T H E M AG A Z I N E F O R L I G H T R O O M ® & P H OTO S H O P ® U S E R S     N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 2

Under the Learn how to use the Healing tool in Lightroom

to remove distractions, including the brand-new
Beginners’ Using the Clone Stamp tool in Photoshop
to completely remove or lighten unwanted
Loupe Content-Aware Remove mode Workshop shadows on the skin of your subjects

Cover Image by Gary Hunter  |  KelbyOne Member

OUT OF THE MIST

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Lightroom updates from Adobe MAX
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NOVEMBER 2022     VOL 25     NO 11

[020] [026] [032]

DEVELOPING THE SHOT LIGHTROOM LABORATORY UNDER THE LOUPE
Coldharbour Farm: Image Sharpening in Lightroom How to Retouch a Boring Golden-Hour Photo Removing Distractions with the Updated Healing Tool

[038] [044] [052]

RETOUCHING PORTRAITS IN LrC VISUAL STORYTELLING LIGHTROOM Q&A
Removing and Reducing Blemishes A Solemn and Creative Moment Terry White Answers All of Your Lightroom Questions

[054] [058] [088]

LIGHTROOM TIPS & TRICKS MAXIMUM WORKFLOW DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
Learn to Work Faster and Smarter in Lightroom Infinite Power Sports Poster Color & Design Effects

[ 007 ]  A NOTE FROM SCOTT

[ 009 ]  CONTRIBUTORS

[ 010 ]  BENEFIT SPOTLIGHT

[ 012 ]  KELBYONE COMMUNITY

[ 018 ]  NEW ONLINE TRAINING

[072] [102]
PHOTOSHOP & LIGHTROOM UPDATES RELEASED AT ADOBE MAX 2022 DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
Scott Valentine and Terry White Create Your Own Quantum Leap-Inspired Title Effect

[112] [120] [130]

BEGINNERS’ WORKSHOP PHOTO EFFECTS DESIGNING IN PHOTOSHOP
Removing & Lightening Shadows on Skin Enhancing Travel Photos with Action Figures Make Stylish Artwork from Any Image

[138] [140] [152]

PHOTOSHP Q&A REVIEWS PHOTOSHOP TIPS
Answers to Your Photoshop Questions Get the Scoop on the Latest Gear Learn to Work Faster and Smarter in Photoshop

ONLINE CONTENT
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KelbyOne
A NOTE FROM SCOTT
NEW FEATURES AND A NEW COLUMN
Well, it certainly has been a busy month! As expected,
Adobe announced lots of new Lightroom and Photoshop
features during the Adobe MAX opening keynote, and
I have some good news: (1) The new features are pretty
darn awesome, both in Lightroom and Camera Raw
(which have almost the same features, almost), and in
Photoshop itself. And (2) we had a full online course,
all ready to go, which we released right as Adobe was
making their public announcement. It’s designed to
get KelbyOne members up and running fast on all the
new features (in fact, I think that’s what it’s called,
Getting Up to Speed Fast, etc.,). You can click here to
watch it right now (well, once you’ve finished reading
this note that you’re already thoroughly engaged in
anyway), and you’ll be as amazed as I was at what
Adobe has been able to do with their AI technology.
Of course, we covered all the new features here in
the magazine, as well, starting on page 72.
Kind of along those lines, I just wrapped up my
ongoing “Photoshop for Lightroom Users” column last
issue, and I’m launching a new column this issue on
portrait retouching using Lightroom. The recent features
that Adobe has been adding to Lightroom, with the
masking updates and bringing their Content-Aware
technology to the Healing tool, have brought Lightroom
to the stage where you can do a lot of essential portrait
retouching tasks right within Lightroom. Of course,
the heavy-lifting type of retouching stuff is still done
in Photoshop but, I have to admit, I’m surprised at
how much can be done within Lightroom today. I’ll
be uncovering that in my new column, so I hope you’ll
give it a look. It starts on page 38.
I want to give a big thank you to all the folks who
attended our Travel Photography Conference, which just
wrapped up here recently. It was a great success, with
some incredible sessions from our KelbyOne instructors,
including some new faces teaching with us for the first
time. I’m very grateful to everyone who attended and
who have supported our online conferences in 2022.
This was our last one for the year, but we’ve got some
great conferences brewing for 2023, including a few
surprises I can’t wait to share with you soon.
Speaking of travel (how’s that for a segue?), I just
returned from doing a hands-on travel photography
workshop in the Tuscany region of Italy, and it was
amazing. Sometimes everything just comes together:
the weather, the clouds, and the atmosphere. Our
group was blessed with all of it, and everyone got
some great photos. One of the things I teach in my
workshops is how to share the images from a trip
when you get back. Don’t just post them to Facebook
or Instagram; you can do so much more using Adobe
Express, and it’s a product you’re already paying for
(it comes with your Adobe subscription). It’s the best
way I’ve ever seen to share the story and photos from
your trip. Just go to adobe.com/express, sign in
with your Adobe ID, and then click the big + in the
top-left corner. When the list of all the Adobe Express
features from which you can choose pops up, click on
Web Page and start creating. It leads you through the
process. I also did a Members-Only Webcast here
on KelbyOne a while back on how to create your own
page from scratch (it was called Adobe Spark when
I did the webcast; it hasn’t changed much since then,
just the name has changed).
Lots of fun stuff as we start heading into the year
end, and we’ll have lots to talk about again next month.
Until then, here’s wishing you an awesome November,
and a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday (if you’re here
in the US).
Cheers,
KELBYONE .COM
Scott Kelby
KelbyOne President & CEO
Editor & Publisher
 7 
THE MAGA ZINE FOR LIGHTROOM & PHOTOSHOP USER S

EDITORIAL:
Scott Kelby, Editor-in-Chief
Chris Main, Managing Editor
Kim Doty, Associate Editor
Barbara Thompson, Copy Editor

GRAPHICS:
Jessica Maldonado, Art Director

Cover Image: Gary Hunter

Margie Rosenstein, Senior Graphic Designer
Angela Naymick, Senior Web/Graphic Designer

MARKETING:
Adam Frick
Ashley Fosse Each issue we feature cover art by a KelbyOne Member

Kleber Stephenson This issue’s cover image is by Gary Hunter, who became
interested in photography during the ’70s while in the Navy
stationed in Japan where he bought his first film camera,
WEB: a Canon EF. After getting out of the Navy, he didn’t pick
Adam Frick
up a camera for many years, until later when life slowed
Yojance Rabelo down a bit. Gary now takes pictures of just about everything
Aaron Westgate (except for portraits; he doesn’t much like taking portraits).
Landscapes are his favorite as they allow him to get out
in the quiet of nature and see things in a different light.
PUBLISHING:
The amazing work of photographer Marc Adamus has been
Scott Kelby, Publisher
Gary’s inspiration and biggest influence when it comes to
Kalebra Kelby, Executive V.P. postprocessing. To learn more about Gary, turn to page 17.
Jean A. Kendra, Business Manager
All contents ©COPYRIGHT 2022 KelbyOne, LLC. All rights reserved.
ADVERTISING: Any use of the contents of this publication without the written permission
Kleber Stephenson, Vice President of Business of the publisher is strictly prohibited. Photoshop User is an independent
Development & Enterprise: kleber@kelbyone.com journal, not affiliated in any way with Adobe Systems, Inc. Adobe, the
Adobe logo, Acrobat, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, and Photoshop
are registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems, Inc. in the
HOW TO CONTACT KELBYONE: United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks mentioned
U.S. Mail: 138 Douglas Road East belong to their respective owners. Some of the views expressed by
Oldsmar, FL 34677-2922 contributors may not be the representative views of the publisher.
Voice: 813-433-5000  n  Fax: 813-433-5015 ISSN 2470-7031 (online)

Customer Service: info@kelbyone.com

Letters to the Editor: letters@photoshopuser.com
COLOPHON:
Photoshop User Magazine is produced using Adobe Photoshop CC 2022
and Adobe InDesign CC 2022. Korolev, Factoria, and Priori Sans are used for
headlines and subheads. Acumin Pro and Korolev are used for body copy.
An official publication of KelbyOne
This seal indicates that all content provided herein is produced
by KelbyOne, LLC and follows the most stringent standards for
educational resources. KelbyOne is the premier source for
instructional books, online classes, and live seminars for
creative professionals.
 NOVEMBER 2022     VOL 25     NO 11

COREY BARKER SEAN McCORMACK COLIN SMITH

is a digital artist and Photoshop instructor. He is the
author of Photoshop Down & Dirty Tricks for Design-
ers Vol 1 and 2, as well as numerous courses here at
KelbyOne. He has also been a featured instructor at
live events such as Photoshop World and Adobe MAX.
is a commercial photographer based in Galway, Ireland.
His work covers everything from fashion and portraiture
to products and interiors. He fell into writing from his love
of Lightroom, and appreciates the opportunity to pass
on his knowledge. He also loves playing with plug-ins.
is an award-winning digital artist, photographer, and
lecturer who has authored 20 books and a library
of training videos. He’s the founder of the online
resource PhotoshopCAFE.com and runs a popular
YouTube channel.

PETER BAUER KIRK NELSON LESA SNIDER

is an award-winning photographer and author, and
does photo and video verification for a limited clientele.
His latest book is Photoshop CC for Dummies. He was
inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame in 2010 and
received the Pioneer of Photoshop Award in 2005.
is a professional graphic designer and photographer
in the D.C. area. With 25 years of experience, he
refers to himself as “Your Friendly Neighborhood
Graphics Geek.” You can find more of Kirk’s tutorials
and Photoshop resources at The Pixel Pro.
is the senior technical author and eLearning developer
for TAITTowers. She also authored Adobe Lightroom
CC and Photoshop CC for Photographers: Classroom
in a Book (2016), Photoshop CC: The Missing Manual,
TheSkinnyBooks, and more than 40 video courses.

DAVE CLAYTON VICTORIA PAVLOV ROB SYLVAN

is a UK-based graphic designer with over 30 years
experience; author of How Do I Do That In InDesign;
host of the successful He Shoots, He Draws pod-
cast; and a KelbyOne, Photoshop World, and Adobe
MAX instructor.
was introduced to the magical world of art from her
childhood. Her first language was the language of
art. Victoria dedicated her professional life to digital
and traditional imaging and photography. She has a
passion for design and all things creative.
is a photographer, educator, and aspiring beekeeper. He’s
the author of many Lightroom and photography books,
eBooks, and videos, including Adobe Photoshop Light-
room Classic for Dummies. Rob can often be found in the
KelbyOne Community helping members with PS and LR.

DAVE DeBAEREMAEKER IBARIONEX PERELLO SCOTT VALENTINE

lives two lives. By day he’s a mild-mannered software
engineer, but by night he’s a conceptual artist that
uses photography, action figures, and Photoshop to
bring his imagination to life. He has shot for LEGO and
is a frequent contributor to toyphotographers.com.
is an LA-based photographer, writer, and educator
with over 30 years of experience. He’s the host of
The Candid Frame podcast, and has written many
magazine articles and books, including Making Pho-
tographs: Developing a Personal Visual Workflow.
blends his education in physics with his love for art,
bringing a unique voice to teaching through experi-
mentation. His Hidden Power books (Adobe Press)
are used in colleges across the US. He wants you to
never let your tools get in the way of your art.

SEÁN DUGGAN SERGE RAMELLI TERRY WHITE

is a fine-art photographer, author of several books
on Photoshop and digital imaging, and creates edu-
cational content for companies such as Adobe and
LinkedIn Learning, where he has over 20 courses on
photography, Photoshop, and mobile image making.
is a landscape and urban photographer based in the
US and Paris. His work has been shown in more than
90 galleries worldwide, and he has 7 fine-art books.
Serge teaches photography, Photoshop, and Light-
room to students all around the world.
is a Worldwide Creative Cloud Design Evangelist
for Adobe Systems, Inc., an Adobe Certified Expert,
author of Secrets of Adobe Bridge, co-author of
InDesign CS/CS2 Killer Tips, runs Terry White’s Tech
Blog, and presents at conferences around the world.

MARTIN EVENING FERNANDO SANTOS DAVE WILLIAMS

is a photographer with a background in commercial
studio photography. He’s also an experienced tech-
nical reviewer, who has over the last two decades
authored 25 books on Photoshop and Lightroom. He
was inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame in 2008.
is a photographer, part-time trainer, and Adobe
ACE in Lightroom. Devoted to landscape and
travel photography, he’s now also focusing
on portraits. You can find him at the KelbyOne
Community where he’s a Leader and Moderator.
is a well-seasoned, UK-based travel photographer, edu-
cator, and blogger with internationally published work
and a passion for sharing his knowledge of Adobe soft-
ware. Dave lives by the mantra, “Lend me your eyes and
I’ll show you what I see.”

