LEARN PHOTOSHOP CC & LIGHTROOM THE EASY WAY!

Issue 76 July 2017

UNLOCK YOUR
CREATIVE
GENIUS
MAKE STUNNING
ART AND MASTER
NEW SKILLS
PLUS
TOP 10 BEST AND
WORST TOOLS
GET CREATIVE
WITH PAINT
CREATE THE
COVER IMAGE
 LEARN PHOTOSHOP CC & LIGHTROOM THE EASY WAY!

Issue 76 July 2017

WATCH THE VIDEO
http://tiny.cc/h9bbjy

LEARN PHOTOSHOP CC & LIGHTROOM THE EASY WAY!

UNLOCK YOUR
Issue 76 July 2017

CREATIVE DOWNLOAD THE

UNLOCK YOUR GENIUS
MAKE STUNNING
PROJECT FILES
CREATIVE ART AND MASTER To download this
GENIUS
MAKE STUNNING
NEW SKILLS issue's files, type
ART AND MASTER
NEW SKILLS PLUS the following link
PLUS TOP 10 BEST AND into your web
TOP 10 BEST AND
WORST TOOLS WORST TOOLS
GET CREATIVE browser on your
WITH PAINT GET CREATIVE
CREATE THE WITH PAINT PC or Mac:
COVER IMAGE

CREATE THE http://tiny.cc/3b3tly

COVER IMAGE

Welcome to issue 76 of Practical Photoshop! FIND US HERE

If you enjoy the issue, why not subscribe and get
a whole year for just $19.99? http://bit.ly/practweet
http://bit.ly/pracface
There are some tools that we just cant live without,
and others we wouldnt let near our precious images. Also available on:
This months feature explores the gems and stinkers
Photoshop has to offer. Elsewhere, discover how to
make stunning portrait effects like the cover, master http://tiny.cc/4dw9ky

the Brush tool and create vibrant traffic trails.

http://tiny.cc/rew9ky
James Paterson, Editor t james.paterson@futurenet.com

www.digitalcameraworld.com http://tiny.cc/8ew9ky

HIGHLIGHTS: WHATS INSIDE

TOP 10 BEST AND GET CREATIVE CREATE CREATE LIGHTROOM
WORST TOOLS WITH PAINT THE COVER TRAFFICTRAILS SKILLS
QWe reveal our QMix portraits QDiscover the QShoot and QTease out
10 favorites and and paint for hidden depths combine several detail with the
ones to avoid amazing results of this tool traffic trail photos Clarity slider
 PHOTOSHOP
BEST AND
WORST
We count down 10 of our favorite
Photoshop tools and how to use them.
Plus: 10 tools to avoid...

Photoshop has been the most powerful or useful.

around for 27 years now,
and has grown exponentially
from a compact photo editor
to an all encompassing image-
processing behemoth. As such,
there are often several ways to
do the same job, and some tools
are better than others.
Over the next few pages, we
reveal our 10 best Photoshop
tools. These arent necessarily
The main criteria is that theyre
very good at what they do, and
rarely let us down. Conversely,
there are other tools that are a
constant letdown, so well also
look at 10 tools to avoid.
Along the way, youll find a
host of useful tool tips and video
tutorial techniques to help you
become a master of the mighty
Photoshop toolbox.
 THE 10 BEST TOOLS

1 QUICK SELECTION TOOL

Selections shapes, and w if the
play such a selection edge strays
big part in all kinds of over details you dont
projects whether want.
its making cut-outs The tool sits in the
or selective tonal toolbar, but it also
adjustments. The
WATCH THE VIDEO appears in the Select
http://tiny.cc/s65tly
Quick Selection tool And Mask command
is hands-down the (an update to the
best tool Photoshop old Refine Edge
offers for making command). Its a good
difficult selections of edges as you paint, the details you need idea to run complex
irregular shapes. It and as you build up while excluding the selections through
automatically seeks a selection, it learns rest. Simply paint Select And Mask to
out and snaps on to and adapts to target with the tool to select improve the edge.

TOP TOOL TIP

Leave Auto-Enhance unchecked: it slows the tool down. Besides, youre better
offenhancingtheselectionafterwards with the Select And Mask command.
 2 MOVE TOOL
The Move tool comes
into its own when you
piece together composites
and work with multi-layered
documents. As the name
suggests, it lets you move
layers around the image,
or from one document to
another. There are two key
settings in the options bar at
the top. With Show Transform
Controls checked, youll see
a bounding box around the
selected layer, which can be
clicked on to allow for quick
resizing or rotating.
With Auto-Select Layer/
Group, you can click on
a part of the image and
automatically select the layer
in that area useful when
there are lots of layers. These
two settings mean that the
Move tool is invaluable not
just for moving, but also for
transforming and quickly
targeting layers.
When there are several
layers, it can be tricky to find
the right one without having
to sift through the Layers
panel but theres a handy
trick. Using the Move tool,
right-click over any point in
the image for a list of the
layers on that point.

