast
      4. Color Matching
      5. Gradient Zone Control
      6. B&W Control Freak
    4. Helper Layers
      1. Invert
      2. Luminosity
      3. Solarize
      4. Color, Hue
      5. Threshold
      6. Saturation Mask
    5. Effects
      1. Orton Effect
      2. Rain and Atmosphere
      3. Stamped Portrait
        1. Smudge Tool
        2. Mixer Brush Tool
      4. Dissolve Portrait
  10. Part III: Projects
    1. Project Examples
      1. Creating the Workbench Files
        1. Gradient Experiments File
        2. Basic Color Bars
        3. RGB Triangle
        4. Hue Wheel
        5. Solving Problems
        6. Now What?
      2. Basic Portrait Retouching
      3. Rembrandt Portrait
      4. Frequency Separation
        1. Variations
  11. Part IV: References
    1. Adjustment Layers
      1. Brightness/Contrast
      2. Levels
      3. Curves
      4. Exposure
      5. Vibrance
      6. Hue/Saturation
      7. Color Balance
      8. Black & White
      9. Photo Filter
      10. Channel Mixer
      11. Color Lookup
      12. Invert
      13. Posterize
      14. Threshold
      15. Selective Color
      16. Gradient Map
      17. Solid Fill
      18. Gradient Fill
      19. Pattern
    2. Blending Modes
      1. Opacity & Fill
      2. Blending Mode Math
      3. The Reference Images
      4. Normal
      5. Dissolve
      6. Darken
        1. Darken
        2. Multiply
        3. Color Burn
        4. Linear Burn
        5. Darker Color
      7. Lighten
        1. Lighten
        2. Screen
        3. Color Dodge
        4. Linear Dodge (Add)
        5. Lighter Color
      8. Contrast
        1. Overlay
        2. Soft Light
        3. Hard Light
        4. Vivid Light
        5. Linear Light
        6. Pin Light
        7. Hard Mix
      9. Inversion
        1. Difference
        2. Exclusion
        3. Subtract
        4. Divide
      10. Component
        1. Hue
        2. Saturation
        3. Color
        4. Luminosity
  12. Index
  13. Credits

Product information

  • Title: The Hidden Power of Photoshop: Mastering Blend Modes and Adjustment Layers for Photography
  • Author(s): Scott Valentine
  • Release date: October 2020
  • Publisher(s): Adobe Press
  • ISBN: 9780136617075