PHOTOSHOP & LIGHTROOM UPDATES

RELEASED AT ADOBE MAX 2022
Scott Valentine and Terry White
As usual, Adobe announced a slew of new updates and improvements to
all their Creative Cloud apps, including Photoshop and Lightroom, at their
recent Adobe MAX conference back in October. So we asked Scott Valentine
to give us a tour of all the Photoshop updates, and Terry White to show us
all the new features and enhancements in the Lightroom ecosystem.
 KelbyOne
BENEFIT SPOTLIGHT
ARE YOU GETTING THE MOST OUT OF
YOUR KELBYONE PRO MEMBERSHIP?
As a Pro member, you’re receiving the ultimate
experience with KelbyOne. This is our complete
plan that includes everything to immerse yourself
in learning. We want to make sure you know about
all of the added benefits you’re getting as a Pro
member so you can take advantage of them all!
Pro members have access to our entire course
library (800+ courses), including a new course
every week, taught by world-class instructors who
you know and love. In addition, you have hundreds
of quick tips and tutorials, guided learning tracks,
and the opportunity to live-learn through private
members-only webcasts.
 10 
You can also get Photoshop, Lightroom, and
photography help from the amazing members in our
Community. You get Photoshop User magazine
monthly along with access to more than 150
back issues, including all the issues of Lightroom
Magazine. Then there’s the Creative Toolkit packed
with pre­s ets, eBooks, and other fun freebies. And
last, but certainly not least, there are significant
discounts available from our partners, such as Apple,
B&H Photo, and Mpix.
Do you know someone who should go Pro?
Share the benefits of a Pro Membership with them to
help accelerate their learning today! n
 COMMUNITY
Winner of Member
Challenge 51 | Summer Fun
Summer came to a close in late September, wrapping
up our 51st Member Challenge with a theme of Summer
Fun. From your entries, we can tell that you all had one
fun summer! If you want to see for yourself, take a look
through all the amazing entries over on the gallery
page. A big shout-out to everyone who took the time to
submit and share these images with us.
We announced our winner, runner-up, and honorable
mentions on the Insider the first week of October, but
we always like to share the winning image here in the
magazine, as well. The winner this time around was Airon
Mothershed. We were mesmerized by this absolutely
wholesome and wondrous moment of a child and a sea
mammal. This checked all the boxes for us, which is why
Airon is our winner. Congratulations!
Airon Mothershed
Paul Nickoley
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022
We’d also like to congratulate our runner-up, Paul
Nickoley. The skill, timing, and precision it takes to get a
photo like this is not lost on us. This surfer riding a wave
swept us off our feet. Great job, Paul!
If you’d like to see all of the previous Member Challenge
winners click here to check them out on the Insider.
 12 
CHRIS MAIN  |   ASHLEY FOSSE  |   DAVE CL AY TON
Kaylee Greer
Start Shooting for Member
Challenge 52 | Seeing Double
Is two really better than one? We’re putting this age-old
saying to the test. To really rock this challenge, play with
compositions that will help highlight your two subjects.
When it comes time to submit, just make sure you
have double your subject in mind. Two tall trees side by
side, a sun setting with its reflection—anything goes,
as long as we can count two of them. The process for
submissions has slightly changed from past Member
Challenges, so make sure to read the rules closely. Here’s
how the Member Challenge works:
• Entrant must be a KelbyOne Pro member to submit
their work into the contest.
• Work must be original to the entrant.
• O nly one image can be submitted per entrant.
• Work must be created within the challenge dates
(October 7, 2022–December 4, 2022).
• Images must be submitted by December 4,
2022, at 11:59 PM ET.
• Entry must be submitted to the Member Challenge
Gallery. Click here to upload your entry.
• T he winner of this Member Challenge will be
announced by December 8, 2022, on the Insider.
The winner will receive a Member Challenge
feature on the Insider, major bragging rights,
and the prizes listed below!
Here’s what’s up for grabs if you’re the winner of this
challenge: a signed copy of Scott Kelby’s Lightroom
7-Point System book, a replay of your choice for any
currently available KelbyOneLive Conference (excluding
Photoshop World), an exclusive spotlight on our Insider
page and social platforms, and opportunities to be featured
in Photoshop User magazine (case in point, see above).
So what are you waiting for? Get ready to create a
winning shot, and good luck! n
  KELBYONE COMMUNITY

 Artist Spotlight     Bill Ciminelli /  member since 2019 / billciminelli.smugmug.com

 KELBYONE COMMUNITY

 Artist Spotlight     Alan Sloyer /  member since 2017 / sloyer.com

  KELBYONE COMMUNITY

 Artist Spotlight     Péter Takács / member since 2010 / takacspeterphotography.com

 KELBYONE COMMUNITY

 Who’s Who in the KelbyOne Community     Gary Hunter /  member since 2015 / ghunterphotography.com
  KELBYONE COMMUNITY

WHO’S WHO IN THE KELBYONE COMMUNITY

GARY HUNTER

Gary Hunter became interested in photography during the ’70s while in the Navy stationed in Japan
where he bought his first film camera, a Canon EF. After getting out of the Navy, he didn’t pick up a
camera for many years, until later when life slowed down a bit. Gary now takes pictures of just about
everything (except for portraits; he doesn’t much like taking portraits). Landscapes are his favorite,
as they allow him to get out in the quiet of nature and see things in a different light. One of Gary’s
images is on the cover of this issue.

Congratulations on the cover! Can you
tell us a little bit about that image?
This image was taken in November for the fall colors on
the bald cypress trees in Caddo Lake in Texas. Between
the early morning light and the mist on the water,
everything just came together for a great photograph.
When did you decide to make photography a part of
your life? Does where you live inspire you to capture
landscapes and wildlife?
I actually live in California near Yosemite, but have a
cabin in Wyoming close to Teton National Park.
I decided to start photography when I could no
longer climb mountains and needed an excuse to
get out in the wilderness. Photography is perfect
for that and it forces me to look at everything with
a more critical eye.
Your portfolio is filled with fantastic images. Do you
go and shoot with a purpose or plan, or just head out
and see what the light brings?
I usually have a plan or purpose when I go out, and
photography workshops have been a way of doing this
and getting to places I would not normally go. Here
in California when I go out, it’s with a loose plan that
changes with the light or what strikes me as something
I want to shoot.
Please tell us about your gear, and what would you say
has been the best investment in your photography life?
Currently I’m using a Canon R5, my first mirrorless,
with 24–105, 16–35, and 100–500 L lenses. Before
it was a 5D Mark 4. Both are excellent cameras, but
I quickly became spoiled with the R5. My best and
In terms of techniques and postproduction, what tips
could you offer to our readers who have come home
with a bunch of landscape and wildlife images?
Giving advice on techniques and postproduction is
tough for me, as everyone works differently and has
different taste in art. I just keep adjusting and tweaking
the image till it gets to where I like it. Looking at my
portfolio, you can see I tend to prefer darker images.
What I do after I get all the images into Lightroom
is first delete anything that’s out of focus, unusable,
or is a shot of the ground at my feet. I then go
through them again, and I color code in purple
every image I may want to work on. When working
on a new picture, I start in Lightroom with the
Basic adjustments. I really like the new masking
in Lightroom. When I get it going in the direction
I like, I then send the photo to both Topaz Sharpen
AI and Topaz DeNoise AI, two programs I really
like. Then it ’s into Photoshop for dodging and
burning and color work. I’m also big on cropping.
For my final adjustments, I use the Nik Collection,
and Nik Silver Efex, if the image is going to be
black-and-white.
Which KelbyOne courses and instructors
inspire you the most?
I have completed a lot of the Landscape Photography
Track courses with Matt Kloskowski, Photographing Winter
Landscapes with Ian Plant, and the astrophotography
courses. I really learned a lot in the courses on black-
and-white photography with Serge Ramelli.
If you could jump on a plane right now with your
camera, where would you like to arrive, and why?
KELBYONE .COM

largest investment in photography has been the photo If I had a choice, it would be the Yukon territory for
workshops with Marc Adamus. Every time I go out fall colors. It’s hard to get to, but would be worth it. It
with him, I learn more about composition and color would require a helicopter to put you into a camp for
in postprocessing. the best areas that aren’t shot very often. n

 17 
 Here Are Your Latest Online Courses

Getting Up To Speed Fast On The New Stuff

In Lightroom & Photoshop 2023
Adobe MAX has come and gone and that means new versions and new features for Lightroom Classic,
Lightroom, Camera Raw, and Photoshop, with even more powerful ways to create masks, better
retouching tools, and so much more. Join Scott Kelby as he gets you up to speed fast with
the key features that are sure to take your workflow to the next level!

The Ultimate Guide

to Photographing Kids
Photographing kids can be challenging on many levels. Join Gilmar Smith on set for a series of child-themed photoshoots as she
shares her techniques and tricks for making connections and capturing each subject’s personality. Gilmar’s incorporates a sense
of wonder into her photographs to preserve that magical time of childhood. From working one-on-one with kids to a wild group
photoshoot, Gilmar walks you through each step of the shoot and demonstrates some of her postprocessing techniques.
 Every week, we publish at least one new training course.
Check out these brand-new courses below:

Great Photography Starts

in Your Own Hometown
Join Rick Sammon in his hometown as he shows you how to practice photographing different subjects and different
lighting situations. The more you practice at home the higher the number of keepers you’ll get when you photograph on
your travels, and this is especially true when you have new gear. Rick looks for new challenges and new photo opportunities
for landscapes, wildlife portraits, including people in the scene, capturing the flavor of a city, and much more.

Portrait Photography:
Mastering Hard Light
Join Frank Doorhof in his studio to learn what you can do with smaller light sources to create dynamic photographs with
stunning shadows that are the hallmark of hard light. In this class you’ll learn how to use reflectors, grids, flags, projectors,
gobos, and more to light your subjects as creatively as your imagination allows. Frank wraps up the class with
some retouching examples to demonstrate his approach to enhancing his photos to finalize his original vision.
 MARTIN EVENING
DEVELOPING THE SHOT

COLDHARBOUR FARM: IMAGE

SHARPENING IN LIGHTROOM
Coldharbour Farm is part of a wider area that’s long been known as Berkhamsted Common. Over the last
few hundred years the land has been fought over between the local aristocratic landowners and the com-
moners of Berkhamsted, the latter of which have long enjoyed the right to roam, graze cattle, and harvest
firewood. A hundred and fifty years ago, though, the young lord of the manor pushed his luck too far when
he fenced off part of the publicly owned common land in an attempt to add this to his private estate.
ALL IMAGES BY MARTIN EVENING

In the old days, the Commoners might have fought back
with clubs and pitchforks. Instead, they hired several
hundred Irish navvies from London’s East End to help
fight for their cause. The navvies arrived in the middle of
the night and, aided by the steam-powered equipment
they brought with them, managed to dismantle the
entire fence. Subsequent legal action confirmed the
rights of the Commoners and ever since then the land
has remained in public ownership.
I discovered this particular stretch of woodland on a
winter’s walk a few years back. I tried taking some photos
as the light was failing, but I decided to return with one

 20 
  DEVELOPING THE SHOT

of my bigger cameras
and make good use of
the early morning light
instead. It’s not always
possible to capture an
unobstructed view of
trees because typically
you can’t see the trees
for all the other trees
that are in front of them.
At this particular
location, the open
common land allowed
me to capture a clear
view of the silver birches Before
in the forest. The subse-
quent image processing was all fairly straight-
forward. The Photo Merge process was used to
merge three photos together to create a large
single image. After that I mostly had to sort
out the contrast and make the white balance
a little cooler.
There was so much fine-edge detail in this
scene, however, that you can make out every
twig and leaf. With an image like this, it can help
to apply custom sharpening settings using the
Detail panel Sharpening sliders. In the following
steps I’ll show you how I was able to customize
these to apply an optimum capture sharpening.
(KelbyOne members can click here to down- Step One
load smaller DNG versions of these images for
practice purposes only.)

THE STEPS
STEP ONE: Begin by selecting the three photo-
graphs shown here in the Library module. These
were shot using a full-frame camera mounted
on a tripod with a 165mm focal length lens.

STEP TWO: Having selected the photographs,

choose Photo>Photo Merge>Panorama (Con­-
trol-M). This opens the Panorama Merge Preview
dialog shown here, where I selected the Cylindrical
projection method and turned off Auto Settings.
KELBYONE .COM

There’s no need to adjust the Boundary Warp

slider or select the Fill Edges option as we’ll
crop the image in the next step. Click the Merge
button below to carry out the Photo Merge. Step Two

 21 
  HOW TO

STEP THREE: Switch to the Develop module and select the Crop Overlay tool
(R). Click on the lock icon for Aspect in the Tool panel to unlock it, and then
drag the bounding box handles to apply a tighter and squarer crop to the image.
Press Enter to commit the crop.
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

STEP FOUR: Go to the White Balance section of the Basic panel and apply a
cooler, custom white balance adjustment as shown here.

 22 
  DEVELOPING THE SHOT

STEP FIVE: In the Tone section

below I darkened the Exposure
slightly, added more Contrast,
and lightened the Shadows slider.
I then fine-tuned the Whites and
Blacks sliders to further expand the
tone contrast.

STEP SIX: And, in the Presence

section below, let’s add a touch
more Texture and extra Clarity to
boost the midtone contrast. You can
also add more Vibrance to increase
the color saturation.

STEP SEVEN: In this step, expand

the Effects panel options and apply
a basic –25 darkening Post-Crop
Vignetting to darken the corners
of the cropped image.
KELBYONE .COM

 23 
  HOW TO

STEP EIGHT: Finally, expand

the Detail panel controls and
edit the Sharpening settings.
The default Amount setting
was 40, which I increased
slightly to 50. Because there
was lots of fine edge detail
in this scene, I reduced the
Radius slider to the 0.7 setting.
And because I had shot the
original photos using a low
ISO of 200, it was possible
to increase the Detail slider
setting all the way to the right
at +100.