TOP TOOL TIP

You can temporarily switch from any other tool to the Move tool by holding Ctrl/Cmd.
3 CROP
TOOL
In basic terms, the Crop
tool lets you cut off
the edges of your image, but
theres much more on offer.
For starters, you can alter the
image resolution using the
options at the top, so you can
prepare the image for printing
or web with specific resolution
and size settings. Whats more,
there are several useful visual
overlays that adhere to classic
compositional rules.
Then theres the excellent
new Content-Aware Crop option,
which lets you crop outside the
original image window, with
Photoshop generating new pixels
based on the detail in the image
often with very good results.

TOP TOOL TIP

Press X to switch the crop box between
verticalandhorizontal orientations.
 4 SPOT HEALING BRUSH TOOL
This is the best detail it can be less
retouching tool impressive, but it can
Photoshop offers. still get you halfway
Paint over an object, there, at which point
mark or scratch, you can move in and
and Photoshop will tidy up with the Clone WATCH THE VIDEO
attempt to remove tool or the Patch tool. http://tiny.cc/kr5tly
it based on analysis Its usually best to
of the surrounding make a new empty
pixels. Its very layer above your
effective, especially if image layer, then set
the object is against the tool to Sample
a clean backdrop. All Layers in the tool on the empty layer your editing non-
Where the backdrop options at the top. to preserve your destructive if you
is cluttered with This way you can heal original, which keeps change your mind.

TOP TOOL TIP

Hold Shift and click between two points to heal in a straight line useful
fortidyinguplongscratchesorremoving telephone wires.
 5 PEN TOOL
The Pen tool The Pen tool works
has something by drawing a path.
of a steep learning Either click between
curve, but it offers points for a straight
such a fine degree of line, or click-and-
control that it really drag for curved
is a tool all serious
WATCH THE VIDEO lines controlled
http://tiny.cc/2ttxly
Photoshop users by adjustable
should master. Bzier handles. A
Its a labor- couple ofkeyboard
intensive tool that shortcuts and tool
lets you make cut- selections of hard- very useful for studio options make things
outs or precise edged objects, so its product photography. alittle easier.

TOP TOOL TIP

Click the cog in the tool options and turn on Rubber Band for a helpful
previewthatattachestoyourcursoras you plot anchor points.
 6 MAGIC WAND
This works by in the tool options at
seeking out the top controls how
similar tones and inclusive the tool is
colors, so its great for of different shades
isolating areas like a of color. A higher
sky before going on tolerance will make
WATCH THE VIDEO
to enhance or replace http://tiny.cc/7q5tly the tool pick up a
it. Simply click over a wider range of colors.
point in your image Check Contiguous
and the tool will and the tool will
select similar pixels, only pick up pixels
making it easy to top left. Toggling its easier to use connected to the
select large expanses each on or off will keyboard shortcuts: first point you click
of tones or colors. allow you to add hold Shift to add, over. Uncheck it and
When using the to a selection, Alt to subtract, and the tool will search
Magic Wand, youll subtract from it or Shift+Alt to intersect. image-wide for
see four icons at the intersect. However, The Tolerance setting similar colors.

TOP TOOL TIP

Shift-click around a sky to quickly make a selection of the area, then head
intotheSelectAndMaskcommand to improve the selection.
 7 BRUSH TOOL
If youve only used the with the box of tricks in the
Brush tool for basic accompanying Brush panel.
painting, youll be amazed at In fact, theres so much depth
the features it hides, along to the Brush tool that weve
dedicated an entire section
toit later in the magazine,
which youll find among this
months tutorials.
 8 CURVES
No list of top Where you place a
10 Photoshop point determines
tools would be which part of the
complete without tonal range you wish
Curves. Its possible to change. Towards
to create most the left targets
tonal effects right
WATCH THE VIDEO shadows; the right
http://tiny.cc/2q5tly
here, rather than changes highlights.
goelsewhere. At first The Channel
glance, though, its dropdown in the
not exactly intuitive Curves box lets you
to use. image layer with Ctrl/ can be dragged up target color channels.
Curves can Cmd+M (as well as in or down to lighten An upwards drag
be added as an Camera Raws Tone or darken the image. on the red line adds
Adjustment Layer Curve panel). The Each point you click red while down adds
or directly to an diagonal curve line creates an anchor. cyan, for example.

TOP TOOL TIP

The S-shaped curve is a classic Curves technique for boosting contrast and color saturation, lending
much-needed punch to flat images. The more pronounced the S-shape, the more the image will pop.
 9 ADJUSTMENT LAYERS
Adjustment Layers are
invaluable in all kinds
of Photoshop projects, both
for the control they offer and
the effects you can achieve.
They can be added by clicking
the Create Adjustment Layer
icon at the base of the Layers
panel. There are plenty to
choose from, each offering
a different tonal control for
altering your image perhaps
with a boost in contrast using
Curves, for example, or a
black-and-white treatment.
All these kinds of tools can
be applied directly to an
image layer using the Image
>Adjustment menu, but
being able to add the effect
on its own separate layer
gives you greater control.
The adjustment appears
in the layer stack and affects
all the layers below it. This
has several benefits. It means
you can add an adjustment on
top of several layers to affect
them all, and it also gives
you all the powerful options
when working with any type
of layer, such as layer masks,
blending modes and layer
opacity. A layer mask in the
photo above lets you add a
selective Curves boost to
the eyes, for example. The
adjustment remains editable,
so you can go back in and
tweak the settings at any
time by double-clicking the
layer thumbnail.

