Adobe Photoshop 7.

0
Digital Imaging Essentials - by Julieanne Kost
www.adobeevangelists.com

Before you ever even open your digital images in Photoshop, a building or the horizon, drag the measure tool along the
three important guidelines can help you achieve the best point of reference and then choose Image > Rotate Canvas
results: > Arbitrary.
1. First, capture the image you’re trying to communicate—this The Rotate Canvas dialog box automatically displays the mea-
is often easier said than done! surement value in the Angle field and selects the Clockwise or
2. Select the image with the best exposure and tonal range. As Counterclockwise option (depending on the direction of the
a general rule, if the detail isn’t there in the original, it’s very measurement).
difficult to create it. Note: If you’re attempting to adjust a layer instead of a Back-
3. Get the best scan possible (if you’re’ capturing the image ground, use the measure tool in the same way, then choose Edit
on film), or the highest quality capture or conversion of the > Free Transform > Rotate. Photoshop automatically rotates the
original file (if you’re capturing the image from a digital selected layer by the correct amount.
camera). Regardless of the quality of the original, if the scan Photoshop can also automatically correct for perspective
or processing of the file doesn’t contain the information, distortion in an image. For example, if an image was captured
you’ll have to get it elsewhere or create it yourself. In other using a 35mm camera, you may need to correct for parallax,
words—garbage in, garbage out! which can be done either by using the crop tool’s Perspective
After you’ve done your best to capture and acquire an image, option or manually.
there are still steps that can and should be made in Photoshop Correcting parallax with the crop tool
to adjust, correct, and manipulate the image, including: • To make a correction using the crop tool, start by dragging
• Rotating and correcting perspective distortion if necessary a crop marquee. On the Options bar, deselect the Shield
• Cropping the image option (to make it easier to see the image) and then select
the Perspective option.
• Defining the document size, print size, and image
resolution • Drag the corner handles to align them with a reference
point in the image (around a door or building for example),
• Adjusting the tonal range and color of an entire image then drag the handles at the center of the marquee to
• Adjusting the tonal range and color of selected areas of an enlarge the crop marquee to incorporate the areas of the
image image you want to retain.
• Correcting minor imperfections When the marquee is positioned the way you want it, click the
Check button in the Options bar or double click inside of the
• Saving the image in the appropriate format marquee to apply the correction.
• Sharpening the image for print Note: This option is used to correct perspective, not to distort
Step 1: Correcting Scans and Distortion an image. If the perspective defined by the crop marquee
After scanning or capturing your image, start the correction doesn’t exist in reality, the correction will not work.
process by fixing uneven scans or distorted capture. By dis- Correcting parallax manually
torted, I mean anything from an uneven horizon to perspective To correct an image’s perspective manually, use the Edit >Trans-
distortion created by the camera lens. form > Distort command.
• To rotate an image select the image in the File Browser • First, if you’re working with a Background, select the entire
and choose Rotate from the fly out menu, or click the image or the portion of the image you want to correct.
rotate icon at the bottom right of the thumbnail pane.
This will automatically rotate the image when opened in • If you’re working with a layer, select the portion of the
Photoshop image you want to correct. Or, to effect the entire image,
select nothing.
• To straighten an image that has been scanned or captured
at an angle, start by selecting the measure tool (one of the To help you straighten the image, you can drag guides out of
nested tools under the eyedropper) from the toolbox. the ruler areas onto the image or use a grid.
• Using a reference point in the image, such as the base of • Choose View > Show Rulers and drag out the desired guides

