Photoshop CS3: Adjustment Layers

You can make a variety of adjustments to an image by using the Adjustments option on the Image menu. If you made a duplicate of your Background layer, you can adjust your photo using the duplicate and not alter the original layer. However, each time you change the pixels in an image, you lose some data.

If you combine adjustments, you lose even more pixel information. By applying an adjustment layer instead, you can apply color and tonal changes to your image without changing any pixel values.

With an adjustment layer, you can try various settings and edit the adjustment at a later time. You can reduce or vary the effect of the adjustment by using the Opacity or Fill sliders. You can also combine various adjustment layers. An adjustment layer affects all the layers below it.

Photoshop includes a number of different types of adjustment layers, which you access through the Layer menu.

1 Click Layer.

2 Click New Adjustment Layer.

3 Click to select the adjustment that you want to make — for example, Levels.

The New Layer dialog box appears.

4 Type a name for the adjustment layer.

5 Click OK.

The dialog box for the type of adjustment layer you selected appears.

Note: Make sure that the Preview box

is checked.

6 For Levels, drag this slider to the right until it is just below the rise of the black histogram on the left side.

7 For Levels, drag this slider to the left until it is just below the rise of the black histogram on the right side.

8 For Levels, drag this slider slightly to adjust the midtones if necessary.

Note: Different adjustment layers’ dialog boxes have different options.

Make the changes your adjustment layer type requires.

9 Click OK.

The adjustment layer’s changes are applied to

the image. Repeat steps 1 and 2.

Select a different adjustment layer, such as Exposure.

The dialog box for the type of adjustment layer you selected appears.

For Exposure, click here and drag slightly to the left or right to adjust the exposure.

Note: Make the needed changes to the options that are available for your adjustment layer type.

Click OK.

The adjustment layer’s changes are applied to the image.

Click here to turn off the Visibility icon for each adjustment layer and hide the

adjustment. Compare the effect of the adjustment layers.

Note: If you do not like the effect of an adjustment layer, you can simply delete that layer.