TOP TOOL TIP

After adding an Adjustment Layer, press Ctrl/Cmd+I, then grab the Brush tool and paint
withwhiteoveryour image to apply the effect selectively just to the areas you want.
 10 CAMERA RAWS
TRANSFORM TOOL
A recent or vertical. The image
addition will start to skew or
to Camera Raw, straighten as you add
Transform allows two or more lines.
you to plot a series Itcan work wonders
of four lines through WATCH THE VIDEO on architectural
the image, following http://tiny.cc/yl03gy photos or any image
natural lines in the where straight lines
scene that youd are crucial fixing
like to be either converging verticals
perfectly horizontal and wonky horizons.
 THE 10 WORST TOOLS

1 MAGNETIC LASSO TOOL

An outdated tool thats outclassed by other selection methods. It works by snapping
toedges, but the Quick Selection tool does the job more effectively.

2 CONTENT-AWARE MOVE TOOL

A gimmicky tool that only ever works on simple images with plain backdrops
yourebetteroff selecting, moving and filling manually.
 3 PENCIL TOOL
Why would anybody need to use a tool that makes nasty jagged-edged scrawls when
theBrush tool offers a range of realistic pencil tips and heaps more options?

4 MERGE TO HDR PRO 5 BRIGHTNESS/CONTRAST

Nowhere near as good as third-party HDR It does a job, but its a blunt instrument
plugins like Photomatix, or even Camera compared to more refined methods of tonal
Raws HDR Merge command. The presets enhancement like Levels, Curves or the
arealmost all awful. entire Camera Raw Basic panel.
 6
ARTISTIC
FILTERS
Wow, how cool
look everyone,
Ican turn my photo
into a cross-hatch
painting That was
us on day one of
using Photoshop.
Beyond day two,
no-one should go
near these filters.

7 SHAKE REDUCTION
Weve included this because when Adobe first unveiled it, it looked as if it was going to be
awesome shaky photos would never again be a problem. But it turned out to be just OK.
 8 THE ZOOM TOOL
Dont bother with it. Instead,
hold Z or Ctrl/Cmd+Space and
drag right to zoom in, left to
zoom out. Press Ctrl/Cmd+0
to make your image fit to the
display. Double-click the tool
to zoom to 100%.

9 THE COUNT TOOL

Every click adds a number, letting you count objects in an
image or create reference points. There must be Photoshop
users who find it useful, but well never be one of them.

10 THE SPONGE TOOL

Perhaps an unfair inclusion, but were finding it hard to come up with 10 stinkers. Theres
noneed to ever use it. A Hue/Saturation Layer and mask combo offers much more control.
GET CREATIVE
WITH PAINT
IN YOUR
PORTRAITS
Discover how to make
amazing artwork by
combining portraits with
images ofcolorful paints
Photoshop can create all
manner of paint splatters
andcolor effects, but nothing
quite beats real-world paint
splashes. Sometimes its better
to get your hands dirty and
photograph paints or other
mixed media, then combine the
results with your photos. Here WATCH THE VIDEO
well explain how its done. Youll http://tiny.cc/vq5tly
recreate this paint-splashed
image with a combination of
Photoshop compositing skills.
Youll cut out your subject
and add in several images of
acrylic paints (photographed
dropping into water), before
using blend modes and
layer masks tobring it
all together.

DOWNLOAD THE PROJECT FILES HERE http://tiny.cc/3b3tly ON YOUR PC OR MAC

01 CUT OUT
THESUBJECT
Open cover_before from
our start files. First well
cut out the subject. Grab
the Quick Selection brush
and paint over him. (Alt-
paint to subtract if the
selection goes wrong.)
Click Select And Mask,
then increase Radius
slightly. Set Output to
New Layer With Layer
Mask and click OK.

02 ADD THE PAINT

Open paint01.
Use the Move tool to
drag the image across
to the portrait. Go back
to the portrait image
then go to the Layers
Panel (Window > Layers)
and drag the paint layer
between the cut-out
and the Background
layer. Rename the
layers:cutout, paint01
and background.

03 PLACE THE LAYER

In the Move tool
options, check Show
Transform Controls and
Auto-Select Layer. Click
on the bounding box of
the paint01 layer and
rotate and resize it.
Youcan right-click while
transforming for more
options like Warp. Once
youre happy with the
position and size, press
Return to apply.
04 ADD ANOTHER
LAYER
Open paint02; as before,
use the Move tool to drag
it into the main image.
Go to the Layers panel
and change the Blend
Mode from Normal to
Screen. If its not there
already, drag the paint02
layer below the cutout
layer, then transform and
position it until youre
happy with the shape.