Before
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

After

 24 

IMAGE SHARPENING IN LIGHTROOM
Lightroom has the tools you need to take care of nearly all
your sharpening requirements, from capture sharpening
through to print and Web output. It all begins with your
adjusting the Detail panel Sharpening sliders. If you
capture your photographs in RAW mode, your RAW files
will all be unsharpened. This is true for all RAW camera
files. With JPEG captures, though, sharpening is applied
based on the in-camera sharpening settings and therefore
no additional sharpening is required, unless you feel an
image needs an extra sharpening boost.
The default sharpening Amount for all RAW files is +40,
but you can increase this setting if you feel the image can
benefit from extra sharpening. It’s best to analyze this by
viewing the image in the Develop module at 100% view.
The Radius setting can be adjusted according to the image
content. In the case of landscape images, such as the one
edited here, or fine-detail architectural shots, a low Radius
of 0.7–0.9 will be ideal. For photos, such as portraits with
wide-edge features, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth,
it’s better to use a higher Radius of between 1.1–1.3.
The Detail slider acts like a detail enhancer/suppression
control. As you drag the slider to the left of the default
25 setting, this suppresses the edge-sharpening halos.
And as you drag to the right, this enhances them. If
you apply too much Detail, this can end up enhancing
ugly artifacts, such as image noise. But with low ISO
photos, it’s usually safe to drag the Detail slider all the
way to the right at +100 for maximum edge-sharpening
enhancement. I didn’t use the Masking slider with this
 DEVELOPING THE SHOT
image, but with some photos it can help restrict the
sharpening to just the image edges, and protect the
smoother tones from being sharpened.
Whenever you output your photographs, additional
sharpening is usually required. For example, when making
a print, the print process can result in some loss of
sharpness; therefore, extra sharpening should be applied
to the image (whether RAW or JPEG) to compensate for
this loss. If you use the Lightroom Print module to make
a print, you’ll find Print Sharpening options in the Print
Job panel where you can choose to add Low, Standard,
or High amounts of print sharpening. When selected,
this all takes place behind the scenes as part of the
print-rendering process. You won’t actually see the print
sharpening affect the print preview.
When outputting as a small JPEG to go on a website,
or to send as an email attachment, the size-reduction
process can soften the edges. You can get around this
by enabling the Output Sharpening option in the Export
dialog Output Sharpening settings and selecting the
Screen option. n
KELBYONE .COM
 25 
 SERGE RAMELLI
LIGHTROOM LABORATORY

HOW TO RETOUCH A BORING

GOLDEN-HOUR PHOTO
As you probably already know, shooting at the correct time of day is key in photography. But what if you
were there at the perfect time, but you still couldn’t get the shot you wanted? What now? Well, let me
show you a few steps to take your photo from boring to amazing. This is a formula you can use for any
time of day, but it’s specially dedicated to the golden-hour mood. For this, I’ll bring you to Paris with me
with a photo of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, less famous than the Arc de Triomphe, but a beautiful
monument in Paris, nonetheless.
ALL IMAGES BY SERGE RAMELLI

STEP ONE: First, in the Basic panel,

we’ll start with the Exposure at –0.20.
Next, I always set the Blacks (–15) and
Whites (+18) sliders. Then we’ll open
the Shadows (+100) and partially bring
down the Highlights (–38), because
the sun is included in the photo. If
you bring it down too much, the
sun will become too harsh. To finish
with the Tone section, add a bit of
Contrast (+33).

 26 
 L I G H T R O O M L A B O R AT O R Y

STEP TWO: Now we’ll use

White Balance to give a very
warm feeling to the photo.
For that, we’ll choose Shade
in the WB drop-down menu
and add a bit more magenta
by setting the Tint to +17.

STEP THREE: Next we’ll grab

the Crop Overlay tool (R), and
set the Aspect ratio to 16x9,
which will give it a more
movie-like quality. We want
to crop out a lot of the fore-
ground, so we’ll drag the
top of the image to align
with the top of the cropping
boundary. Press Enter to
commit the crop.

STEP FOUR: Let’s get into

refining the colors in the
HSL/Color panel. To make
the sky a little more orange,
we’ll click on the Hue tab, and
select the Targeted Adjust-
ment tool (the little circle at
the top left of the Hue tab). By
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clicking-and-dragging down-
ward near the sun, we can
deepen those colors (Orange
to –6 and Yellow to –17).

 27 
  HOW TO

STEP FIVE: Then we’ll

click on the Satura-
tion tab in the HSL
panel and, using the
Targeted Adjustment
tool again, click-and-
drag around the sun
upward to add a little
more saturation in the
sky (Orange +4 and
Yellow +19).

STEP SIX: Next, in

the Luminance tab,
we’ll click on the
lighter part of one
of the clouds in the
sky with the Target-
ed Adjustment tool,
and drag the mouse
downward to darken
the clouds and sky
even more (Orange
–13 and Yellow –7).
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

STEP SEVEN: Moving onto the next step, we’re going ( Temp –16). To add a Graduated Filter, click on the
to do some dodging and burning. I usually darken the Masking icon (gray circle with dotted outline), select
very top of the sky with a Linear Gradient (Exposure Linear Gradient, and click-and-drag in your image.
–0.76) to close the photo. We added some blue as well

 28 
 L I G H T R O O M L A B O R AT O R Y

STEP EIGHT: At the top of

the Masks panel, we clicked
Create New Mask icon (+)
and selected another Linear
Gradient. We added this
Linear Gradient at the
bottom of the photo to
darken it (Exposure –0.71).
The two Linear Gradients
help focus the viewer’s eyes
inside the photo.

STEP NINE: We clicked the

Add New Mask icon at the
top of the Masks panel
again but, this time, select-
ed Radial Gradient. We set
the Feather amount to 100,
drew a gradient around the
area of the lightbulb on the
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lamppost on the right side

of the image, and added a
very strong Exposure value
(3.98) to turn on the lamp.

 29 
  HOW TO

Step 11

Step 10

STEP 10: To finish, let’s do a couple

final touches. First, we went to
the Transform panel and clicked
on Auto to level the horizontal line.

STEP 11: Finally, in the Detail panel,

let’s sharpen the photo, which
was taken at ISO 100. I person­
ally sharpen images using this
formula: the Amount of Sharp-
ening plus the Luminance Noise
Reduction should add up to 100.
So here, let’s put the Amount of
Sharpening at 90 and Luminance
Noise Reduction at 10. Setting the Before
Masking to 60 will limit the area
of sharpening to the finer details
in the image.

Here are the before and after

images so you can see what a
big difference just a few edits in
Lightroom can make.
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

Now, you no longer have an excuse

not to retouch your golden-hour
photos. Using these simple tools
and techniques can transform your
photo from boring to amazing. Have
fun shooting and retouching! n
After

 30 
 ROB SYLVAN
UNDER THE LOUPE

REMOVING DISTRACTIONS IN LIGHTROOM

WITH THE UPDATED HEALING TOOL
The latest versions of Lightroom Classic and Lightroom got a big update to the tool formerly known as
the Spot Removal tool, now known as the Healing tool. Clicking the Healing icon (bandage) in the toolstrip
below the Histogram reveals the three Modes for removing distractions from your photograph. Two of the
Modes, Heal and Clone, are functionally the same as the previous version of the Spot Removal tool. While
the new Mode, Content-Aware Remove, is sure to become your new favorite, it’s good to remember you
have these other options to fall back on, if needed.
ALL IMAGES BY ROB SYLVAN

HEAL AND CLONE From there, select your

Let’s quickly review how Heal and Clone desired Mode by clicking its
work before moving on to the new mode, corresponding icon (hover your
as they all share the same controls for the cursor over each to see its name
brush used in each mode. You can press appear in a tooltip). The size of
the Q key (from Library or Develop) to the brush can be configured
jump into the Healing tool, or if in Develop, using the Size slider, the Left
simply click the Healing icon. and Right Bracket ( [ ]) keys on

 32 
  UNDER THE LOUPE

your keyboard, or the scroll wheel of a mouse. The Heal Heal removes the unwanted pixels in the selection by
and Clone modes also have a Feather slider to control using the lighting, texture, and shading from the sampled
the softness of the brush (also adjustable by holding Shift area to fix the problem, and usually results in a smooth
and using the Bracket keys). The Opacity slider allows the blending of the new pixels and the original surrounding
original pixels to be completely obscured when set to 100 pixels (as long as there was a good place from which to
(normal use) or partially obscured with lower values (in sample). Clone simply duplicates the sampled area in the
situations such as where you just want to reduce visibility place you select with the brush. I can’t say as I’ve ever
of a skin blemish without removing it completely). had a use for the Clone mode, but perhaps it’s helpful
In the Toolbar below the photo there are controls to others.
for the Tool Overlay (the outline of the brush stroke
left behind) and Visualize Spots. Tool Overlay can be
set to Auto, Always, Selected, and Never. When set to
Auto the selections made by the brush are only visible
when the cursor is over the photo; with Always, the
selections never hide; with Selected, you only see the
active selection (all others hidden); and with Never, you
can work with the tool without ever seeing the selection
outlines. Pressing the H key will cycle you between
Auto and Never.
When dealing with sensor spots, most often visible in
clear blue skies (and their reflections), the Heal mode still
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works great. Heal and Clone both use another area of the
photo to affect the area over which you brush. The key
to both Modes is that you need a good area from which
to sample to apply to the area you select with the brush.

 33 
  HOW TO
REMOVING SPOTS
Sometimes sensor spots are quite visible from the outset,
like the previous example, and a single click of the brush
set to Heal will automatically grab a sample from another
part of the photo, resulting in a circle appearing over the
area you clicked and another circle showing where the
sample is from (with a line connecting them). If you want to
control from where the sample is made, hold the Command
key (PC: Ctrl), click the spot you want to remove, drag
to a desired sample area, and then release the mouse
button. You can always click-and-drag a sampled area’s
circle to a better location on the photo as well. Clicking
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022
 34 
the Refresh button below the brush settings (or pressing
the Forward Slash key [/]) will automatically sample from
a different location each time.
Press the Delete (PC: Backspace) key to delete the
active circle. You can delete multiple circles by holding
the Option (PC: Alt) key and dragging a marquee around
all the circles you want to delete, and then release the
mouse to remove them all at once.
If you want to be sure you’ve removed all sensor spots,
check the box next to Visualize Spots to see an inverted
grayscale version of the photo that makes it easier to see
  UNDER THE LOUPE

dust spots and other

artifacts. Increasing
the associated slider
will reveal more arti-
facts and edges. This is
especially useful to do
before printing or dis-
playing the image at a
large size electronically.
A great way to en­-
sure you’ve viewed all
areas of a photo just
by using your keyboard
is utilizing the Home,
Page Up, and Page
Down keys. Smaller
keyboards, especially
laptops, may require
holding the fn key while
pressing the Left Arrow
(Home), Up Arrow Healing tool is active, press the Spacebar, and then click on the photo to zoom in. Next,
(Page Up), and Down press the Home key (or equivalent on your keyboard) to zoom to the top-left corner of
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Arrow (Page Down) the photo. From there, simply press the Page Down key to move through the entire photo,
to achieve the same without missing a single pixel, until you end up at the lower-right corner. With all the spots
functionalit y. First, removed, hold the Spacebar and click in the photo to zoom out. Uncheck Visualize Spots
zoom into 100%. If the (if enabled), and you should have a nice sensor-spot-free photo!

 35 
  HOW TO
REMOVING OTHER DISTRACTIONS
This isn’t reserved for sensor spots alone, though. If
there’s a good enough area from which to sample in
your photo, you can remove all kinds of distractions.
With single-click spot removals, you can also continue
to adjust the Size, Feather, and Opacity of the active
spot after it’s been applied, which can help you refine
the removal.
You’re not limited to single-click removals either.
Simply drag the brush over the object you want to
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022
 36 
remove, then release the mouse to automatically create
a sample area of the same dimensions in another part
of the photo. You can’t change the size or feather after
the fact for non-circular spots, although you can still
adjust Opacity. We’ve used this tool this way for many
years, but it required a good area from which to sample,
which wasn’t always available. Even with a good sample,
the final blend wasn’t always realistic. This is where
the new Content-Aware Remove can come in handy.
  UNDER THE LOUPE

CONTENT-AWARE REMOVE
Building on the functionality we’ve
explored, switch the Mode to Con-
tent-Aware Remove by clicking
the eraser icon. If you have an
active selection from another
Mode it will update the results
using Content-Aware technology,
which uses the surrounding pixels
to remove the selected area. If it’s
still not good enough, click the
Refresh button (or press /) to have
it update the results until you like
how it looks. You can press Delete
(PC: Backspace) to remove the
selected area, and try brushing
again with a different-sized brush,
which may give even better results.
Without the limitation of needing
good pixels in the same shape and
size as the affected area, while
drawing on the impressive powers
of Content-Aware, you may just
find it possible to do more chal-
lenging retouching in Lightroom
Classic, such as flyaway hairs across
someone’s face: something you’d
previously only consider doing
in Photoshop. If clicking Refresh
doesn’t yield the desired results,
you can also hold the Command
(PC: Ctrl) key and drag a marquee
over an area you want it to use for
its sample and see if that improves
the result.

As much improved as the technol-

ogy has become, it’s still not as
good as Photoshop when you con-
sider Photoshop’s selection abilities
and advances in Content-Aware
usability, so you can always use the
Photo>Edit In>Edit in Photoshop
command for the really tough cases.
With this new feature, however,
you’ll not be doing that as much as
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you used to. [Turn the page to see

Scott Kelby using Content-Aware
Remove in his brand-new portrait
recouching column.—Ed.] n

 37 
 SCOTT KELBY
RETOUCHING PORTRAITS IN LIGHTROOM

REMOVING AND REDUCING BLEMISHES

After wrapping up my column on “Photoshop for Lightroom Users” last issue, it’s time for something
new and, with all the new masking tools and greatly improved “healing brush” in Lightroom, I wanted to
kick off a new column on using Lightroom for portrait retouching. I think there’s a lot that can be done,
retouching-wise, than most users realize, so I want to use this column to open that door and show what
can be done, which today is more than ever.

Let’s start with one of the most common portrait retouches, which is removing blemishes and reducing
things such as hot spots or moles.

