Occasionally I am being asked on how I treated pictures, that I post. Here’s a list of my favorite tools and techniques.
1. Auto Levels
While it is a basic algorithm – in many case the use of Auto Levels (F2 Key) in Photoshop delivers immediate improvements.
Maybe the overall detail increases along with lightness, or only contrasts are slightly adjusted – this quick fix delivers results in let’s say 75% of all cases.
But it does not work always – sometimes it seems to go overboard, by drastically enhancing the brightness, contrast and tint of the image, leading to OE (overexposure) or an unwanted color temperature.
Undoing the Autolevel function is easy by hitting CTRL+Z. Sometimes, when the achieved result is over the top, but has the right tendency, it helps to create a copy of the original layer, apply the autolevel there, and optically “merge” the new layer with the original, by changing the opacity, to a level where you are satisfied.
2.Highlights & Shadows
This feature can be found in the image adjustment tools. It helps balance out UE(under exposure) and OE in an image and gives myriades of adjustment levels, to have the image details look as you would like them too.
As with all filters and adjustments – there also can be a too much. Overdoing these settings leads to sometimes weird side effects. Halos in the transition from object to background, or an overall flattening of the images quality and vibrancy. So – like with all postwork – less is often times more.
3. Sharpening
A more complex undertaking, for sharpening can have adverse side effects, the least of which is a general tendency of producing grain. Slight sharpening can easily be achieved with Photoshop’s own Sharpening function. The use however of the “Sharpen more” function already is too much in basically every case.
Smart Sharpen and Unsharp mask, that come with Photoshop are much better tools, but need adjustments, for no two images are alike and what is too much for one, can be too little for the next image.
4. Noise Reduction
While it’s always neat, to work with low ISO setting – daily life tends to not allow that all too often, when you’re not working off a tripod. And – depending on the type of shot you’re making – you will have a result, that might show some grain – from ISO 400 and up…
Photoshop itself does not provide a suitable noise reduction – but fortunately there are tons of plugins out there, doing a great job.
I use these three:
- Neat Image (I use it for strong noise)
- Noise Ninja (Medium)
- Noiseware professional (my all around tool)
While they all deliver excellent results – my usage is a result of my own workflow and really more a gut reaction, than the result of meticulous study. As with all things post processing – the rule is “more is less”. Too much will also take away precious detail, too little will result in too much noise…
5. Bringing out the detail…
In some shots the camera does not seem to bring out the detail, as you wish it were there. Fact is – the detail is there, you just have to bring it out.
One way to do that is a little complicated at first, but delivers. To show what I mean – I post a picture, that I found on the web – the official portrait of the US Vice President Dick Cheney. No political statement here – it just was a portrait in a good size 2000×3000 pixel. Very obviously post processed, with quite a bit of softening, highlighting and retouches. My technique brings the image back to reality – though I used it a bit heavy handed for demonstration purposes.
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Click on the image to see the large version |
This technique is the opposite of making things look pretty. It’s achieved with a few steps in Photoshop:
- Copy the image into a layer above the original.
- Turn the copy into B/W
- Change the blending mode from normal to multiply
- reduce the opacity to about 30 – 50 %
- merge image, enhance gamma and exposure and add a little saturation – voila.
- more often than not I add the following step after merging (flattening) the image
- Unsharp mask
And there you have it. Don’t even think of applying this technique on an image of your girlfriend/boyfriend.
(Unless of course you want to break up anyway… 
)
6. Removing the noise from a background, but leaving the main object “unharmed”.
Well – me shooting a lot of birds, where detail of the plumage is relevant I often find myself in a situation, that applying noise reduction
wipes out precious detail in the feathers. While the background looks as planned, the main object is less of an attraction, seem blodgy.
A way to deal with that is pretty simple.
Cope the original in a layer above and apply the noise reduction. Then just take the eraser brush and delete the main object (Bird e.g.)
from the layer above the original, having the original showing with a glorious background, but detailed object.
