by Julieanne
Kost
Special
to Creative Mac
[Editor's note:
This is the first in what we hope to be a long series covering the
nuts and bolts of very specific processes in Adobe Photoshop. It has
been supplied to us by Adobe themselves and written by their own graphic
arts expert, Julieanne Kost. This series is not a sales pitch but,
rather, expert tips for graphics professionals from the very folks
who make the software. Please let
us know what you think. And, if you have any further need of assistance,
please visit us in the Adobe
Photoshop Worldwide User Group. —Dave]
The
first three steps in creating the best image are done before you ever
get into Photoshop. The first step, and the most difficult, is capturing
the image that expresses what you are trying to communicate. From
there, examining the original (the second step), will help you to
select the image with the best exposure and tonal range. As a general
rule, if the detail isn't there in the original, it's very difficult
to make it up! The third step is getting a good scan. Even if the
original is great, if the scan doesn't capture the information, then
you'll have to get it from somewhere else or, create it yourself.
In other words, garbage in, garbage out!
Open the image
Once you have the scan, select File > Open and navigate to
the image. If the image's perspective needs to be corrected, select
View > Show Rulers and drag out any guides that might be helpful
in straightening the image. If you prefer to use the grid, select
View > Show Grid. Note: to change the layout of the grid lines,
select File > Preferences > Guides and Grid.
Straighten
the image
Choose Select > All to select the entire image. Then, select
Edit > Transform > Distort. Using the transformation handles,
drag the corners inwards (to interpolate down, not up)until the image
is straight.
Crop the image
From the tool palette, select the crop tool. Drag the crop marquee
around the area that you want to crop. Note: if you don't make the
crop area correct on the first drag, use the handles to redefine the
crop area. With the area defined, either double click inside of the
crop area or hit the enter or return key to apply the crop.
Resize the
image
To make sure that you are working with a file that is just the
right size, select Image > Image Size. Uncheck the Resample Image
button and enter the dimensions that you desire in the Print Size
area. If you don't have enough total pixels in the image to print
at the desired size, re-scan the image. If you have more than enough
total pixels, uncheck the Resample Image button and enter the correct
dimensions.
Set the black
and white point
Select Layer > New > Adjustment Layer. In the New Adjustment
Layer dialog box, for Type, select Levels and click OK. In the layers
dialog box, slide the highlight and shadow triangles in the input
area under the first pixel data in the histogram. If there is an area
in the image that is neutral gray, use the gray balance eyedropper
(the one in the middle)and click in the neutral area in the image.
Click OK.
Adjust the
midtones
Select Layer > New > Adjustment Layer. In the New Adjustment
Layer dialog box, for Type, select Curves and click OK. In the curves
dialog box, set points on the curve and raise and lower the points
to adjust the quarter tones, midtones and three quarter tones of the
image. You can place up to 16 points on this curve Note: to make more
grid lines appear in the curve dialog box, option click in the grid
area.
Adjust the
color
If there are color casts in the image, select Layer > New >
Adjustment Layer. In the New Adjustment Layer dialog box, for Type,
select color balance and click OK. In the Color Balance dialog box,
drag the sliders to adjust the colors subjectively. Note: you can
also use the color samplers to sample up to 4 areas in the image and
adjust the color numerically by looking at he info palette readout.
Make local
tonal and color corrections
To make local tonal and color corrections, select the area that
you want to effect. Then, select Layer > New > Adjustment Layer.
In the New Adjustment Layer dialog box, for Type, select the adjustment
that you want to make. (We made a selection of the window and used
the Hue/Saturation Adjustment layer to change the color. )Note: adding
the adjustment layer automatically turned the selection into a mask.
Remove imperfections
in the image
Select Layer > New Layer. In the New Layer dialog box, name
the layer stamp and click OK. On the tool palette, double click the
Rubber Stamp. In the Rubber Stamp Options palette, check the Use All
Layers button. Holding down the option key, click in the area to sample
from. Then, release the option key and paint over the imperfections
in the image. If needed, use the move tool to reposition the new layer.
Save the layered
file
Select File > Save a Copy. Rename the file and click save.
Since this is layered file, the only format that is available is the
native Photoshop format (.psd).
Flatten the
image
Before applying sharpening to the entire image, select Layer >
Flatten Image. This merges all of the layers into one.
Apply sharpening
Select View > Actual Pixels to view the image at 100%. Select
Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask. Increase the amount until you
add enough contrast for the image to appear sharp. Drag the Radius
slider to the right to increase the width of the sharpening. Note:
a good rule of thumb for the radius amount is–for every 150 PPI
you use for output, set the radius to one. Drag the threshold slider
to the right to leave low contrast areas alone.
Save a copy
of the file
Select File > Save a Copy and rename the image so as not to
save over the layered file.