1
 from the ruler area. • After entering width and height in the Document area, look
• If you prefer a grid to guides, choose View > Show Grid. at the image resolution. If the resolution is sufficient for the
desired document size, you’re ready to print. If the resolution
Choose Edit > Transformation > Distort. Drag the transformation is insufficient for the desired document size, the best option
handles inward to straighten the image; then click the is to rescan or recapture the image with more samples per
Check button in the Options bar or press Enter to apply the inch. If this isn’t an option, you’ll need to resample the image
transformation. in Photoshop.
Note: To increase the speed at which Photoshop performs • To resample an image, select the Resample Image option at
transformations, double-click the Background in the Layers pal- the bottom of the Image Size dialog box. This option adds
ette and convert it to a layer before transforming the image. more pixels to your image based on a calculation of the
Step 2: Cropping the Image information already in the image file.
After correcting an uneven scan or an image’s perspective, it Bicubic interpolation is the best resampling option, as this cal-
may be necessary to crop extraneous information. culation considers the greatest number of pixels while creating
new ones.
From the tool palette, select the Crop tool (be sure that the
Perspective option is deselected in the Options bar), and then • With the Resample Option selected, increase the resolution
drag a marquee around the area you want to retain. Click the as desired.
Check button or press Enter to crop the image. Note: To check the percentage of pixels being interpolated,
Note: To constrain the crop to a specific size and/or aspect change the width or height unit of measurement from Pixels
ratio, you must enter the crop options before drawing the crop to Percentage in the Pixel Dimensions area of the Image Size
marquee. To save the entered values, click the Tool Presets icon dialog box.
in the Options bar and click the New Tool Preset icon. This will • If the image resolution is higher than necessary, you can
allow you to use the Crop tool preset at another time without either print it (which may or may not use the additional
having to re enter the numeric values. resolution and can take longer to print) or check the
Step 3: Defining Document Size, Print Size, and Image Reso- Resample Image button and enter a lower resolution.
lution Notice that after making a change to the resolution (increasing
After you’ve made basic corrections, it’s time to resize or redis- or decreasing it) using the Resample Image option, Photoshop
tribute the pixels in the image using the Image Size dialog calculates the new file size at the top of the Image Size dialog
box. box. When decreasing resolution (sampling down), information
is discarded, resulting in a smaller file size. When increasing
• Choose Image > Image Size. resolution (sampling up), information is added, resulting in a
• At the bottom of the Image Size dialog box, deselect the larger file size.
Resample Image option so that pixels cannot be added to Note: If you’re not sure of the final output size, leave the file as
or deleted from the image; they can only be redistributed. large a possible and then resize it as needed when outputting
Changing the resolution of the image automatically changes the it.
print size of the document. Increasing the resolution (adding Step 4: Adjusting the Tonal Range and Color of an Entire
more pixels per inch) automatically decreases the document Image
size, while decreasing resolution automatically increases the Now that your image is the size you want, you’re ready to make
document size. any necessary tonal and color corrections to the entire image.
Although Photoshop offers a variety of ways to make adjust-
• In the Document area, enter the desired width and
ments, this technique demonstrates the use of Adjustment
height. One of three results occurs: You have the perfect
layers. Adjustment layers are actually layers with a set of math-
amount of information, too much information, or too little
ematical instructions that sit on top of the image, allowing you
information.
to experiment with color and tonal adjustments without per-
As a general rule, if you’re outputting to an inkjet printer, you’ll manently modifying the pixels in the image. Of course, when
need between 250 and 360 pixels per inch (ppi) at the desired you print the image, the adjustments are applied to the printed
output print dimensions. As the print size increases, you can output.
get away with lower resolution, because the viewing distance
Adjusting Levels
increases. However, the best option (because quality expecta-
tions vary) is to take the time to print the image at various reso- Start by setting the black and white points in the image to
lutions to determine which produce the quality you want. ensure that the image information extends the entire dynamic
range.
If you are outputting to a printing press, you’ll need approxi-
mately 1.5 to 2 times the line screen of the press. In addition, • Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels.
there are several other things to consider before printing, A histogram (the graphical representation of the colors and
which are beyond the scope of this project. Be sure to talk with tonal values in the image) displays the tonal values specific to
your printer before starting any print project.