 38 
  R E T O U C H I N G PORTRAITS IN LIGHTROOM

ALL IMAGES BY SCOTT KELBY

STEP ONE: Here’s our original

image (KelbyOne members
can click here to download
this image for practice purpos-
es only). The tool we’re going
to use for removing blemishes
is the new Content-Aware
Remove brush, and you get
to it by clicking on the icon
that looks like a bandage up
in the toolbar near the top
of the right side panels (this
bandage used to be the Spot
Removal tool, but in the latest
version of Lightroom, it’s now
called the Healing tool). When
that panel appears, where it
says “Mode,” click on the first
icon (that’s the Content-Aware
Remove brush) and, from here
on out, it’s the only one we’ll
use, because the other brush,
the Heal brush is, well, I don’t
want to say it’s trash, but…it’s
trash (and that’s being kind).

STEP TWO: Press Command-+

(PC: Ctrl-+) a few times to
zoom in tight on your subject’s
forehead (after you zoom in,
you can hold the Spacebar
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and click-drag to move around

the image). Note that there
are a few minor blemishes up
here we can remove.

 39 
  HOW TO

STEP THREE: Size your

brush so it’s just a little
larger than the blemish
you want to remove. You
can do this in the Healing
tool’s options panel in the
right side panels, but it’s
easier to use the Left and
Right Bracket keys on your
keyboard: the Left Bracket
([) makes the brush smaller,
and the Right Bracket (])
makes it larger. Move your
cursor over the blemish
you want to remove (as
shown here).

STEP FOUR: Now just click

once. That’s it. You don’t
have to “paint” with it; just
a single click should do it
and, as you can see here,
the blemish is gone.
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

 4 0 
  R E T O U C H I N G PORTRAITS IN LIGHTROOM

STEP FIVE: That’s the basic

process, so for now, go ahead
and remove the rest of the blem-
ishes in this area by moving
your cursor over them and just
clicking once. Okay, you can
see there’s a problem here: Your
blemishes are replaced by little
icons showing where you used
the brush.

STEP SIX: If you move your cursor

outside the image area, say, over
onto the panels along the right
side, as I did here, those icons
will temporarily disappear so
you can see how your retouch
looks. I kind of hate this. Here’s
why: I have to keep moving my
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cursor over to the right side

panels to see if the retouch
I did on the previous blemish
looks good. But we can fix that.

 41 
  HOW TO

STEP SEVEN: In the gray Tool-

bar along the bottom of your
image, you’ll see the words
“Tool Overlay” on the far left
side (if you don’t see the Tool-
bar, press the letter T on your
keyboard). Click-and-hold and
change the option to Never
(as shown here). Now when
you click over a blemish, you’ll
see the repair, not the icon,
which is the way the Healing
Brush works in Photoshop.
I only switch this option to
Never when I’m using this
brush; I switch it back to Auto
show/hide, the default setting,
when I’m done.

STEP EIGHT: Now scroll down

farther on your image (again,
hold the Spacebar and then
click-and-drag downward
inside your image) until you
see some moles just below her
neck on the right (as shown
here). I generally don’t remove
moles as they’re part of the
subject’s character, but they
appear much more apparent
in photographs than they do in
real life, so instead of removing
them, most retouchers reduce
their intensity.
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

 42 
  R E T O U C H I N G PORTRAITS IN LIGHTROOM

STEP NINE: We’re going to use a

similar technique as we did with
removing the blemishes, same
tool and all. Resize the brush so
it’s just a little larger than the
mole, move your cursor over the
mole, and click once to remove
it completely (I know, I said
we weren’t going to remove
it, and we’re not; we still have
another step to go). By the way,
did you notice we don’t have
the annoying icon here? We
can see the area retouched
inside the brush cursor. That’s
because I have my Tool Overlay
still set to Never.

STEP 10: Now, we’re going to

head over to the Healing tool’s
panel, and lower the Opacity.
I want you to think of this move
as “Undo on a Brush,” and we’re
going to use it to “undo” some
of that complete removal. If
you drag the Opacity to 0%,
the mole would be back (we’d
have undone our removal). If
you leave it at 100% Opacity,
it’s fully gone. As you drag the
slider to lower the Opacity, the
mole starts coming back, so
you want to lower it to where
it’s still there, but not nearly
as intense or noticeable. Here,
I lowered the Opacity to 36%, so
I brought quite a bit of it back,
but not nearly all of it. So the
mole is still there, just reduced.

Okay, we’re off and running in

this new column. We’ve only
just dipped our toe into what
can be done, but it’s a start,
and I’m glad you’re here with
me for this retouching journey.
☺
KELBYONE .COM

See you next issue. n

 43 
 IBARIONEX PERELLO
VISUAL STORYTELLING

A SOLEMN AND CREATIVE MOMENT

I removed my shoes to walk on the sands of Omaha Beach, the site of a significant turning point in
World War II, and was surprised by how small the beachhead was. The ridgeline where German troops
were entrenched was not as high as I’d expected. My brief walk from the waterline to the sidewalk was
relatively quiet, except for waves lapping at the beach’s edge.

ALL IMAGES BY IBARIONEX PERELLO

 4 4 
  V I S UA L S T O RY T E L L I N G

Decades ago, this beach in Normandy was STEP ONE: Import the
not the tourist destination it is now. On June image using Adobe
6, 1944, thousands of American and Allied Lightroom Classic. You
troops stormed the beach. It was a pivotal can see that the image
assault that began France’s liberation, and was well exposed
eventually ended World War II; but it was a and provided ample
success with a hefty price tag of thousands dynamic range with
of young lives. which to work.
I imagined the sounds of that day, includ-
ing the endless pinging of bullets and soldiers
yelling as they stepped out of transport
vehicles. I visualized thousands of soldiers
desperately pushing forward while surrounded
by the wounded and the dead. Standing there
provided a humbling perspective I never had
while reading books and watching films. It
was difficult to process how so many young
lives were cut short. How could such brutality
have occurred at this beautiful site?
We arrived at Omaha Beach after spending
time at the Normandy American Cemetery.
I saw endless rows of crosses with the names
of the fallen soldiers. It saddened me to
think that not only were bodies buried here,
but hopes and dreams that would never be
fulfilled. Walking down the aisles, I periodically
stopped and prayed for the young man who
had lost his life. I prayed for the family who
was forever changed by a soldier’s death.
I made photographs, but I wanted to
remain respectful of the cemetery. I didn’t
want to treat this place as just another iconic
location where I could take snapshots.
Then I saw a solitary tree standing amidst
large blocks of marble or granite and felt that
this was the right moment for a photograph.
It exemplified the idea of a single figure, a
solitary life. It helped me to remember that
the cemetery was meant to honor and respect
the dead, not just another photo opportunity.
The image, produced with the help of STEP TWO: In the Basic panel, go to Profile and click on the four-square
my Fujifilm X-Pro3, possessed everything icon at the top right. A pop-up window appears with various profiles
I wanted; however, I needed to work on it from which you can choose for the initial rendering of the file. Expand
to create a photograph that reflected my the Camera Matching set, and click on ETERNA/Cinema, which
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thoughts and emotions at that moment. provides a relatively flat image in terms of contrast and color. Though
(KelbyOne members can click here to you can use a profile that enhances color and contrast, the choice of
download a smaller DNG version of this a flat profile provides you complete control of the photograph. Click
image for practice purposes only.) the Close button at the top of the Profile Browser.

 45 
  HOW TO

STEP THREE: Next, back

in the Basic panel, go
to the Tone section
and begin with several
global adjustments. Set
Exposure to +0.40, High-
lights to –48, Shadows
to +32, Whites to +8,
and Blacks to –21. These
adjustments improve the
image’s look, but more
must be done.

STEP FOUR: Next, it’s

time to boost the con-
trast. Although you could
use the Contrast slider
in the Basic panel, the
controls in the Presence
section provide a greater
degree of control. You
can also begin tweaking
the colors. Set Texture
to +19, Clarity to +5,
Vibrance to +33, and
Saturation to +10.
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

 46 
 V I S UA L S T O RY T E L L I N G

STEP FIVE: The image

could do with a little
more snap. Go to the
Curves panel and select
the Point Curve tool,
located at the top of the
panel, next to Adjust and
between the Paramet-
ric Curve and the Red
Channel buttons. Rather
than using the software’s
default linear curve, go
to the Point Curve option
at the bottom of the
Curves dialog, and select
Medium Contrast. The
Point Curve is a pow-
erful and effective tool
for controlling contrast
and color.

STEP SIX: The previous

adjustments have done
wonders for the image.
Now it’s time to work
with selective, rather than
global, adjustment. Go to
the HSL/Color panel and
select the All tab at the
top. This will reveal all
the sliders for Hue, Sat-
uration, and Luminance.
These adjustments will
be isolated to the color
range you choose. In the
Saturation section, set
Yellow to +11, and Green
to –16. In the Luminance
section, set Orange to
–14, Yellow to –40, and
Green to +13.
KELBYONE .COM

 47 
  HOW TO

STEP SEVEN: All digital

files can do with a bit of
pre-sharpening, and this
subtle tweak provides
the image with some
pop. (This differs from
sharpening images for
print, which can call for
more aggressive sharp-
ening, depending on the
medium you choose for
producing your prints.)
Go to the Details
panel and make the
following adjustments
in the Sharpening sec-
tion: set the Amount to
52, Radius to 1.3, and
Masking to 55. Don’t
use these controls
with a heavy hand, be-
cause aggressive sharp-
ening calls attention to
itself, and diminishes
the intended vision for
your photograph.

STEP EIGHT: The tree

serves as a visual anchor
for the photograph, even
though much of it is rel-
egated to the shadows.
Creating a mask that only
selects the tree allows
you to isolate it and pre-
vents adjustments from
impacting other elements
in the scene. Click on the
Masking tool, which is
the far-right icon (gray
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

circle with dotted out-

line) located above the
Basic panel. In the pull-
down window, click on
Select Subject, and the
software creates a mask
that isolates the tree.
A red overlay appears to
visualize where the mask
has been applied.

 4 8 
 V I S UA L S T O RY T E L L I N G

STEP NINE: With the

mask still active, apply
the adjustments to the
following sliders that
appear in the Effect
panel. Set Exposure
to 0.06, Shadows to 25,
Blacks to 6, Texture to 6,
and Clarity to 6.

STEP 10: Next, it’s time

to adjust the areas
around the tree. With
the initial mask still
selected, hover your
cursor over Mask 1 in
the Masks panel, click
on the icon with three
dots that appears to the
right of it, and choose
Duplicate and Invert
Mask. This creates a new
mask that selects every-
thing except the tree.
Set Exposure to –0.62,
Contrast to 2, Highlights
to –10, Shadows to 31,
and Whites to 6.
KELBYONE .COM

 49 
 PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

 50 


Step 11
HOW TO

Before
STEP 11: Next, we need to eliminate the minor distractions
in the upper-left and bottom-right corners. Select the
Crop Overlay tool (R) and drag the control points until
the distractions are eliminated (see previous page). Press
Enter to commit the crop.
Before arriving at the cemetery, I imagined the likely
images that I’d produce. I’ve seen many photographs
of this location: Some pictures were of a row of crosses,
compressed using a long lens. I could create good images
by mimicking other photographers; however, I wanted
photographs that were entirely my own. This isolated
tree provided me with just that.
 V I S UA L S T O RY T E L L I N G
After
It’s easy to make photographs based on, or inspired
by, another photographer: Such visual history can provide
a starting point; but stopping there is a mistake. Good
photography relies on tapping into your imagination. That
mindset opened my eyes to more than just the obvious,
and the discovery of the tree resulted from challenging
myself. I pushed myself to see the scene differently and
not settle for just the obvious photographs. n
KELBYONE .COM
 51 
 TERRY WHITE
LIGHTROOM Q&A
Q. 
You showed us Solo mode for only having one
panel open at a time in the Develop module.
Is there a way to get rid of the ones I never
use or at least move them down?
S olo mode in Lightroom Classic is awesome, as it
A. 
keeps the focus of your editing on one panel at a
time. Many of us, however, do things in a certain
order, so the default order of the panels may mean
that you’re scrolling around a lot unnecessarily.
Luckily, there’s a way for you to not only reorder
the Edit panels in the Develop module, but also hide
the ones you never use. Click on a photo and go to
the Develop module. Once you’re there, Right-click
on the name of any panel, such as the Basic panel,
and choose Customize Develop panel. A dialog will
pop up, and you can drag the panels in the order
that works best for your workflow.
While I don’t recommend it, if there’s a panel that
you really never use, you can click the checkbox to
uncheck it, and then click Save. A dialog will come
up telling you that you need to relaunch Lightroom
Classic to see the new order, and it gives you the
option to relaunch right away or relaunch later.
When you relaunch, you’ll see the new order, and
any panels you hid will not be there.
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022
Q. 
How many photos can LrC hold? Should I be
thinking about splitting up my catalogs?
T his question has been coming up a lot lately.
A. 
I’ll answer the second part of your question first.
I’m a proponent of the vast majority of users out
there having only one catalog. By working with
more than one catalog, you’re adding another level
of organization that adds more things you have to
think about when it comes to finding your photos.
 52 
There are some legitimate reasons for pros who
use multiple catalogs, but it shouldn’t be because you
think you have too many photos. Lightroom Classic
has been tested with catalogs that have more than
a million photos. So if you still count your photos by
the thousands, you’re a long way off from needing
multiple catalogs.
This kinda answers the first part of your question
too. Lightroom Classic doesn’t really have a physical
limit of which I’m aware and, like I said, it’s been
tested with catalogs containing more than a million
photos. If you’re not even close to that, and most of
us aren’t, then you can continue comfortably with
one catalog.
Q. 
I see some photographers have customized
their names and added their logos in the
upper-left corner of LrC. How can I do that?
T he area you’re referring to is called the Identity
A. 
Plate in Lightroom Classic. You have the option of
creating one with just text or you can design one
with your logo using Photoshop, and then save it as
a PNG so that it retains transparency around your
graphic (more on that in just a second).
ALL IMAGES BY TERRY WHITE
First, choose Identity Plate Setup from the Light-
room Classic menu (PC: Edit). By default, the Identity
Plate is set to your Adobe ID. To customize it, select
Personalized in the Identity Plate drop-down menu
at the top left. If you just want to have a text-based
Identity Plate, click on Use a Styled Text Identity
Plate, type in the text you want, and choose a font
and color.
If you want to create a graphic instead, head over
to Photoshop and create a new document (File>New)
that’s 360x40 px at 72 ppi. This document is going
to look really small on today’s high-res displays, but
this size works great in LrC. Create a new empty layer
and delete the Background layer so you’re designing