7. Sensor dust…
Every so often you find yourself finding visible dust in your image. My take on removing it is two fold:
- First use Photoshop’s Healing brush with a size of maybe twice the dust particle size. Rightclick in a “clean” area close to the spot
and paint over it. The healing brush calculates the surrounding and removes the “spot” by applying the surroundings color values.
Works like a charme – with one big exception. - Let’s say you’re removing “spots” from a sky background – and you’re getting close to a – let’s say dark tree branch. There the
Healing brush is at it’s wit’s end, because it’s calculating the dark of the branch into it’s equation, leaving you with a large blotch
instead of a removed small spot. - In this case I use the clone tool – again about twice the size of the “bad spot”., set to about 50% opacity and repeat the same exercise as with the healing brush, just repeating it several times. Why a low opacity? Well – when working on e.g. a more or less gradient Background the clone tool set to 100% might be too heavy handed and visible after all. Working with a lower opacity, let’s you apply the “fix” more careful and precise.
8. Reducing image size and filesize and keep your EXIF Data
If you post on sites other than your own – you often have to get to a certain fileszize and imagesize. While Photoshop’s “Save to the web” is most certainly is inviting – it has a inexplicable downside – it strips the EXIF information from your image. While that helps to get the last iota of quality compared to filesize out of an image – having it applied without the option to keep those data is quite annoying. While you can go and check in the settings, to keep the XMP data (the professional version of EXIF) – the EXIF Data are gone for the resized image.
To keep those – just proceed in your routine of Postprocessing your image as usual. Once you’re set and done flatten the image and select “Save as..” in the file menu. Select the jpf file format and the location to save it to. And finally – before the final save is done – you will be asked for a compression value. Note: The higher the compression – the lower the quality. You should be ok with values 6 and higher.
Another weird Photoshop flaw however might confuse you. The filesize value indicated, when selecting a compression value is way off.
In favor of a smaller filesize that is. The actual filesizes are about 25% smaller then what Photoshop indicates.
There you have it – your EXIF data are safe (and saved).
9. Working safely
Don’t you worry – this is not about wearing a hardhat. It’s about the integrity of your image. With CS3 Adobe introduced two cool new features: Smart Objects and Smart Filters. And smart that they are.
So what are they good for? Both are doing basically same – just on different levels. Converting an image to a smart object, by opening it
with “Open as Smart object” in the file menu assures you, that all changes that you have made can be reversed. Yeah, yeah I already hear you saying “Well that’s what the “Restore” function is for!” Yes it is! But only if you don’t save. Once saved the status of an image ca not be reversed. That’s where the Smart in object shines. The original image is saved in a smart object, no matter what.
Smart filters do the same, for filters applied. Everything is reversable and fully restorable! I don’t have to mention that that can save you a heap of trouble, because we are all prone to make mistakes every now and then.
10. Know your workflow and make the best of it.
One of the lesser known features of Photoshop is it’s ability to be customized. And that quite thorough.
Ever wondered where actions went, Windows positions, styles, color settings? One day you use them – the next day they are gone.
Most often after system crashes ….
Welcome to your Workspace. Or better the default workspace. That is what Photoshop goes back to, when a crash occurs.
And this Workspace embraces a lot of settings. What tool windows you got open, where you placed them and how you configured them.
Your custom actions, palettes, styles, keyboard shortcuts, General Settings, Custom menus – everything is and can be stored in your workspace. And you can create many of them – tool them for the task you’re working on. Webdesign, Graphics, Illustrations or Matte painting.
In the top right of your copy of Photoshop you see the Menu for Workspace, the selected being checked. As you see – there are several ideas already implemented – switch forth and back and see how it influences what you see.
And now you can go ahead an set your own individual workspace up. Once done – you “save it as..” and voila – you did it. And in case Photoshop goes back to it’s default setting after a crash – just select your workspace and you’re back in the game.
Now go out and give it a try – and let me know if it helped!
