Adobe Photoshop CC 2014 v.14.xx - Manual (Page 398)

To the top
3. Adjust the color balance to remove unwanted color casts or to correct oversaturated or undersaturated colors. See Color adjustment
commands .
4. Adjust the tonal range, using either the Levels or Curves adjustments.
Begin tonal corrections by adjusting the values of the extreme highlight and shadow pixels in the image, setting an overall tonal range for the
image. This process is known as setting the highlights and shadows or setting the white and black points. Setting the highlights and
shadows typically redistributes the midtone pixels appropriately. However, you might need to adjust your midtones manually.
To adjust the tonality in just shadow and highlight areas, use the Shadow/Highlight command. See Improve shadow and highlight detail.
5. (Optional) Make other color adjustments.
After you correct the overall color balance of your image, you can make optional adjustments to enhance colors or produce special effects.
6. Sharpen the edges in the image.
As one of the final steps, use the Unsharp Mask or the Smart Sharpen filter to sharpen the clarity of edges in the image. The amount of
sharpening required for an image varies according to the image quality produced by the digital camera or scanner you use. See Sharpen
images.
7. (Optional) Target the image for printer or press characteristics.
You can use options in the Levels or Curves adjustments to import highlight and shadow information into the gamut of an output device, like
a desktop printer. This procedure can also be done if you are sending your image to a printing press, and know the characteristics of the
press.
Because sharpening increases the contrast of neighboring pixels, it’s possible that some pixels in critical areas might become unprintable on
the printer or press that you’re using. For this reason, it’s best to fine-tune the output settings after sharpening. For more information on
adjusting the output settings, see
Setting highlight and shadow target values .
Adjustments panel overview
The tools for making color and tonal adjustments can be found in the Adjustments panel. Clicking a tool icon both selects an adjustment and
automatically creates an adjustment layer. The adjustments you make using the controls and options in the Adjustments panel create
nondestructive adjustment layers. See
About adjustment layers and fill layers .
In Photoshop CC and CS6, the Properties panel has a Presets menu with the adjustment presets. In Photoshop CS5, the Adjustments panel has a
list of adjustment presets that apply common image corrections. Presets are available for Levels, Curves, Exposure, Hue/Saturation, Black &
White, Channel Mixer, and Selective Color. Clicking a preset applies it to the image using an adjustment layer. You can always save adjustment
settings as a preset, which is added to the presets list.
Clicking an adjustment icon or a preset displays the settings options for the specific adjustment.
For a video, see An Introduction to Adjustment Layers .
Apply a correction using the Adjustments panel
1. In the Adjustments panel, click an adjustment icon or choose an adjustment from the panel menu. In CS5, you can also click an adjustment
preset.
2. Use the controls and options in the Properties panel (CC, CS6) or Adjustments panel (CS5) to apply the settings you want.
391