Q. T
on a layer with transparency. When done, save it as
a PNG file to maintain transparency.
Then head back to LrC and choose Use a Graphical
Identity Plate instead of text. Click the Locate File
button, find the PNG you saved from Photoshop, and
click Choose. Now you can click OK in the Identity
Plate Editor.
Q. 
Some of my thumbnails in LrC have a weird
icon in the upper-right corner that looks like
a page of text and an exclamation point. What
is this? Why is this happening and how do
I get rid of it?
The icon to which
A. 
you’re referring
is the Metadata
A. 
Conflict icon. While that may sound scary, it simply
means that your image has metadata that was edited
in Lightroom Classic and potentially metadata that
was added or edited outside Lightroom Classic. This
could have happened by opening the image in a
different application, or it could have been done by
the OS or another third-party app such as Dropbox.
When I get this warning, I usually allow Lightroom
Classic to overwrite the metadata since that’s where
I do my editing and metadata changes. Click the
icon and then click Overwrite Settings from the
dialog that pops up.
 LIGHTROOM Q&A
 aking three separate images at different
exposures to merge to HDR in either Lightroom
or Photoshop is a barrier to me. I often see a
potential shot but don’t have a tripod with me.
Also, the management needed to sift through
the multiple images is a drag, and the data
size gets huge if I’m traveling and not able
to do a prompt culling of images. So instead,
I’ve started using Lightroom as follows:
• Select the image I want to convert
to HDR.
• Create two virtual copies.
• Set one copy underexposed and
one overexposed.
• Merge the three copies.
• Keep the merged one and
work on that.
Is this an acceptable “quick-and-dirty” way
to get an HDR, or am I missing something
that’s technically important?
T he process of merging two or more exposures into
an HDR (high-dynamic range) image is a process
that’s based on your camera’s sensor capturing
data in each exposure that doesn’t exist in the other
exposures and then merging that data together to
create a high-dynamic range image. The method
you mention above may technically work, but it’s
not a true HDR image, and doesn’t have the same
amount of “dynamic range.”
My recommendation is that even if you don’t
have a tripod, you’re still better off shooting hand-
held, bracketed images than trying to fake it with
one exposure, because the Auto Align features in
LrC are really good. Next I’d recommend taking a
reference shot such as a single finger before the
bracketed frames, and then an ending reference
shot such as two fingers. This will be a visual
reminder that everything between the finger shots
is for an HDR. n
KELBYONE .COM
If you have a Lightroom question that you’d like Terry White to
answer in the pages of Photoshop User magazine, send it to
letters@photoshopuser.com.
 53 
 SEÁN DUGGAN
LIGHTROOM TIPS & TRICKS
Of all the image adjustments that can be applied in Lightroom, adding a hand-coloring effect is probably
not one that most people think of. For some types of images and coloring styles, however, the masking
tools in Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and even Lightroom for mobile, can work very well for adding color
tinting to a photo.

We’ll take a look at how to achieve this effect in the cloud-

based Lightroom. The basic technique works the same
in Lightroom Classic and the mobile app but, of course,
there are differences in the UI for the masking features.

HAND-COLORING STRATEGY:
LIGHTROOM OR PHOTOSHOP?
Whether you should even attempt to add color tinting
in Lightroom all depends on how detailed and accurate
the coloring/tinting needs to be. For simple coloring,
Lightroom works well. If there’s a lot of different areas in
the image that require a different tint, or if those areas
have complex or intricate shapes, then Photoshop will
offer you much more control and flexibility.
ALL IMAGES BY SEÁN DUGGAN

In the Edit screen (or Develop module in Lightroom

Classic), click the Profile Browser grid icon near the
top of the panel and choose a B&W profile that works
well with your image.

Before OPTIONAL: COLOR GRADING

Back in my analog darkroom days when I used to hand-
color images manually using oil paints designed for photo
coloring, the first step was often to add a slight sepia
tone to the print. For some images, a warm or subtle
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

After sepia-toning effect can work well when combined with

CONVERT TO BLACK-AND-WHITE
You can add a color-tinting look to both color and black-
and-white images. With a color image, any tinting you add
will be competing with the color that’s already present
in the image, so the effect may not be as noticeable. For
this exploration, we’ll focus on converting an image to
black-and-white, and then adding the color-tinting effect.
I typically start by selecting a black-and-white profile.
a hand-tinted look.
In the Color section of the edit controls, open the
Color Grading panel. Start with the Midtones wheel
and use the outer circle handle to set the Hue value,
and then the inner circle to set the Saturation. For this
image I used a value of 35 for Hue and 24 for Saturation.
When you move the inner circle for the Saturation,
the Hue will change at the same time. Command-drag
(PC: Ctrl-drag) on the outer Hue circle to adjust the Hue

 54 

without changing the saturation value; Shift-drag on
the inner Saturation circle to change it without affecting
the Hue.
If you want to create a uniform color tone and use
the same values on the other color wheels, Right-click
on the Midtones color wheel and choose Copy Midtone
Settings. Then Right-click on the color wheels for the
Shadows and Highlights and paste the copied values
to those wheels.
Feel free to explore a split-tone effect by assigning a
different Hue to either the Highlights or the Shadows. For
this photo, I decided to add a blue hue to the shadows.
If you do use a different Hue setting for one of the other
tonal regions, experiment with the Blending and Balance
sliders to fine-tune the effect.
 LIGHTROOM TIPS & TRICKS
ADD A BRUSH MASK
Manually adding a color tint to specific areas is all about
using the Masking tools. Click the circle icon or tap M to
open the Create New Mask panel. Which tool you use
will depend on the area to which you want to add color.
In some cases, you may end up using multiple masking
tools for different parts of the image. For this image,
I started with a Brush mask for the piece of film on
the right side of the photo. Once you select a tool, the
Mask panel will open.
Click to add a brush pin to the area you want to
colorize and then brush over it to define that area for
coloring. In the illustration shown here, you can see it
with the default red overlay (if you can’t see the overlay
in your image, there’s a switch for it in the Masks panel,
or you can tap O to toggle it on or off). Note: You can
also choose the color first (see next tip), and then brush
over the area you want to colorize.
Resize the brush as you go by tapping the Left or
Right Bracket keys ([ ]) on your keyboard. Use Shift
along with the Left or Right Bracket keys to adjust the
feathering (softness) of the brush.
KELBYONE .COM
Red Mask Overlay indicates where mask has been brushed over image
 55 
  HOW TO

CHOOSE THE COLOR TINT

In the middle of the adjustments panel for
the mask, click the Colorize switch and
use the color picker to select a color. If
you click-and-drag inside the color picker,
moving the cursor horizontally over the
colors will change the hue and moving it
vertically will change the saturation. Fully
saturated colors are at the top, and totally
desaturated colors are at the bottom. To
see the color that you’re adding, tap O to
turn off the color overlay that shows where
you painted with the brush mask. For this
image, I used a saturated purple color for
the numbered strip of film leader.

FINE-TUNE THE MASK

If you inadvertently brush over areas that
you don’t want to colorize, click on the
Mask 1 thumbnail in the Masks panel to
expand it (if it isn’t already) to show the
Brush 1 component. Then click either the
Add or Subtract button and choose a tool
for modifying the mask. In the example
shown here, there was some overspill onto
the area around the right eye. I removed
this by using a Brush to subtract that area
from the mask.

ADD A NEW MASKS

FOR OTHER COLORS
Colorizing other areas is just a matter of
adding new masks. Click the plus button at
the top of the Masks panel and then choose
the masking tool you want to use. For the
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022
piece of film on the left side and the rolled-up film at the bottom, I used
the new Objects masking tool. With this tool selected, I dragged a rough
brushstroke over the area I wanted to mask (shown in bright red here).
Lightroom then analyzed the area I had defined and created a very

 56 
  LIGHTROOM TIPS & TRICKS

accurate mask for most of what I wanted to select.

Then I activated the Colorize feature and chose a
bright blue for that part of the photo.
If you have several masks, double-click on the
default names (i.e., Mask 1, Mask 2, etc.) and give
them descriptive names, which will make it easier
to identify what part of the image they affect. This is
especially important with masks that apply a change
to very small areas of the image, where the shape
of the mask thumbnail may not be recognizable.

BLEND COLORS TOGETHER

To create a more natural and organic look for your
color tinting, try mixing colors in the same area. For
instance, with this photo, I created a blend between
the magenta and blue colored film pieces to make
it look as if the magenta was fading into the blue.
I did this by subtracting areas of blue from the Film
on Left mask using the Brush tool, and then adding
in some magenta to those areas by editing the Film
on Right mask, also with the Brush tool.

COLOR TINTS HAVE NO EFFECT

ON WHITE OR BLACK
If you try brushing a color tint over image tones
that are already white or black, there will be no
effect. With a color tint, the luminance (brightness)
always comes from the image itself. So, if a tone
is already black or white, the added color has
no effect. You’ll only see the color in areas with
a gray luminance (i.e., neither black nor white).
You can see this in the film roll near the bottom
of the image in the previous illustration. The
white center area of the roll was selected by the
Objects selection mask, but the blue color isn’t
visible in the white background or the very dark
parts of the film.

DEBRIEFING
As a final step, I added a Radial Gradient mask to
add a cyan tint to the face. Then I subtracted from
that using the Objects tool to select the film and
remove it from the area that was colorized by the
cyan tint. For this project, I used a total of three
masks and this image is a good illustration of how
you can use Lightroom to apply simple color-tinting
KELBYONE .COM

effects. The same basic approach also works in

Lightroom Classic and the Lightroom for mobile
app. For more complicated coloring tasks, you’ll
have more control in Photoshop. n

 57 
 SEAN MCCORMACK
MAXIMUM WORKFLOW

INFINITE POWER
From the blue of night to the yellow and orange of sunsets, color plays an important role in the emotions
evoked from a photo. Over centuries we’ve attached meaning to color: red for danger, green for calm,
orange for warmth and security. By understanding these color meanings and, of course, the color wheel
for how they interact, you can manipulate the viewer’s emotions in a photo. You can do this in Lightroom
using the Color Grading panel, but it doesn’t provide direction. You could play about, find ones you like
and create presets, but those presets aren’t directly in the panel for quick access. Lightroom subscribers
also have Photoshop, giving them access to more tools to help in this process without necessarily
having to know Photoshop.
ALL IMAGES BY SEAN MCCORMACK

Into this realm steps Pratik Naik, an incredible retoucher
and retouching educator. Using the skills he’s learned from
years of editing for high-end magazines such as Vogue,
he’s condensed his color knowledge into a Photoshop
panel, the Infinite Color Panel. Under the Infinite Tools
banner, this is one of many panels he’s created to make
life easier for photo finishing. The premise is simple: Press
a button to change the overall color in a photo until you
see a look you like. Of course, there’s more than that, as
you’re about to see.

 58 
  MAXIMUM WORKFLOW

PANELS VS. PLUG-INS

While technically anything that adds to Photoshop is a off section: white means on; gray means off. Instead of
plug-in, panels are a little different as they appear within clicking Create again, each layer’s look can be changed
Photoshop itself, just like any native panel (e.g., the Layers by using the Shuffle option to the left of each layer’s
panel). Plug-ins appear in the Filters menus, though there name in the panel.
are newer varieties that appear in the Plugins menu. There are tabs at the top of the panel to access the
Usually running a plug-in sends the image outside Harmony tool, as well as Tools, which do a variety of
Photoshop where you edit it, and then you return it to things, including saving the look. In theory, this is the
Photoshop. With a panel, you never leave Photoshop, basic look at the panel, but in practice you can do so
so the whole experience is much smoother. Infinite much more with it.
Color comes as either an extension, or as a plug-in. But
either way, you never leave Photoshop and remain in its CREATING LOOKS
native environment. There are more benefits for recent The hardest thing about
Photoshop versions with the plug-in version. color grading is knowing
where you’re going to take
the color. You know what you
INSTALLING like when you see it but, until
Here are the steps for installing and launching Infinite Color: then, it’s hard to get started.
So click Create. Do you like
1. D ownload the installation file after purchase. the result? Yes? Then start
2. D ouble-click the downloaded CCX file. to refine it. No? Then click
3. P
 roceed through the dialogs in the Creative Create again until you see
Cloud app. the start of something you
do like.
4. O
 pen the plug-in in Photoshop through
The look you see is based on a set of compatible
Plugins>Infinite Tools.
adjustment layers, each modified when you hit Create.
5. Enter your license key.
These layers are Curves, Color Balance, Selective Color,
6. M ake your image great! Gradient Map, and Color Lookup. These aren’t randomized
sets; each layer is designed to have a pleasing interac-
tion with the others.
IN USE Here’s the first look that seemed to work for this photo.
If you’re using Photoshop
2021 or later, you access
Infinite Color from the
Plugins menu; otherwise,
it’s an extension. The benefit
of using the plugin version
is being able to save your
favorite looks within the
panel for reuse.
The panel’s layout is
simple, which in some
ways hides its true power.
The Create button in the
KELBYONE .COM

middle is where you click

to add all the layers used in
each look. You can switch
each layer off in the on/ Before After

 59 
  HOW TO

Contrast is a little strong, but you can find

which of the layers is contributing by turning
off/on each layer individually from the Infinite
Color Panel (or from the Layers panel, if you
prefer). Doing this shows that Selective Color
is creating the contrast here in this image.