05 SELECT THE
BACKGROUND
Open paint03. This time
youll add the paint in
front of the subject, so
you need to cut it out
first. Grab the Magic
Wand from the Tools
Panel. In the options at
the top, set Tolerance to
about 10 and make sure
Contiguous is unchecked.
Click on the black
background to select it.

06 CUT OUT
THE PAINT
Click Select And Mask
and use the controls to
improve the selection.
Increase Radius and
check Smart Radius, then
grab the Refine Radius
tool from the tools on
the left and paint over
the edge to improve it.
Theres no need to make
it perfect. Set Output to
Layer Mask and click OK.
07 ADD IT
IN FRONT
Drag paint03 into the
main image. Drag the
new layer to the top of
the stack and position
using the Move tool.
Highlight the mask
thumbnail on the layer
then zoom in to check
the cutout. Paint with
black to hide or white to
reveal parts of the layer,
perfecting the cutout.

08 REMOVE THE
BACKGROUND
Open paint04. Youll
remove the black
background again, this
time using the Blend If
command. Double-click
the layer in the Layers
panel to open the Blend
If options. Hold Alt and
drag the right half of the
This Layer black point
inwards slightly. Thisll
remove the black.

09 BUILD IT UP
Copy the paint04
layer in and position
as before. Continue
building up the effect in
the same way, reusing
parts of the paint images
in different ways until
youre happy with the
results. Experiment
with the layer order
and positioning until
everything works
together in harmony.
10 CUT OUT
THE ARM
The elements will gel
better if you bring the
arm out in front. Alt-click
the cutout layers eye
icon to hide the others.
Paint over the arm with
the Quick Selection tool
to select it, then press
Ctrl/Cmd+J to copy it to a
new layer. Drag the layer
to the top of the stack
and rename it arm.

11 BLEND THE SPRAY

Next youll use the
spray of flour from the
original image. Highlight
the cutout layer; press
Ctrl/Cmd+J to copy it,
then drag the copy to
the top of the stack.
Highlight the mask
thumbnail on the layer
and press Ctrl/Cmd+I
to invert it. Change the
Blend Mode of the layer
to Screen.

12 PAINT OVER ACOLOR

Make a new layer
at the top of the stack;
right-click it and choose
Create Clipping Mask. Set
the Blend Mode of the
layer to Color then grab
the Brush tool. Hold Alt
to sample colors from the
image then paint to add
the color to the spray,
using a low brush Opacity
setting to build up the
colors until youre happy.
 GET CREATIVE
WITH PHOTOSHOP
BRUSHES The Brush Tool is
so much more than
a simple painter
you can make
stunning photo
effects, create
your own brush
tips, and much
more besides

WATCH THE VIDEO

http://tiny.cc/pq5tly

BEFORE

DOWNLOAD THE PROJECT FILES HERE http://tiny.cc/3b3tly ON YOUR PC OR MAC

 STEP BY STEP MAKE A BRUSH
Create your own bird-based brush tips

01 PREPARE THE PHOTO

Open one of the bird
images weve provided.
First youneed to ensure
thebackdrop is completely
white: press Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+U
todesaturate, then bring up
Levels with Ctrl/Cmd+L. Drag
in theblack and white points
to increase contrast. Next, use
theRectangular Marquee tool
todrag a selection over the area.

02 DEFINE THE BRUSH

Go to Edit > Define Brush Preset. You can define brush tips for other objects like the
trees in the same way (or simply load in the supplied brush set). Next, open silhouette.jpg.
Make anew layer, fill it with white and set the Blend mode to Lighten, then start painting
with your new brush tips to fill in the shape.
 PHOTOSHOP ANATOMY
SCATTER EFFECTS
The Brush panel opens the door to
thousands of different brush effects. For
afun scatter effect, play with the following
settings: Brush Tip Shape > Spacing;
Shape Dynamics > Size Jitter; Scattering BRUSH SHORTCUTS
SAVE BRUSH SETS > Scatter, Count and Count Jitter; Color To alter brush size,
One of the best Dynamics >Foreground/Background Jitter; use ] or [ and add in
things about Transfer>Opacity Jitter. Shift for hardness.
Photoshop brushes Alternatively hold
is that they can be Ctrl+Alt (macOS)
shared. You can or Alt+right mouse
download and install (Windows) and
sets found online, or drag left or right to
create your own sets resize, up or down
for others to use. to change hardness.
After making a set, Alt-click tosample
press Ctrl/Cmd+F a color, and Shift-
and type Preset click on two points
Manager; Ctrl/ to draw a straight
Cmd-click to select line. Press 1 for 10%
a range of tips and brush opacity, 2 for
choose Save Set. 20%, and so on.