2
the image. For example, if the image is of a polar bear in the Unlike the single middle slider in the levels dialog box, the
snow, most of the pixels are displayed at the right side (lighter Curves dialog box lets you set up to 16 points on a curve to
areas) of the histogram. If the image is of a back cat at night, manipulate the tonal and color ranges in an image. To sets
most of the pixels are displayed at the left side (darker areas) points on a curve, simply click on the curve.
of the histogram.
To increase the number of grid lines visible in the curve area,
If appropriate to the image, and if the histogram doesn’t already Option (Mac) / Alt (Win) click anywhere in the grid area.
extend the entire dynamic range from black (0) to white (255),
Increasing the grid lines can be helpful if you are familiar with
redistribute the values using the sliders in the input area.
the zone system and want to break your image into more than
• Move the black triangle in the Input Levels area to the
four ranges.
right until it is positioned under the first pixel data in the
histogram. Moving your curser over the image area and clicking displays
a ball over the corresponding tonal value on the curve, and
• Move the white triangle to the left until it is positioned
Command (Mac)/Control (Win) clicking in the image area adds
under the first pixel data in the histogram.
a point on the curve at the targeted value.
Note: It is possible to change the values of the midtones in an
• Drag the points on the curve to adjust the quarter tones,
image using the gray gamma triangle in the center of the histo-
midtones, and three-quarter tones of the image. Notice that
gram. However, using a Curves Adjustment layer (which will be
where the slope of the curve increases, contrast is added
discussed later in this paper) will give you more control in the
to the image. However, where the slope of the curve is
highlights, midtones and shadow areas.
decreased, the image can become flat or posterized so be
If there are values in the highlights or shadows you don’t cautious about large movements to the curve.
care about retaining, you can slide the triangles in a bit more.
If desired, you can manipulate the individual channel of an
However, keep in mind that any values to the left of the black
image in the Curves Dialog box. Simply select the channels
triangle or the right of the white triangle will be remapped to
from the drop-down menu and adjust the curve for each chan-
pure black or pure white (containing no detail).
nel.
If your image contains a color cast, you can select the individual
Note: If you make a drastic adjustment to a curve, the color in
channels and set the black and white points for each channel
the image may also be adjusted, creating an overly saturated
rather than manipulating the composite of all the channels.
image. To limit the curve’s effect to only the tonal values in
Depending on the image, this can neutralize the highlights and
the image, set the curve’s blend mode to Luminosity. (If you’ve
shadow areas of an image. However, keep in mind that it may
corrected individual channels in the image, this will limit their
also remove desirable color casts from an image, changing the
effectiveness.)
entire mood of the image.
Adjusting Color Balance
You can also use the black and white eyedroppers to click on
a specific value in the image to remap it to black or white. Not In addition to correcting color using the Curves dialog box, the
only will this affect the dynamic range of the image, it will also Color Balance dialog box works well to remove color casts.
change the color balance depending on the area targeted. • Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance.
When you’re first getting started with Levels, you may acciden-
tally select (click) the wrong black or white point, causing a loss • In the Color Balance dialog box, drag the sliders to remove
of detail in the image, but because you’re using an Adjustment the color cast. For example, if an image has a cyan color cast,
layer, you can always start over. In fact, it’s a good idea to experi- drag the Cyan-Red slider away from Cyan toward Red.
ment with the eyedroppers to see exactly what happens when You can also adjust the Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights
you select incorrect areas. In addition, you can reset the values individually by targeting them in the Tone Balance area.
in the Levels dialog box by holding down Option (Mac)/Alt
Finally, if you are used to printing with a color enlarger, you may
(Win) and clicking Reset. Double clicking on the eyedroppers
want to turn off the Preserve Luminosity option. By default,
displays the Color Picker allowing you to change the target
changing a color in the Color Balance dialog box automatically
values of the eyedroppers if desired.
adds or subtracts opposing colors to maintain the original den-
The middle eyedropper in the Levels dialog box, called the Gray sity of the file. If however, you want to change the file density, as
Balance eyedropper, can eliminate a color casts in an image. it does when printing with an enlarger, turn off this option.
• Select the eyedropper, position it over an area in the image Note: For more advanced color correction using color
that should be neutral (like a gray card or cement) and click. samplers and the Info palette see “Color Correction by the
All the colors in the image are adjusted to neutralize the Numbers” located on http://www.adobeevangelists.com/pdfs/
targeted area. photoshop/tipsandtricks/CorrectByNumbers.pdf.
Adjusting Curves Step 5: Adjusting the Tonal Range and Color of Selected
After adjusting the black and white point in an image, adjust Areas of an Image
the midtones if necessary. All the corrections you’ve made so far have affected your entire
• Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves. image. At this point, it’s time to make selective adjustments if
necessary.

3
• Start by selecting the area you want to affect; then choose //www.adobeevangelists.com/pdfs/photoshop/tipsandtricks/
Layer > New Adjustment Layer and select the type of ps7tutorial.pdf.
adjustment layer you want. Where unwanted areas become larger, or when you need to
When an Adjustment layer is added to an image with an active replace information in one area with other information (such
selection, the selected area is automatically turned into a mask, as removing a wire or fence post) the clone stamp is the tool of
protecting areas outside the selection from changes. choice. There are a variety of ways to use the clone stamp tool,
After correcting a selected area, hard edges may appear around you can clone information from one area to another directly on
the mask, which can be softened by applying a Gaussian blur to a targeted layer, or to another layer, a mask, or even from one
the selected area. document to another!