To see what the layer is doing, turn it back

on, and turn off all the other layers. What’s
interesting here is that, although the contrast
is in this layer, the color change isn’t. In fact,
it’s almost the opposite color to the final look.

For the sake of self education, it’s really

worth looking at the settings in the Properties
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

panel (Window>Properties) for each adjust-

ment layer to see what’s happening. It’s not
fundamental to using the panel, but it does
give you insight into how a master retoucher
such as Pratik works with color.

To reduce the contrast, we’ll set the Selec-

tive Color layer’s Opacity to 67%.

 6 0 
  MAXIMUM WORKFLOW

As part of turning the layers off and on, we

also noticed that the main color change was
coming from the Gradient Map. Reducing this
layer’s Opacity to 18% from the normal 25%
mutes this a little.

With the basics set here, you could try

changing the looks of some of the other layers.
To the left of each layer’s name in the Infinite
Color Panel, there’s a light-gray Shuffle icon.
Hovering your cursor over this makes it white.
Click on the icon to change the relevant layer.
Repeat until you’re happy. Are you seeing the
pattern? It’s about you. While the panel allows
you to get different color grades, it’s you who
ultimately decides what you like, which means
the panel’s working toward your style. Even
if you don’t know what that is, what you’re
doing will bring it out.

Once you’re satisfied, you may want to save

what you see as a custom look. You can do
this by clicking on the Tools tabs at the top
right of the panel header. Under User Looks
KELBYONE .COM

is a + icon: Click this to start.

You’ll be prompted to Right-click for Setup,

so do that.

 61 
  HOW TO

Edit the text to give

the look a name. It can
be any thing from a
random reminding word,
or a small description,
then click Save Layers.
Then you’ll get a
dialog announcing your
success, so click Close to
remove the dialog.
To see your new User
Look, click Back at the
top left of the panel.
That’s the basics of
the panel but, of course,
there’s a lot more; just
read on.

DEEPER COLOR
So far you’ve seen the
looks at 50% Intensity,
which isn’t the same as
Opacity. Instead, Inten-
sity allows the panel to
create stronger or more
subtle color. You need
to set Intensity before
clicking Create to see
the change. Notice how
subtle the color change
is in this image using a
lower Intensity compared Before
to our first image.
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

After

 62 
  MAXIMUM WORKFLOW

This brings us to another concept with

Infinite Color-Stacking. By holding down
Option (PC: Alt) and clicking Create, you
can create a new Infinite Color group
on top of the existing one. Once the
new group is created, you can go back
to clicking Create until you’re happy.
You can go further with the control
before creating another group. Right-
click on Create to reveal more settings.
Click on the text to give the group a
custom name. To the right of the name
is a gray dot. You can click on this to
choose a custom color for the group.
Group Opacity allows you to set
the opacity in advance. You’re seeing
it at the default 50% here, but often
it’s used anywhere from 25% to 50%,
depending on how subtle you want it
to be. If you’re doing a lot of stacking,
it’s worth keeping this number lower
to get more nuanced interaction. Here
we named the group “Upper,” gave it a
green label, and set the Group Opacity
to 25%.
You could also choose to have the
Group Mask option turned on so that,
in Photoshop, you can use the Brush
tool (B) to paint where you want the
color effect to appear. Click Back to go
back to the main panel, and Option-
click (PC: Alt-click) Create. You’ll see
the group appear in the Layers panel
KELBYONE .COM

based on the settings you chose. Then

use Create to get your color choice.
You may want to remove the second
group you created.

 63 
  HOW TO

In this case, the skin color is better on the Upper

group so, with the layer mask thumbnail selected on the
layer group, press Command-I (PC: Ctrl-I) to invert the
mask from white to black to hide the entire effect. Then
take the Brush tool (B) with a soft white brush and paint
on the skin to reveal the effect. It’s faster to invert the
mask and paint in the skin, rather than trying to paint
out the background.
You’re not limited to painted masks, of course. Any of
your masking tricks can be used to generate the mask
you need. Some examples are:

• Use Select>Subject to select the subject. Go to

Select>Inverse to select the background, then
create a mask from that.
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

• F or the underlying image layer, Command-click

(PC: Ctrl-click) the RGB channel in the Channels
panel (Window>Channels) to select highlights,
use Select>Inverse to select the shadows, and then
create a layer mask.

• U se Calculations (Image>Calculations) to combine

color channels to create custom, color-based masks.
For example, using Red vs. Red in Overlay Blending
mode creates a mask that targets skin tones.

 6 4 
  MAXIMUM WORKFLOW

FREE IN HARMONY
Next, let’s have a look at understand this, as the panel does it for you; however, as you play with it, you’ll also
the Harmony tab. With learn what it’s doing and gain insight from that.
Harmony, when you choose Near the bottom of the panel are five color options that appear as circular icons.
a shadow color, the other The positions of the dots inside each circle relate to the colors on the color wheel. The
colors are created auto- first one, with two dots, uses your color selection to create a complementary color set
matically, based on color (colors from opposite sides of the color wheel), so blue would have a yellow-to-orange
theory around the color color added. The second is analogous color: three colors from around the same part
wheel. You don’t need to of the color wheel. And so on with the other dots.

Click Create to start.

You’ll get a Color Picker
where you can choose
your base color. You could
also use the eyedropper
to sample a color within
the image, such as an eye
for example.

Click OK , and the

Infinite Harmony group
is created. This creates
a Gradient Map with the
base color on one side, and
the complementary color
on the other. The effect
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is subtle in the example

shown here, as the eye
color is muted.
Before After

 65 
  HOW TO

There isn’t an Intensity control;

but you do have a Shift slider, which
moves the center of the gradient.
That means the opposite side of the
gradient appears stronger.
You can also click on any of the
four remaining Harmony icons to see
how they look. As you’ve not clicked
Create again, these all use the same
shadow color. Here’s how the middle
option looks:
At the bottom of the panel are
more options: C is the blending mode,
in this case Color. Click it to change
it to S for Soft Light, which is more
subtle. With this image, that’s almost
the same as the original, so it’s best
left at C. The next option moves the
selected colors around the Gradient
Map to alter the tonalities of the photo.
The last option, Shuffle, gives new sets
of color. These changes go to History,
so you can step back. You can also
manually use the Reverse button in
the Properties panel in Photoshop
to swap the shadow and highlight
colors in the Gradient Map.

As with the Color tab, you can

PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

Right-click on Create to access more

options. You can name the next group,
add a group color or a group mask,
as well as alter the Group Opacity.
This latter option is perfect for more
saturated color options that might
overwhelm the photo. The final option,
which is on by default, is to put the
Harmony group at the top of the layer
stack in the Layers panel.

 66 
  MAXIMUM WORKFLOW

THE TOOLS TAB

Now let’s take a closer look at the
Tools tab. You’ve seen the User Looks,
but the four icons at the bottom add
quite a lot of functionality to the panel.
Let’s put them into action on a photo.

Before

REGIONS: The first icon creates a

group with three layers, one each for a
curve in the Shadows, Midtones, and
Highlights regions. These are Curves
adjustment layers, allowing you to
target contrast and color changes
using either the RGB curve, or the
individual channels.

After
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 67 
  HOW TO

GRAIN: To create a more filmic look,

the panel has a grain tool, which
creates a gray Soft Light layer with an
Add Noise smart filter. Double-click
on “Add Noise” below the Grain layer
in the Layers panel to make changes
to the grain. Grain does give a more
organic feel to your photo, so it’s
definitely worth adding, especially
as it’s a single-click addition.

CONTRAST: The Contrast option isn’t

as basic as a Contrast slider. It creates
a Black & White adjustment layer in
Soft Light blending mode. This means
you can adjust contrast by color in
the photo, giving you far more control.
You’ll find the color sliders in the
Properties panel.
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

 6 8 
  MAXIMUM WORKFLOW

BUT WHAT ABOUT

THAT B&W TAB?
You probably noticed the B&W
tab at the top of the Infinite Color
Panel. That’s for the Infinite Black
& White Panel, which is sold
separately. It’s similar in nature to
the Infinite Color Panel, but works
around a different combination
of layers. Again, use Create with
Intensity to create stunning black-
and-white photos. It has similar
Right-click options as well.

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 69 
  HOW TO

FADE: Fade does exactly what it

says. It uses a Curves adjustment
layer to lift the black point. It can
often be hard to gauge how much
to lift this, but having a button that
does the work for you is perfect.

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND

Okay, okay, enough of the infinite
puns. The Infinite Color Panel is a
very useful tool. As well as the key
premise of offering you color grading
when you don’t know what you
want, it offers a huge range of tools
to flesh out the work when you do.
You’ve seen that, while the
premise is simple, the panel allows
you to create complex color grades
using stacking, masking, and color
harmony. Examining the layers
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

created also gives you insight into

how a professional retoucher han-
dles color, so you’re also getting
the benefit of education with your
color changes. Along with the addi-
tional tools you saw at the end, the
panel is a worthy addition to your
editing arsenal. n

 70 
 As usual, Adobe announced a slew of new updates and improvements to all their Creative
Cloud apps, including Photoshop and Lightroom, at their recent Adobe MAX conference
back in October. So we asked Scott Valentine to give us a tour of all the Photoshop
updates, and Terry White to show us all the new features and enhancements in the
Lightroom ecosystem. For the Photoshop updates, you can start here, but if you’d like
to jump to the Lightroom updates first, click here (but be sure to come back and check
out the new Photoshop features because there’s some really cool stuff).

Background Images © 2022 Adobe

 PHOTOSHOP 2023

©Adobe Stock/marcin jucha

NEW FEATURES
(O C TOBER 2022 RELEA SE)
by Scott Valentine

It’s my favorite time of the year! No, not

because of holidays or weather (though
I love those, too). It’s MAX season! We just
came off almost an entire week of amaz-
ing creativity, sharing, and learning, and
there’s a lot to process. Thanks to Photo-
shop product managers Meredith Stotzner
and Pete Green for taking time to answer
my questions about new stuff. The new
version of Photoshop appeared during
the MAX keynote, so let’s dig in and see
what the latest version of Photoshop has
to offer.

Note: Many of these updates are also

available on the iPad, so if you’re running
Photoshop on your Apple tablet, be sure to
update and check them out!

OBJECT SELECTION REGIONS

Kicking things off are some handy enhance-
ments to the Object Selection tool (W). More
objects are recognized automatically; but the
coolest update is the ability to select regions
like sky, water, ground, and even architecture!
Instead of a solid-filled overlay, you’re now
shown a magenta outline (by default) with
a much lighter overlay when you hover over
objects or regions. With the Object Finder
option selected in the Options Bar, click the
refresh icon (two curved arrows) to let Adobe
Sensei AI work its magic.
When it’s done, you can hover over areas
of your image to see what has been selected.
The sky, mountains, or water can each be
selected individually with a single click. The
Photoshop team really did some heavy lifting
to refine what the AI thinks is an object or in the Options Bar. The default values for Outline and Opacity are
a region, and it’s impressive. (Note: If you’re 1.5 px and 100%, respectively, in Photoshop 2023.)
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not seeing the magenta outline around your Supercharge this new power by automatically creating masks for
objects, the new version of Photoshop probably each object. Under the Layer menu, choose Mask All Objects. After a
picked up the preferences from your previous few moments, you’ll be presented with a stack of masks attached to
version of Photoshop. Click on the gear icon layer groups for easy compositing or to save your selections for later use.

 73 
 Tip: If you want to see all of the objects selected, click the Show All Objects
icon (square with three squares inside it) in the Options Bar. Then turn off DELETE AND FILL
the photo layer visibility by clicking its Eye icon in the Layers panel and add
a white-filled layer below it. If you love Content-Aware Fill (CAF),
but sometimes wish it were a little
faster for smaller tasks, you’re going
to love this one. In a document with a
single photo layer, make your selec-
tion, and then hold Shift and press
Delete (PC: Shift-Backspace). The
selection intelligently expands, then
runs CAF. Magic!
I’ve found the best use of this
particular feature is in concert with
the enhanced Object Selection tool,
especially if your goal is speedy
changes. When using the Object
Selection tool, if you first turn off Hard
Edge in the Options Bar, one-click
Delete and Fill takes advantage of the
magenta outline rather than doing a
simple linear expansion as you’d get
©Adobe Stock/ bit24

with Select>Modify>Expand.
Using one-click Delete and Fill
is limited to Background layers, or
documents with a single regular
layer. This was a conscious move to
avoid impacting certain other work-
flows; however, using Right-click
brings up a contextual menu where
you can choose Delete and Fill
Selection. The difference from CAF
is that Delete and Fill auto-magically
expands the selection border to
make a smoother transition.
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

Through the magic of Delete and Fill, the selected fruit is replaced with more grapes!

 74 
 Scott Valentine
Draw directly on the preview image of the document when you annotate
SHARE FOR REVIEW

Share for Review is a Beta feature in

the new version of Photoshop. You’ll
see a bright blue Share button in the
upper-right area of the Photoshop UI
(which you can change to gray—see
the tip below). When you click that
button, you get two choices: Invite
to Edit and Share for Review (Beta).
Share for Review (Beta) is dif-
ferent from Invite to Edit in that
it allows you to share a link to a
snapshot of your document online.
(The document must be in Photo­
shop format; if it’s not, it will ask
you to save it as a PSD.) Click the Address each comment in Photoshop and resolve it
Create Link button, and the panel
that opens lets you decide whether Back in Photoshop on the desktop or iPad, open up the Comments panel
to limit access to only invited people, (Window>Comments) to track what others have to say about your document.
or to allow anyone with the link to If the document was open while a new comment was added, the Comments
review and comment. Next, click Invite panel will pop up automatically. As the document owner, you can reply to
People to add an email address, and comments, mark them as resolved, or delete them to keep the communications
then click the Invite to View button. clear. Also, you can update the content manually by clicking the Update
With the shared link, others can Content button in the Share and Review (Beta) panel at the top right.
annotate and make comments (they While there’s a big blue button, you can also access this feature from
can add emojis to their comments!). File>Share for Review (Beta) or Window>Comments. Instructors will find this
To make annotations, click the Pencil really helpful since students can send share requests for quick feedback and
icon and choose a color with the notes while learning remotely.
circular swatch. Then draw directly Learn more about Share for Review (Beta) by clicking here.
on the document to call out a region
or feature and type a comment in Tip: To enable “Neutral Color Mode,” go to Preferences (PC: Edit)>Interface.
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the box. The Share button will turn from blue to gray.

 75 
 NEURAL FILTER: PHOTO RESTORATION

Sensei has been doing some overtime to help you with Noise Reduction, Color Noise Reduction, and Halftone
tedious tasks. Photo Restoration is a new Neural Filter that and JPEG Artifacts Reduction. Sensei works to identify
you can get by going to Filter>Neural Filters, clicking the scratches, minor tears, and other damage, and then
Cloud icon to download it, and then clicking the switch to applies overall corrections to restore your damaged
activate it. It’s currently a beta feature, but it’s really neat! photo. After playing with this on a few dozen images
The basic controls include Photo Enhancement, Enhance I can tell you it saves a ton of time, often giving final
Face, and Scratch Reduction. For further work, you also get results that don’t really need further corrections.
I like to run the
rendered results back
through the Colorize
Neural Filter and turn
on the option to Out­
put As New Color
Layer for more control.
Photo Restoration
works on your local
machine when pos-
sible, leveraging your
GPU rather than send-
ing your image to the
Adobe servers.
W.M. Morrison
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

 76 
 GPU MODE CLOUD DOCUMENT VERSION HISTORY

In the status bar at the bottom left of an open
document in Photoshop, you can now choose
to display the current GPU Mode. This is help­
ful in troubleshooting issues where tools or
the entire application doesn’t appear to be
operating correctly. It’s especially important
for Windows users to know if some operations
are causing problems in Photoshop, and can
help inform preference settings to balance
GPU/CPU loads.
With the 2022 MAX release of Photoshop, you can add names and
descriptions to bookmarked versions of your cloud documents,
search for specific versions of that document in a list, or even filter
out versions based on Marked status, or date they were created.
To use this feature, your document must be saved in your Creative
Cloud account.
Open up the Version History panel (Window>Version History) and
you’ll find all the new options. Mark the versions you want to save,
and give them a name and a brief description. The entire comment
is searchable, so include things that are important to each version,
such as names of contributors, text hints, or other significant elements
you want to track.
The addition of comments to bookmarked versions along with
search functionality makes things a lot easier for collaboration and
review. Just remember that history versions are only saved for 30
days unless you use the Mark feature!

Scott Valentine
CONTENT CREDENTIALS
Content Credentials is an initiative started by
Adobe to help ensure your content is always
connected to you. It works by embedding a
unique key into your JPEG or PNG file when
you export a file from Photoshop. You can
set up your profile to include your name and
social media information, and your account
is of course linked uniquely to you. There are
options for including specific kinds of data, and
you can even store the history of a file’s edits.
To get started with Content Credentials,
enable it in Photoshop (PC: Edit)>Preferences>
History & Content Credentials, and then go to
Window>Content Credentials (Beta) to open
the panel. You have options to control each
document you export so you don’t have to
worry about cluttering things. If you choose
to have your credentials stored on Adobe’s
cloud servers, they can even help you recover
files where someone has stripped out your key.
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There’s a lot more to this service, including

an amazing number of partner companies
coming on board. Be sure to keep an eye on
Adobe’s blogs for more information!

 77 
 NOTO EMOJI SET
Sometimes you just need an emoji. Or a
country flag. Or…something. EmojiOne has
been replaced with Google’s Noto Color Emoji
SVG set. The new scalable, vector-graphic-for-
mat Noto emojis probably have something
you need, even if you don’t know it yet! Just
search for “Noto” in the font menu in the
Options Bar, Character panel, or Properties
panel, and the Glyphs panel will automatically
open. Click on your document to start a type
layer, then double-click the emoji you wish
to insert. The emojis scale nicely so you can
get that huge crying/laughing smiley to print
as large as you like.
Find out more about this unique font set
by clicking here.
SNAP LAYOUTS
(WIN 11 FEATURE ONLY)
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022
Windows users will be happy to get new Snap
support in Photoshop 24.1, when it’s released!
This feature gives the user preset configurations
for snapping windows to different layouts
based on your screen size and orientation.
Hover your mouse over a window’s min/max
button or press Win-Z. You’ll get a pop-up
showing your options.
 78 
PHOTOSHOP (BETA)
If you want to get in on some early features to test, consider installing
the Beta version of Photoshop. You’ll find it in the Beta Apps section
of the Creative Cloud app. You’ll be able to run both your regularly
licensed full version as well as the Beta version, just not at the same
time. Switch between them to see what’s coming up and try out some
new stuff. Adobe hopes you’ll use this early access to help them
understand how you use certain features and what you’d like to see
done differently. There’s a feedback mechanism (described below).
This is your chance to help shape future versions of your favorite
image editor! It’s also the only way to get some of the fun stuff
listed in this section. You can learn more about the public Beta by
clicking here.
BETA FEEDBACK PANEL
See all the big features in the Beta release! Right next to the new blue
Share button is an icon of an Erlenmeyer flask (think lab equipment).
Click on this to open the panel and you’ll get a sample of the new
stuff brewing in the Beta, including the features listed in this article.
Each entry has a short description and a spot where you can give
feedback directly to the Photoshop beta team. Use this to tell them
what works or doesn’t, how you like it, and what you want or need
from the feature. A good description from you includes how you’d
use the tool.
Decide if you think the feature is ready for release or not, and
send off your words of wisdom!
 MULTI-IMAGE CONTENT-AWARE FILL SUBSTANCE
MATERIALS PLUG-IN
Here’s a feature that you really need to try. Remember the Stack Mode trick
that lets you remove people from a scene by taking multiple exposures from Great news for those working with
a tripod? Multi-Image Content-Aware Fill lets you use a variety of sources to the recently acquired Substance 3D
help inform Sensei about what should go into your fill areas. Instead of just tools: Photoshop now has a plug-in
choosing from the existing image, you can open or load another image, even specifically for editing materials!
if it’s from a different angle! Even if you’re not into 3D, consider
This is especially helpful for those of us traveling or walking around, where trying out the panel to create pat-
there’s a great angle on a subject but other stuff is in the way. Just take a few terns and textures for compositing
more shots from slightly different angles to show what’s behind an obstruc- and backgrounds. Open the Mate-
tion. Select the area to fill, go to Edit>Content Aware-Fill, load the alternate rials panel (Window>Materials) and
view file using the Additional Document drop-down menu in the Properties you’re presented with a library of
panel, set a pin or two with the Alignment tool (A), and sit back. You can do presets that you can supplement
this multiple times with different images, though you can only work with one with new materials from online cata-
external document at a time. logs or your own personal collection.
This beta feature still has some kinks to work out, but when it hits the The panel presents contextual editing
mark, it’s amazing; it’s sure to save you some frustration from trying to copy/ tools for materials, substances, and
paste/transform to get your perfect scene. even lighting. This is only in the
Beta release right now, so if this is
Scott Valentine

something you want to check out,

get signed up!
For more info on Substance 3D
Materials, click here.

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Copper rendered to layer

 79 
 LIVE GAUSSIAN BLUR

For years, applying a simple blur to your image required a
little leap of faith. Without full canvas previews, it’s nearly
impossible to predict the results (which is why smart
objects are so amazing). Now, you can work directly on
your image layer with Live Gaussian Blur, adjusting both
the Blur Amount and using the paint tool to apply it only
where you want. When you’re done, Output to a New Layer,
the Current Layer, a New Layer with Mask, or eventually
as a smart filter (not all options were enabled at the
time of this writing).
Don’t worry, traditionalists! The original Gaussian
Blur is still there.
(I have a personal request: Submit feedback on this
one to Adobe and ask for an option to set Blur Amount
with the paint tool in addition to masking—paint your
way into depth maps!)

©Adobe Stock/Kaspars Grinvalds

©Adobe Stock/watman
LIVE GRADIENT

Select the Gradient tool (G), choose the Gradient mode

from the Options Bar, and apply a live, editable gradient
right to your canvas! The Properties panel allows you to
do everything you’d normally do in the traditional Gradient
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

Editor, but changes apply in real time as you work. Now

you can see and adjust transparency, color, and midpoints,
making it easier than ever to apply perfect gradients. If
you’ve ever tried using gradients with blend modes or as
overlays, then you’ll appreciate just how much control this
gives you to align with your image content.
Use either the enhanced Gradient Properties panel
or work with the Gradient path directly on your canvas.
Change gradient styles or switch to the Classic Gradient
mode from the Options Bar.

 80 
 BACKDROP CREATOR NEURAL FILTER BEYOND MAX!

This is one of my favorites, and I hope to see it in the full release of Photoshop! The Photoshop team is always churn-
With all the buzz around AI-generated art, how could you not expect some- ing on new ideas, so we don’t always
thing in our favorite image-creation app? You’ll have to enable this through have to wait for MAX to come around
Filter>Neural Filters, click the All Filters tab, then choose Backdrop Creator to get our hands on new goodies.
from the Creative section to download it. (You can’t launch the Neural Filters Below is a selection of updates that
while on an empty layer, so start with a layer filled with solid color.) were released throughout the previous
Enter a description or choose from Popular Presets, and hit Create! Let year, showing that the Photoshop
Sensei do its work generating unique, license-free textures and images to team has been hard at work since the
mix into your own creations. After you get some results, click on one you like, last MAX event! And they’ll continue
click the little icon that looks like a layer stack below the list of Neural Filters, to work hard until the next MAX
and select Show Current Layer to preview it on the canvas. At the bottom event, so always keep an eye out for
right of the generated previews, click the More Like This button to generate Photoshop updates throughout the
additional images. The ones previously generated while the filter is active upcoming year.
move down. Click on the results you want to keep, and they’ll be rendered Improved
X performance
to a layer group back in your document. That way you can build a collection for Oil Paint Filter
of backgrounds with which to experiment.
Even better? The description you entered is used as the layer name so Find
X your cloud documents
you can remember your prompts. How cool is that? in Recents
C opy-and-paste
X text layer
from Illustrator
Edge
X Enhancement in
Sky Replacement
Enhancements
X for guides
C ylindrical
X Transform Warp
Improved
X Harmonization
Neural Filter
Preserve
X Hair Details with
the Object Selection tool
Cloud
X service option for
Select Subject
Precise
X previews for
16-bit docs

THE PHOTOSHOP
EXPERIENCE

It’s always a joy to see new fea-

tures in Photoshop. Some of these
enhancements are meant to make
life easier, some to make it more
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delightful. All of them are part of our

(For another cool AI tool, check out my “Photoshop Proving Ground” in new Photoshop experience, and it’s
next month’s issue.) only getting better! n

 81 
 LIGHTROOM 2023 NEW FEATURES JUNE 2022 RELEASE
(O C TOBER 2022 RELEA SE) Both Lightroom and Lightroom
by Terry White Classic got new features earlier
in the year. Let’s start with
Lightroom (which some refer
Time flies when you’re hard at work getting ready for Adobe MAX 2022. Adobe to as the cloud version).
MAX is the annual conference where Adobe takes the wraps off major updates
to its Creative Cloud applications, and this year was no different. Before I dive LIGHTROOM
into the exciting new features released for Lightroom and Lightroom Classic Video
X Editing and Presets: While
at Adobe MAX 2022, let’s take a quick look back at what was released since Lightroom Classic has had basic
the previous Adobe Max, which had a major release back in June. trimming and Quick Develop
adjustments for video for a while,
ALL IMAGES BY TERRY WHITE, EXCEPT WHERE NOTED Lightroom now has them and
does it better both on desktop
and mobile. With Lightroom, you
have more toning features for
video, and the ability to apply
presets.
Invert
X Mask Option: Before this
update, you could invert a single
mask, but not a group where
you’ve added and subtracted
from the main mask. Now you
can invert entire mask groups.
Enhanced
X Presets: In June, we
got Adaptive Presets. Imagine
using Select Sky and applying
adjustments to the sky. Now
Video Editing and Presets
if you make that a preset, you
can apply it to images with dif-
ferent skies, as it will first do
a Select Sky before applying
those adjustments. The same
goes for Select Subject.
Search
X the Lightroom Community:
I always thought it odd that you
couldn’t search the community
for photographers you know. That
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

got fixed in this update with the

ability to search for people, tuto-
rials, and more.
Remix
X on Lightroom Mobile: If a
photographer shares an image
with Remix enabled, you can
take a shot at editing the image
the way you see fit. That feature
has made its way to Lightroom
Search the Lightroom Community on mobile.