FOREGROUND/BACKGROUND
Foreground is the active color the brush applies. Background comes
into play if you erase parts of the Background layer, although its more
commonly used to hold a color in reserve. Press X to flip them. The
Swatches panel (Window > Swatches) lets you save colors.

BRUSH BASICS BLEND MODES

The Brush tool lets you apply The Brush mode lets you
paint. A basic circular brush paint using a Blend mode.
tip is useful for many tasks, Sometimes a layer mask
but you can turn any shape leaves a fringe around edges.
you like into a tip, or load in If this happens, try setting
avariety of ready-made sets the mode to Overlay. Paint
via the Brush Preset picker around the edges in white or
inthe tool options. black to eat away at it.
 CREATE A BOKEH BRUSH
Combine brush tricks with the Blur filter

2
1
7
5
6 4

3
WATCH THE VIDEO
http://tiny.cc/7p5tly

Press Ctrl/Cmd+N to create adocument. Make a circular selection

then fill it with a midtone grey. Go to Edit > Stroke and add a
black stroke to make a grey circle with a black outline [1]. Make a
rectangular selection over the circle and go to Edit > Define Brush.
Make a new layer and fill with black [2], then create an empty layer
on top. Grab the Brush tool and choose colors for the foreground and
background [3]. Open the Brush panel. First increase Scattering [4],
then up Spacing [5], alter Size Jitter [6] and increase Foreground/
Background Jitter [7]. Paint to create bokeh, then go to Filter > Blur>
Gaussian Blur to blurit. Build up the layers, blurring some more than
others, and experiment withthe Linear Dodge Blendmode [8].
PLAY WITH TRAFFIC
James Paterson explains how to capture images that
transformpassing vehicles into glorious streaks of color
Photographers have abit
of a love/hate relationship
with movement. Sometimes its a
real pain and we strive to keep it
to a minimum. At other times, we
want to celebrate it in all its glory.
The motion of traffic at
night definitely falls into the
latter category. By using a long
exposure in the low evening light,
the smooth motion of their lights
creates wonderful streaks of color
through the frame.
This is one of those camera
skills that reveals the magic of
photography and the best part
is, its easy! Anyone with a DSLR
a great way to get started with
long-exposure photography as
theres no need for extra filters
oreven a cable release.
The challenge is finding an WATCH THE VIDEO
interesting composition for
http://tiny.cc/to5tly
yourshot. Winding roads and
mountainous scenery work
perfectly, but why not try a PROJECT INFO
multi-lane motorway, city street, Youll learn
or a knotty junction? Another Capture vehicle light
trails at night with a
challenge is timing you want
longexposure
a decent array of lights, but at
Youll need
night, especially, traffic can be
5SJQPE
t Photoshop CC,
rather sparse. However, you can CS orElements
always shoot several frames then Itll take
combine them with simple editing 30 minutes

and tripod can do it. As such, its skills, as well explain...

DOWNLOAD THE PROJECT FILES HERE http://tiny.cc/3b3tly ON YOUR PC OR MAC

01 GET SET UP
Fix your DSLR
toa tripod. Look for
an angle where the
winding road begins
close up then recedes
into the distance, as
this will make for more
interesting lines than,
say, a side-on view. Try
a low-down or high-up
view, and frame loosely
to account for different-
height vehicles.

02 SWITCH TO
MANUAL
Rather than shooting in
pitch-dark, try just after
sunset so theres still
detail in the sky. Even so,
autofocus can struggle
to lock on in low light,
so focus on a point a
third of the way into the
scene, then switch to
manual focus to lock it.
Thisll prevent hunting
between frames.

03 SET YOUR
EXPOSURE
Switch your DSLR to
its Manual exposure
mode. All scenes are
different, but heres a
good starting point to
try for the exposure:
set the aperture to f/16,
shutter speed 30secs
and ISO 100. If the image
is too bright or dark, try
adjusting the aperture
until youre happy.
04 TIME IT RIGHT
Shoot plenty of
frames as the vehicles
zoom by. Differences in
height make the trails
more varied (as will
flashing lights, which
appear as dashes). Take
care not to nudge the
camera between shots,
as you will need all the
frames tobe in alignment
if you intend to blend
them together.

05 COMBINE
SEVERAL IMAGES
Open all the images you
want to use (we blended
seven) in Photoshop.
Choose one frame as the
base image, then go to
another image, Select
All (Ctrl/Cmd+A), Copy
(Ctrl/Cmd+C) then go
back to the base image
and Paste (Ctrl/Cmd+V).
Repeat the process for
all the other images.

06 BLEND THE LAYERS

Go to the Layers
panel (Window>Layers)
then change the Blend
mode of all your layers
to Lighten, which
effectively lets you
overlay the trails on top
of one another. If any
other areas, like the sky,
look messy, use a layer
mask or the eraser to
remove them from the
overall mix.
LEARN LIGHTROOM TODAY!

WATCH THE VIDEO

http://tiny.cc/yn5tly

This month, learn how to

tease out midtone detail with
Lightrooms Clarity slider
If youd like to watch the
complete course now, get the
app from the Apple App Store

LIKE THIS? NOW AVAILABLE ON BUY

THE APPLE APP STORE BIT.LY/TYLRAPP NOW!
 Your quick-start guide and reference
to image editing in Photoshop
If youre relatively new to editing in
Photoshop, or you just dont know
where to begin, then this section is the best
place to get started. Over the next nine pages,
youll find an overview of the different versions
of Photoshop available; a breakdown of the
typical image-editing workflow in Photoshop;
an overview of raw file editing; a guide to the
six most useful layers; and a glossary of the
most useful shortcuts. This guide condenses
most of the tools and techniques youll use
every time you import a new roll of pictures.
 LIGHTROOM 6
109.99 OR 10.10/$9.99 PER MONTH
WINDOWS, macOS
Lightroom combines
the professional raw-
processing tools in the
more expensive Photoshop
CC with the asset-organizing
powers of the cheaper
Photoshop Elements.
Lightroom is available as
a traditional boxed copy
(Lightroom 6), and as part of

PHOTOSHOP CC
10.10/$9.99 PER MONTH WINDOWS, macOS
a Creative Cloud subscription
(Lightroom CC). Essentially,
the applications are the same,
Photoshop is the software of choice for most professional except Lightroom CC has
and non-professional photographers. Beyond the standard Creative Cloud support, ongoing
photo-editing features, it boasts a vast array of more updates, and access to the
creative tools and filters. Layers are one of the key differences mobile and web workflows.
between Photoshop and Lightroom. They enable you to mask out
selected parts to build up increasingly sophisticated images.
LIGHTROOM MOBILE
INCLUDED WITH CREATIVE CLOUD
IPHONE, IPAD, ANDROID
Lightroom Mobile is
the lightweight iPad,
iPhone and Android
version of the application,
integrated with Lightroom CC
but not Lightroom 6. To use
Lightroom Mobile you need
to sign up for an Adobe ID so
that you can access the Adobe
Creative Cloud. This enables
you to create a collection
of photos on your desktop
copy of Lightroom and sync
ELEMENTS 15 79.99/$99.99 WINDOWS, macOS them viathe Creative Cloud
Elements is the consumer variant of Photoshop, and to Lightroom Mobile on your
contains many of its key tools and features within a portable devices. You can then
simplified interface. Its limited, but it does provide access use Lightroom Mobile to edit or
to layers for those who have switched to a Lightroom workflow. add ratings to your pictures.

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
FREE IPAD, ANDROID
MIX
Mix enables you to merge two photos together
to create a composite image. It offers a simplified
compositing process that makes it easy for beginners
to start combining an object from one image with a background
from another. You can then send the composite to Photoshop
for further edits. If you like, you can also use Mix to edit a single
image. It offers a few simple tonal adjustments and more
complex edits such as Content-Aware Fill.
ADOBE COLOR
FREE IPHONE, IPAD, ANDROID
If you ever need help
selecting coordinated colors
for your designs, try using
Adobe Color. It enables you to create
color themes from photos taken on
your mobile device. This could be
anything from a scene in your local
park to a famous painting. So if you
come across an inspirational scene,
capture the colors and save them.
ADOBE SHAPE
FREE
IPHONE, IPAD, ANDROID
Adobe Shape enables
you to turn photos and
sketches into beautiful
vector shapes for use in your
designs or artwork. The app
smooths out jagged edges in
images, resulting in gorgeous
vectors that are endlessly
scalable, just as if youd drawn
them by hand with the Pen tool.
Make a shape with the mobile
app and the next time you open
Photoshop on your desktop, the
shape will sync to your Library.
Drag it in to any document to
add color and make further
adjustments.
ADOBE BRUSH
FREE
IPHONE, IPAD, ANDROID
Adobe Brush enables
you to make your
own custom brushes
from photos or sketches for
use in Photoshop, Illustrator
or the Sketch app. The most
successful subjects are usually
those that can be easily
isolated, such as a splash
against white, or a leaf against
the sky. You can capture objects
for your brush tips using your
devices camera, choose from
your camera roll, or use your
Creative Cloud library. Once
captured, you can then fine-
tune the look of the tip and
apply brush settings.
 ADOBE COMP CC
FREE IPAD
If youre a designer
who wants to build
a quick layout for a
web or print page, then Comp is
the ideal place to start piecing
ideas, images and text together.
You can draw common design
elements such as text or image
boxes with quick gestures. For
example, a couple of squiggly
lines with a dot makes a
header, and a cross makes an

ADOBE
FREE IPAD
PHOTOSHOP SKETCH image box. It makes it easy to
mock up a layout in seconds.
You can then add words and
As the name suggests, this app enables you to paint graphics. The app even spits
freehand using a selection of brushes, colors and other out a Photoshop, Illustrator or
tools. However, Sketch is more than just a painting InDesign document.
app. It also enables you to connect with like-minded creatives,
so you can follow artists and see their work updating. Once
youre done sketching the image on your iPad, you can upload
BEHANCE
to the Sketch community or continue working on the image CREATIVE PORTFOLIO
in Photoshop CC. You can also bring in brushes made with FREE IPAD, IPHONE
Adobe Brush, and for those who cant paint, theres an option Behance is the online
to overlay images so you can trace over a photo. Sketch is social space for
compatible with Adobes pen and ruler hardware, Ink and Slide, creatives to share
but you can get great results with your finger. and showcase their portfolios,
connect with one another,
and find work. With work
from the best photographers,
PHOTOSHOP FIX digital artists and designers
out there, its also a great
FREE IPAD place to find inspiration for
Fix is a retouching app a new project. If youre a
for altering portraits and Creative Cloud subscriber you
fixing marks or blemishes can set up a Behance page in
in your photos. Intelligent facial minutes. The Behance app
recognition locks onto eyes, lips for iOS devices enables you to
noses and chins, making it easy to manage your page, while the
tweak a smile, tuck in a jawline or Creative Portfolio app provides
enlarge eyes, should you wish. a polished portfolio.
Manage your photos from capture to output in three stages

The image-editing process begins as

1
soon as youve transferred your photos
from your memory card to your computer.
1 The first stage is to begin sifting
through your pictures to discover which are
the keepers. The image organizer that comes
with Photoshop is ideal for this task. Adobe
Bridge has controls for keywording, rating and
filtering your images, and there are handy tools
for batch renaming files, creating panoramic
stitches, making contact sheets and more.
Launch Adobe Bridge and navigate to a
folder containing new images. Use the cursor
keys to quickly flick through the images and
click below a thumbnail to add a star rating, or
use the keyboard shortcut Cmd/Ctrl+1-5. You 2
can then filter your images by the star rating to
group the ones you want to work on.
2 The next step is to open the images
from Bridge into Adobe Camera Raw. ACR
is the best place to make initial changes to
your images to boost tones and correct any
problems with exposure and so on. It doesnt
enable you to combine images youll use
Photoshop for that but it does enable you to
make the kind of edits photographers need.
3 In Photoshop, you can further refine 3
the image with layers and adjustment layers,
which offer a much more flexible way of
working than ACR. Once youve finished, its
time to share it with a wider audience. Go to
File>Save, and your image will be saved as a
Photoshop document (PSD). This keeps all the
layers intact, which means you can go back and
retweak the image at a later date. However,
PSD files are large and take up lots of hard drive
space. If you want to share your images online
or via email or social media, save them as JPEGs.
Discover how to process your raw files to perfection
The latest version of the raw file rather than in Photoshop, youll ensure the
processor included with Photoshop is so best possible image quality, because raw files
powerful that most photos can be processed contain more picture information than bitmap
entirely in the raw processor, with no need for images such as un-layered PSDs and JPEGs.
further editing in Photoshop. And by making Heres our reference to the features youll use
your adjustments in Adobe Camera Raw the most in the Basic panel.

THE BASIC CONTRAST

Makes light pixels brighter

PANEL IN ACR and dark pixels darker

HIGHLIGHTS
TEMPERATURE Controls the brightness
Use this slider to warm of the lightest pixels
or cool an image if the
White Balance tool fails to
correct a color cast SHADOWS
Controls the brightness
of the darkest pixels
TINT
This slider enables you to
correct a green or magenta WHITES
cast, again, if the White Sets a point on the tonal
Balance tool fails range at which pixels
should be pure white

EXPOSURE
Controls the overall CLARITY
brightness of the image Controls the amount
of midtone contrast

BLACKS
Sets a point on the tonal SATURATION VIBRANCE
range at which pixels Controls the overall color Adjusts the intensity of
should be pure black intensity of the image the less-saturated colors
The six most frequently used Photoshop layers for image
editing, and how to use them to improve almost any photo
Photoshop has many types of layers used may seem a little daunting for beginners,
and adjustment layers available, but but once youve got to grips with them, youll
there are six that youll find you need to use find they play a part in the creative process of
again and again. Learning how they should be almost every image you make.

01 LEVELS
This should be the first layer you add
to an image, because it fundamentally alters
the tonal range of the entire image. Create
a Levels Adjustment Layer, drag the Black
Point slider inwards until it touches the left-
hand edge of the histogram, and drag the
White Point slider inwards to the right-hand
edge. This remaps the tones of the image to
make more of the available tonal range.

02 CURVES
Curves is one of the most powerful
adjustment layers. An S-shaped curve
brightens the highlights and darkens the
shadows, resulting in extra contrast. Create
a Curves Adjustment Layer and click the
middle of the diagonal line to add a central
control point. Drag down on the lower part
of the line and drag up on the upper part of
the line to improve image contrast.

