Introduction to Photoshop: Cropping; Layers; Retouching

This was a basic session on Photoshop using version CS5 at Burton College.

Prior to this I have used Photoshop Elements at home - for cropping and very simple retouching. I have NEVER understood the  concept of 'layers' within Photoshop.

This is the base image I have chosen - a sunrise at home in late September (Indian Summer). When looked at closely there is a large blemish in the sky (possibly a dirty camera sensor), and also telephone cables running from left to right. Otherwise this is an image with which I am reasonably happy.


Initially the image was imported into Photoshop and sized to fit the screen:
       View --> Fit On Screen (Command O)

1. Cropping;

Initially I decided the necessary size of the photo - in this case 10" by 8", with a resolution of 300 dpi. I amended the opacity to 100% - background 'black', and clicked on the 'Cropping Tool', also choosing the 'Rule of Thirds' as an aid to composition. I decided to lose the central flowers which are at the bottom of the photo, and to have the sun at a Rule of Thirds intersection, keeping the clear sky quite central. By having a black background the image is easier to evaluate. Once happy with the image I clicked the tick to accept, and then resized to fit the screen. This gave me my background layer, which will remain untouched from herein.

2. Layers:

To facilitate adjustment layers are now added on top of the background layer. The advantage of using layers is that since the background layer remains untouched any changes can be deleted without having to start the whole process from the beginning.

The method used is to click:
     Layer --> New Adjustment Layer --->
The choices then can be seen on the image below.

Brightness / Contrast:
     Initially the settings for both were 0; I reduced the brightness to -10, leaving the contrast at 0.

Hue / Saturation:
     Initially Hue, Saturation and Lightness were set as 0. I amended the hue to +30 (green image below) and then -23 ( red image below), before returning all settings to zero.

Color Balance:
     See below. These were kept at zero.

In this image the build up of the layers can be seen.

Vibrance:
     Again kept to zero.

Exposure:
     See below - again unchanged.

Black and White:
     The image below shows the settings chosen, whilst the image produced appears next. The monochrome image is not an improvement in this instance, since the attraction of the original image is its light and colours.

This image shows more clearly the visual blemishes which can be improved by:

3. Retouching:

For this we must click on the background layer and duplicate it. The original must remain untouched.

     Layer --> Duplicate Layer ( see above)

Ideally the area to be 'fixed' should be at 100% magnification. For this the 'Magnification Tool' is used.

Once at 100% magnification the 'Clone Tool' must be selected - in this instance a soft edge is required. By clicking on the target area together with the 'ALT' key the copy can be made and then released onto the blemish to obscure it.

In this way the large blemish was removed. However the cables require more precise work for their removal.

Finally the image can be saved: