There are several tools to help you adjust the color of an

image: Variations, Color Balance and Curves. Some of the

“experts” suggest that you start with Variations. Here’s an
image with a strong reddish cast, badly in need of color
adjustment.

Using Variations

Go to the IMAGE menu, select ADJUSTMENTS and select

VARIATIONS (it’s at the bottom of the Adjustments sub-
menu). The Variations panel appears. The Variations panel is
designed to give you a visual preview of color adjustments
you can make to your image.

IMPORTANT: When you

first open Variations, you must
click on the Original image in the
upper lefthand corner. Variations is
designed to remember the settings
you used the last time you opened
the Variations panel, and to start
there. By clicking Original, you
will eliminate this setting.

The Variations panel is designed to show you what your image will look like if you add more of
a certain color – More Red, More Green, More Blue, etc. To reduce the intensity of a color,
click on the opposite color. For example, to reduce the amount of red, click on the More Green
button. To reduce the
 amount of yellow, click on
the More Blue button, etc.

At the top of the Variations Palette are some important settings. The first is the Original and
Current Pick images at the upper-left-hand corner. The Original shows your original image.
Current Pick shows the changes that you have made to your original image in the Variations
menu. Be sure to click on the Original image when you first open Variations, otherwise
Variations will reflect the last changes made.

BASIC PHOTO EDITING WITH ADOBE PHOTOSHOP

This handout will help you adjust your photographic images so that they look more natural.
There are eight steps to basic image editing with Adobe PhotoShop. They are:

1. Rotating
2. Cropping
3. Adjusting Color
4. Adjusting Relative Brightness
5. Adjusting Contrast
6. Adjusting Saturation
7. Adjusting Sharpness
8. Saving for Web and Print

You may find that you do not need to do all of them. You will almost always need to Crop,
Adjust Color, and Adjust Brightness. You will always need to Save your image when you are
done.

ROTATING AN IMAGE
Sometimes you need to rotate a digital photograph because the photographer accidentally tilted
the camera when taking the picture. You may also need to rotate an image that was placed on
the scanner bed at an angle. Rotation is a very easy task.

• Go to the IMAGE menu and choose ROTATE CANVAS.

• You may rotate the canvas 90 degrees in a CW (Clockwise) or CCW (Counterclockwise)
direction. You may also rotate the canvas 180 degrees.
• You may choose to rotate the canvas in increments other than 90 degrees by choosing
ARBITRARY.
• ARBITRARY asks you to enter an angle of rotation, and choose clockwise (cw) or
counter- clockwise (ccw).
• You may enter any number, 0-360, or a fraction of a degree, such as .5.
• You may have to use the ROTATION tool a few times to get the proper rotation

CROPPING A PHOTO

Cropping a photo allows you to eliminate extraneous material and refine the focus of the image.
Below on the right is a photo that has been adjusted and cropped to create a completely new
view.
 The Cropping Tool is located on the PhotoShop Toolbar. It is the fourth tool down
from the top. To use the Cropping Tool, select it and click and drag with it on
your image. When you let go you you will see dashed lines with handles. You can
move the handles to define an area to keep. When you have selected the area you
want to keep, double-click to activate the crop.

ADJUSTING
PHOTO COLOR
WITH

VARIATIONS