03 HUE/SATURATION
This adjustment layer is best used
for altering the intensity and brightness
of individual color channels in an image
greens and blues in landscapes, for instance.
Create a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer,
click the Master menu and choose the color
channel youd like to adjust. Small changes
are usually the most effective.
04 HEALING LAYER
Most photos contain unwanted
marks or blemishes. The Spot Healing Brush
tool is effective at removing these. The best
way to apply the healing is on a new blank
layer, so that you can easily tone down or
remove selected healing work later without
having to start from scratch because you
healed directly on the background layer. To
do this, create a new blank layer, choose the
Spot Healing Brush tool from the Tools panel
and tick Sample All Layers on the Options
Bar, then continue as normal. AFTER BEFORE

05 DODGE AND BURN

One of the best ways to enhance a
photo is by lightening or darkening selected
areas of the image. This can be done with
the Dodge and Burn tools, but rather than
use them directly on the image, a separate
grey layer gives you greater control. To
create a Dodge and Burn layer, hold down
Alt and click the Create a new layer icon in
the Layers panel. Give the layer a name,
then choose Mode: Overlay. Check Fill with
Overlay-neutral color and click OK. Now use
the Dodge and Burn tools (with Range set to
Midtones) to work on the new layer.

06 SELECTIVE SHARPENING
Once all other adjustments have
been made, you need to sharpen the image
for output. The traditional way is to create a
merged layer at the top of the stack, apply
Unsharp Mask, then paint on the mask to
remove the sharpening from those parts
of the image you want to remain soft.
However, the Sharpen tool enables more
control over the process by enabling you to
build up the effect by brushing repeatedly
with a low opacity brush. Create a new blank
layer, select the Sharpen tool, tick Sample All
Layers and set a Strength of 50% or lower.
14 keyboard shortcuts that will massively improve your
speed and efficiency while working in Photoshop

D X
Reset the foreground and background colors Switch the foreground and background
to black and white color swatches

ALT+[SCROLL WHEEL] [ OR ]
Zoom in or out of the image Resize the brush tip

CMD/CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+E SHIFT+[ OR ]
Create a merged copy of all the layers in the Cycle backwards or forwards through the
layer stack layer blend modes

SPACE BAR CMD/CTRL+ALT+Z

Temporarily switch the current tool to the Hand Undo the last change made to the document.
tool, for moving around the image while zoomed in Works multiple times

ALT+[EYE ICON] CMD/CTRL+[LAYER MASK]

Switch off the visibility of all other layers in the Load the currently active layer mask as
layer stack, for before-and-after comparisons a new selection

CMD/CTRL+I CMD/CTRL+T
Invert the color of a layer mask to black Activate the Free Transform tool

SHIFT+[LAYER MASK] CMD/CTRL+J

Disable the effects of a layer mask Duplicate the current layer
 Future Publishing Limited, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA
Editorial +44 (0)

t
XXXEJHJUBMDBNFSBXPSMEDPN

Editorial Support
Editor James Paterson
Need help with the Practical Photoshop app?
james.paterson@futurenet.com
Visit www.futureplc.com/app-support
Art Editor Justin Webb
justin.webb@futurenet.com
Production Editor Richard Hill Need help with your Practical Photoshop Zinio
richard.hill@futurenet.com subscription? Visit www.zinio.com/help
Group Editor in Chief Chris George
Senior Art Editor Rebecca Shaw Disclaimer
All contents 2017 Future Publishing Limited or published under
Cover image licence. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used,
James Paterson stored, transmittedor reproduced in any way without the prior written
All copyrights and trademarks are recognised and respected permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company
number 2008885) is registered in England and Wales. Registered office:
Advertising Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All information contained
Media packs are available on request in this publication is for information only and is, as far as we are
aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot accept any
Commercial Director Clare Dove responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. You are
clare.dove@futurenet.com advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to
the price of products/services referred to in this publication. Apps and
Account Director Matt Bailey websites mentioned in this publication are not under our control. We are
matt.bailey@futurenet.com not responsible for their contents or any other changes or updates to
them. This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way
01225 687511 with the companies mentioned herein.
Account Manager Claire Harris
If you submit material to us, you warrant that you own the material and/
claire.harris@futurenet.com or have the necessary rights/permissions to supply the material and
01225 687221 you automatically grant Future and its licensees a licence to publish
9001

your submission in whole or in part in any/all issues and/or editions

International of publications, in any format published worldwide and on associated
Practical Photoshop is available for licensing. websites, social media channels and associated products. Any material
you submit is sent at your own risk and, although every care is taken,
ContacttheInternational department to discuss neither Future nor its employees, agents, subcontractors or licensees
partnership opportunities shall be liable for loss or damage. We assume all unsolicited material is
for publication unless otherwise stated, and reserve the right to edit,
amend, adapt all submissions.
International Licensing Director
Matt Ellis matt.ellis@futurenet.com
Subscriptions
Email enquiries
contact@myfavouritemagazines.co.uk
Online orders & enquiries
www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk
Head of subscriptions Sharon Todd
Management
Finance & Operations Director Marco Peroni
Creative Director Aaron Asadi
Art & Design Director Ross Andrews
9000