The Photoshop CS4 Companion for Photographers

Chapter 7. Photoshop Recipes for Photographers

A COLLECTION OF USEFUL TECHNIQUES FOR SPECIFIC SITUATIONS

In much of this book, I've focused on things you can do outside of Photoshop, such as organize your photos in Bridge and perform basic image editing in Adobe Camera Raw. But for some enhancements, you absolutely need to use the powerful tools in the world's leading image editor. This chapter features essential recipes for perfecting your photographs in Photoshop.

Techniques such as whitening teeth and sharpening eyes can serve as the finishing touches to your best images. Once you master the individual steps, you can combine them into groups to address the needs of just about any picture. It's like using a handful of recipes to create a five-course meal. So, let's get cooking!

Portrait Retouching Techniques

Even though you may not be the photographer to the stars, there will be times when you need to touch-up a portrait. These short recipes deal with the basic enhancements you'll have to make most often.

Keep in mind that you can use these recipes in combination with one another to build a more complete makeover. Also, you can use many of these recipes for a variety of tasks in addition to the primary one stated in the recipe. For example, you can use the technique for softening bags under the eyes to correct a hot spot on a shiny forehead.

Regardless of which recipe you're working with ...