• With the adjustment layer selected in the Layers palette, Cloning directly on a layer can remove unwanted information,
choose Filter > Blur > Gaussian blur and add a blur to the but is a somewhat inflexible method because the area you
mask. cover is permanently affected and it’s more difficult to get back
if necessary. Cloning from one layer to another provides more
• Click the Preview option and increase the Radius slider until flexibility, but be sure to check the stacking order of the layers
the edge is no longer visible. in the Layers palette before cloning, or you may get unex-
Step 6: Correcting Minor Imperfections pected results. To clone from one layer to another, select the
Clone Stamp tool and do the following:
After I’ve made tonal and color corrections globally and to
selected areas as necessary, I typically remove imperfections • Check the Use All Layers option in the Options bar.
such as dust and scratches in the image. Often, these types of • Check and adjust if necessary the position of the layer
imperfections aren’t visible until overall corrections are made. you’re cloning to in the Layers palette. If your document
For example, imperfections in dark shadow regions or bright contains Adjustment layers that affect the area being
highlights may not appear until the overall corrections are cloned, either turn off the Adjustment layer (so you don’t
made. get a double adjustment) or clone to a layer positioned
Using the Dust & Scratches Filter above the Adjustment layers. (Keep in mind that if you later
change the adjustments, the cloned area won’t match the
The first and probably easiest way to remove small annoying surrounding areas.)
pieces of dust and scratches is using the Dust & Scratches filter.
This filter can be run on the original image, or you can create a In previous versions of Photoshop, it was time consuming to
duplicate by choosing Layer > New > Layer Via Copy. constantly adjust the hardness of the Clone Stamp tool when
working in finely detailed areas. In Photoshop 7.0 the Healing
I would suggest creating a copy even though it doubles the Brush introduces a way to blend edges without constantly
file size, because the Dust & Scratches filter does permanently changing a brush’s hardness.
change the image and may cause less than desirable results if
you don’t fine tune the filter’s options. First, be aware that you • Select the Healing Brush in the toolbox and in the Options
may lose fine detail in your image if you use this filter, because bar, set the blend mode to Replace. This setting prevents
Photoshop is unable to discern between a speck of dust and the healing brush from automatically matching colors, but
a small freckle or piece of dirt that may be essential to your it will blend the edges in a way that maintains more detail
image. One way to test the filter and avoid eliminating a poten- than the Clone Stamp tool.
tially important detail is to select a “less important” area of the If you need to patch a large area, it may be easier to use yet
image (perhaps an out of focus background or large area of another method.
sky) and apply the Dust & Scratches filter.
• Select the area you want to replace, move the selection
• Choose Filter > Noise > Dust & Scratches. to the area that you want to replace it with, then Copy
• Click Preview in the dialog box, set the Radius slider to 1 and and Paste it to automatically create a new layer. Using this
the Threshold to 0, and then start dragging the Radius slider technique, it’s better to select too much information than
to the right until you no longer see the dust or dirt. too little. There may also be times when you will want to
copy down through the layer stack. This can be done by
• Then, set the Threshold slider as high as possible without choosing Edit > Copy Merged. With the information you
reintroducing the dust or dirt. need copied, choose Edit > Paste to create a new layer.
Note that if you stop after adjusting the Radius slider without • To soften the selection and help blend the edges, either add
adjusting the Threshold slider, you’ll loose significantly more a feather to the selection before copying it or, after pasting,
detail from the image. add a layer mask and paint with a soft-edged brush with
Using the Healing Brush, Patch Tool, and Clone Stamp black around the edges to hide and reveal information as
For more stubborn areas, I use the healing brush and patch necessary.
tool, which work well because you can quickly remove After copying part of an image and moving it, it’s likely that
unwanted objects without having to do a lot of color matching. you’ll need to adjust the tonal values to blend it into the new
For detailed information about using the healing brush and area.
patch tool, see the “Photoshop 7.0 Tutorial” pdf file on http:

4
• Depending on the variation in tone and color, add the
necessary adjustment layer and choose Layer > Group with
Previous to limit the adjustment to the layer with the copied
information on it.
Step 7: Saving an Image
Along the way, you’ll want to save the images that you’re
working on. Before saving your images, consider the following:
• Always use the Save As command and rename files so you
don’t save over your originals, which you may need to edit
in the future.
• Save both layered and flattened versions of your images.
Create a naming convention, for example, add an “L” to
the end of the layered version of the file and an “F” to the
flattened version.
• If you’re working with a color-managed workflow, the Save
and Save As dialog box let you embed the image’s color
profile. Retain this layered file in case you need to make
adjustments in the future.
• For the maximum flexibility, save files as Photoshop files
(PSD), TIFF, or Photoshop PDF to retain their layers. When file
size is the most important criteria, (saving to the web or to
E-mail for example), use the JPEG, GIF or PNG format.
Step 8: Sharpening the image for print
As a final step, you’ll want to sharpen and save your flattened
image.
• To decrease file size before sharpening an image you’re
going to print, choose Layer > Flatten Image, then use the
Save As command and rename the file to save the flattened
version.
• Choose View > Actual Pixels to display the image at 100%.
• Choose Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask. The Unsharp Mask
filter creates the illusion of sharpness by increasing the
contrast of edges in the image. Although Unsharp Mask is
not a magic wand, it is an important and essential tool, and
if you start with an image in reasonably good focus, it will
improve it.
• Increase the Amount slider to add contrast to the edges in
the image.
• Use the Radius slider to increase the width (or number of
pixels on each side of an edge) of the sharpening.
A good rule of thumb for the setting the radius amount is to set
the radius to 1 for every 150 ppi used for output.
• Drag the Threshold slider to the right to leave low contrast
areas undisturbed while still sharpening the more
prominent edges. The Threshold option is a great way to
minimize the sharpening of noise or film grain in an image
while still being able to sharpen the more dominant edges.
After sharpening your image, choose File > Save As and rename
the image. Remember, if you don’t rename the image, you’ll be
saving over your original file.