Photoshop Tweaks #2

Well, it's been a while since I wrote up the page using levels and the clone tool to take care of errant stars. I'm now using PhotoShop CS, but these techniques (I think) will work back to PhotoShop 6 - maybe even earlier.

On this page, the pictures are sized to 800x600, except where noted. Click on any picture for a larger image.

Here is an example of a very interesting picture:

It's a shot of a "shell-of-shells" style. I was really intrigued by this shot, primarily because soft charcoal based stars (most golden colors are made up of charcoal) have a tendency to move a lot in the wind. On this night, there was no wind so the effect was rather stunning.

	The first thing that needs to be done is to crop the shell. Again, I prefer to keep the 4:3 ratio so I can use this shot as a computer desktop pattern, screen saver picture, for video, etc.
	I then add a curves adjustment layer (Layer->New Adjustment Layer->Curves...). By using and adjustment layer, I have the ability to make changes and not affect the original picture. I "pinned" the curve at the 75% point, and brought the 10% waaaay down. This will help to darken up the sky, and to augment some of the colors.
	The next part is really up to the person treating the picture. Namely, how bright should the effects be? By dropping the lower curve point way down, it noticeably darkened the gold star effects. First, I duplicate the layer. (In the layers palette, drag the layer with the picture to the New Layer icon. OR - while the layer with the picture is selected, go to Layer->Duplicate Layer... I usually don't bother naming layers during this process.) Nothing should change - yet.
	Then I change the blend mode to "Screen". This will brighten up the image, especially the darker areas.
	At this point, I thought the image was too bright, so I lowered the opacity level of the upper layer to 50%. You can make this number anything you would like. It depends on your mind's eye and your expectations. Voila - I'm very happy with this image. Now - SAVE IT as a PHOTOSHOP file. You may want to get back to this level in the future.
	Flatten the image (Layer->Flatten Image), size to your liking (here 1024z768), and you're done!

I have found that the curves level will help to keep the colors and bright spots while helping to darken the blacks waaaay down to black.

The duplicate image/screen blending mode works very well for dark shells - like gold and blue - and is not necessary for brighter shells. If there are dark areas of foreground (or just plain, old ground) that you would like to have brought out, you can also duplicate/screen blend the picture, then mask out the sky.

All information presented on these pages can be used for your personal use. If you want to publish or reproduce any or all if the info here, you must have permission from Tom Calderwood. If you find any information that is incorrect, please notify me and I will take care of it as soon as possible.

Just because folks keep asking, this page has been hit Hit Counter times.