 82 
 Fix
X Red Eye: Honestly, I don’t
ever encounter red eye photos
anymore, but it’s nice to know
that there’s a way to remove
red eye in Lightroom for those
who need it.
Compare
X View: I use Compare
View in LrC regularly. This is a
great addition to Lr, and having
the ability to see two images
side-by-side is a big plus.
LIGHTROOM CLASSIC
Preset
X Amount Slider: With the
Preset Amount slider you can
lower or increase the effect of
a preset.
P reset Amount slider
C opy-and-Paste
X Select Subject
or Select Sky: Being able to
copy-and-paste adjustments
based on Select Subject or
Select Sky is killer. You can
adjust an entire shoot all at once
with the AI-powered masking
and your adjustments.
Invert
X Mask Option: As with the
same Lr feature listed above,
before this update, you could
invert a single mask, but not
a group where you’ve added
and subtracted from the main Delete
X Obsolete Previews: Having old
mask. Now you can invert entire outdated previews only takes up space
mask groups. and slows down LrC. Now you can
Crop
X Overlay—Fifths: I’m a rule-of- get rid of them to keep things moving
thirds guy, but for those who need along faster.
a crop overlay divided in Fifths, your G PU
X Acceleration for E xporting
prayers have been answered. Photos: Faster exporting of photos!
Customize
X Loupe Overlay Info: You can Enough said.
now change the Loupe view overlay We’ve
X also gotten new camera and
info of the photo between Library and lens support as well as bug fixes all
Develop modules. year long.
NOW TO THE MAIN EVENT! ADOBE MAX 2022!
This year’s Adobe MAX updates made some significant changes to Lightroom and
Lightroom Classic in terms of Masking. The Masking 2.0 features introduced last year
at MAX forever changed how we use Lightroom and Lightroom Classic. Getting the
ability to automatically select the sky and subject of your images made editing so much
easier. Also, unifying all the masking features in one panel, and allowing you to create
multiple masks with inverting, was a game changer. The Lightroom team didn’t rest on
their laurels. It would seem that the features we got last year were just the beginning!
MORE ADVANCED AI-POWERED MASKING
(LIGHTROOM FOR PC/MAC, LIGHTROOM
CLASSIC & ADOBE CAMERA RAW)
If there was ever a “but-wait-there’s-
more” moment, this is it. Now the
Masking panel automatically identifies
all the people in your image and can
instantly create a different mask for
each person; but that seems like child’s
play, because not only can Lightroom
mask individual people, but it can also
automatically create a mask for each
person’s Face Skin, Body Skin, Eye-
brows, Eye Sclera, Iris and Pupil, Lips,
Teeth, and Hair.
That’s right, if you simply want to
warm a person’s skin, just click on that
person’s face in the Masking panel, then
click the checkboxes for Face Skin and
Body Skin, click the Create Mask button,
and that mask will be created for you.
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Then you can make all the adjustments
you want. If you want to remove yellow
from teeth, then create a Teeth mask. All
with no brushing! It just works. Okay, it’s
 83 
 AI, and AI doesn’t always get it
right, so if it doesn’t select what
you want perfectly, you can still
Add/Subtract from the mask it
makes, just like always.

It’s also the little things that

matter. This isn’t a big thing,
but it’s one that I’ll use all the
time. There are many cases
where you really want to adjust
the background of your subject
instead of the subject. The way
we did it before this update was
to Select Subject and then click
Invert. Boom! The background
is now the mask. That two-step
process just ended because
now there’s a Background mask
option. I’ll use this option a lot.
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

 8 4 
 SELECT OBJECTS (LIGHTROOM FOR PC/MAC, ADDITIONAL
LIGHTROOM CLASSIC & ADOBE CAMERA RAW) MASKING UPDATES

While I’m extremely excited about the Select People options, I’m equally
excited about the new Objects masking features. When I saw the new
Masking features last year, I reached out to the Lightroom Classic product
manager and told her how awesome these features were, but I wanted
the Object Selection tool from Photoshop. Imagine if you could just lasso
an object in Lr/LrC, and it would mask it for you. Well, one year later,
I got my wish.
The Objects masking tool in Lightroom and Lightroom Classic is very
similar to the Object Selection tool in Photoshop; however, instead of
a lasso, you use a brush. But unlike the Brush mask, you don’t have to
be accurate. Just brush over the object you want to mask, and even if
you go outside the lines, it will figure out what you’re trying to select,
with amazing accuracy. Every time I try it on something that I wouldn’t
expect it to work on, it works. Now, if you want to change the color of,
say, someone’s jacket, just brush over the jacket, and you’ll get a mask
for just the jacket. This will save hours as well as trips to Photoshop.
Mask Amount Slider for Lightroom on
PC/Mac: Adjust the intensity of the edits
applied to your local adjustments using the
new Amount slider at the top of the Effect
controls for the active mask.
Masking Support for Additional Android
Devices: AI-masking is now on more
mobile devices than ever with the intro-
duction of server-side support for Android
devices. Now all Android users, no matter
their device capabilities (e.g., less than
6 GB of RAM), can take advantage of
subject and sky masking in the cloud.
I remember the first time I showed Masking
last year during a live stream on mobile,
and the chat lit up because some users
had it and some didn’t. That goes away
with this release.

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 85 
 HEALING WITH CONTENT-
AWARE REMOVE (LIGHTROOM
FOR PC/MAC, LIGHTROOM
CLASSIC, ADOBE CAMERA
RAW, iOS & ANDROID)

I could go on and on about the masking features

(and I will every chance I get), but this feature is
just as important and one I’ve wanted for a decade.
Lr/LrC has a Spot Removal/Healing Brush tool,
but it didn’t work like the Healing Brush tool in
Photoshop because it wasn’t Content-Aware. It
would randomly choose an area of your photo Adaptive Presets
with which to heal.
If I wanted to do this faster and more accurately,
I’d just hop over to Photoshop and use the “real” ADAPTIVE PRESETS NOW FOR PORTRAITS
Healing Brush. That trip to Photoshop is no longer (LIGHTROOM FOR PC/MAC, LIGHTROOM
necessary because we now have a Content-Aware CLASSIC, ADOBE CAMERA RAW & iOS)
Remove (eraser) tool in Lightroom and Lightroom
Classic. It works just like the one in Photoshop, In the June 2022 release, Adobe introduced a new set of presets
but better, because it’s nondestructive. Just press on the desktop that allows you to use the power of AI masking
Q to access what’s now called the Healing tool. with the ease of a single click. With this MAX release, the same
You can still use the Clone and Heal options AI-powered preset capability comes to portraits and is now available
from before, but you have a third Content-Aware for both desktop and mobile.
Remove option that looks like an eraser. [For Use Adaptive Presets to enhance your entire portrait quickly, or
more on the updated Healing tool, see “Under target specific features with presets, such as eyes, teeth, eyebrows,
the Loupe” on page 32.—Ed.] and more, with a single click or tap.
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

 86 
 MORE FOR LIGHTROOM CLASSIC LIGHTROOM ON WEB

Left-Right Panel Swap: Customize your Lightroom Classic workspace to fit Video Editing: The same edit controls
your workflow needs with the new ability to swap the left and right panels you use for your images can now be
for all modules, or just for Develop. You can find this feature by going to used for your videos. Now available
Lightroom Classic (PC: Edit)>Preferences and then clicking on the Interface for Lightroom on the web wherever
tab. The checkboxes are in the Panels section at the very top. you go.

Faster Import from Portable Devices (Windows): Experience faster preview Preset Amount Slider: Adjust the
loading and importing on Windows machines from connected portable intensity of a preset to your liking to
devices such as phones, tablets, etc. achieve the perfect look for each image.

MORE FOR ADOBE CAMERA RAW

The new masking and Content-Aware
Masking Curves: Achieve the perfect tones for your edits with the added features will once again forever change
ability to adjust Curves for your local selections in the Masking tools. Now the way we use Lightroom and Light-
available in Camera Raw today and will be coming to Lightroom in the future. room Classic. I love Photoshop and will
always go to Photoshop to do things
HDR Support for Displays (Tech Preview): Make the most of the highlights that Lightroom doesn’t do but, with
in your images with new support for high-dynamic range (HDR) displays. these updates, I’ll have fewer reasons
Enabling HDR Output will allow you to visualize and edit your highlights in to go to Photoshop to do simple things,
even greater detail on your HDR-compatible display. It’s now available as and that actually makes me happy.
KELBYONE .COM

a Technology Preview in Adobe Camera Raw. To turn this feature on, click Kudos to the Lightroom teams for this
on the gear icon near the top right of Camera Raw to open the Camera monumental release. n
Raw Preferences, and you’ll see Technology Previews at the bottom of the
settings on the left.

 87 
 COREY BARKER
PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

SPORTS POSTER COLOR & DESIGN EFFECTS

This time around we’re going to explore some design effects using various Photoshop features. We’re
going to create a sports-themed poster that we can customize to fit any theme. By utilizing some cre-
ative masking effects as well as some other graphic elements, you can turn a simple sports snapshot
into a piece of art!

 8 8 
  PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP ONE: Start by opening the

©Adobe Stock/Joe
subject image with which you want to
work. For this stock image, I looked
through several images of the same
subject to find one with a good facial
expression as well as body position
for the composition. Plus, this one has
some elements in the background
which will be helpful later on.
If you’d like to download the
low-res watermarked version of
this image to follow along, click
this link, log in with your Adobe
ID, and click the Save to Library
button. Double-click the image in the
Libraries panel (Window>Libraries)
to open it in Photoshop.
To make it easier to work with
the image, increase the resolution of
the practice file. (We normally don’t
recommend enlarging images, but
this is only for practice purposes.)
Go to Image>Image Size, turn on the
Resample checkbox, select Preserve
Details 2.0 from the Resample drop-
down menu, set the Width to 2,760
pixels, and click OK.

STEP TWO: Once the image is open

in Photoshop, go under the Select
menu and choose Subject. As usual,
it does quite a decent job making
the initial selection but, if you zoom
in, you can see a couple areas that
weren’t included in the selection. To
fix this, choose the Quick Select tool
(nested with the Object Selection
tool [W] in the Toolbar) and just
paint over the areas you want to
add to the existing selection. If
you find an area that you want to
exclude, just hold down the Option
(PC: Alt) key as you paint over the
unwanted area.
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Even though the ball will be part

of the final image, let’s exclude it from
this selection; we’ll add it separately
in a moment.

 89 
  HOW TO
STEP THREE: Once you’ve adjusted the selection, click
the Select and Mask button in the Options Bar to open
the selection settings.
In the Properties panel, set the View to On White (T)
and the Opacity to 100%. Then use the Refine Edge Brush
tool (R) and dab a couple times around the subject’s hair
where it curls. Then just double-check around the subject
to see if any other areas are missing or need adjusting.
Back over in the Properties panel, set the Edge Detec-
tion Radius to 1 px. Near the bottom of the panel, set the
Output To drop-down menu to New Layer, and click OK.
Step Four
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022
 90 
STEP FOUR: In the Layers panel, click where the Eye icon
used to be for the Background layer to turn it back on,
and then click on the layer to make it active. Now go back
to the Toolbar and choose the Elliptical Marquee tool
(nested with the Rectangular Marquee tool [M]). While
holding the Shift key, drag a selection around the soccer
ball. You can use Select>Transform Selection to scale
and place the selection as needed. Notice here we have
the selection a couple pixels inside the ball shape. Press
Enter to commit the transformation. Press Command-J
(PC: Ctrl-J) to copy the selection to a new layer.
  PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP FIVE: We now have the

subject and the ball extracted
but they’re on separate layers. In
some cases I might leave them as
separate layers, but in this case it’s
not necessary. With the ball layer
active, Shift-click the extracted
player layer to select both layers
and press Command-E (PC: Ctrl-E)
to merge them.
Turn off the extracted subject
layer for the moment by clicking
its Eye icon in the Layers panel.
Click on the Background layer and
press Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J) to
create a duplicate layer. Then go
Step Five Step Six
ahead and turn off the original
Background layer.

STEP SIX: Choose the Lasso tool

(L) in the Toolbar and then draw a
loose selection around the subject
and soccer ball; be sure to include
the shadows in the selection as well.

STEP SEVEN: Once done, press

Shift-Delete to open the Fill
dialog. Set the Contents drop-
down to Content-Aware. Leave
Color Adaptation checked and
the other settings as they are and
click OK. You can see it removes
the subject; It isn’t perfect, but for
our purposes, it will be fine. You
can turn the subject layer back
on and you pretty much have the
original image but in two layers.
Press Command-D (PC: Ctrl-D)
to deselect.

STEP EIGHT: Now we’ll create a

new document in which to build
the final design. Go to File>New
and, when the New document
dialog appears, set the Width to
1500 pixels, the Height to 2000
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pixels, and the Resolution to 72 ppi.

Also, make sure the Background
Contents is set to White and click
OK or Create.

 91 
  HOW TO

STEP NINE: Go back to the subject image,

select the top two layers in the Layers
panel, and drag them to the new canvas.
Once there, use Free Transform (Com-
mand-T [PC: Ctrl-T]) to scale the two
layers so the subject fits in the overall
composition. If you can’t see the bounding
box for Free Transform, press Command-0
(PC: Ctrl-0) and it will zoom out just
enough to reveal it. Press Enter when done.

STEP 10: In the Layers panel, turn off the

background image layer for the moment
and click on the subject layer. Press Com-
mand-J (PC: Ctrl-J) to make a duplicate
of the subject layer. Select the version
below and click the first icon next to the
word “Lock” at the top of the layers to
lock the transparency. Press D to set the
Foreground color to black, and then press
Option-Delete (PC: Alt-Backspace) to fill
the layer with black. With the transparency
being locked, the black will only fill the
shape of the active pixels, which is the
subject. You can unlock the transparency
when done.

STEP 11: With this silhouetted subject

active, press Command-T (PC: Ctrl-T )
to activate Free Transform. Holding the
Shift key, grab the top-middle control
handle and drag it down to her feet
squashing the silhouette, creating what
looks like a shadow effect but still needs
a little adjusting. Press Enter to commit
the transformation.
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

 92 
  PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP 12: Lower the layer

Opacity to around 55%. Next,
we want to soften the ends of
the shadow as well as fade it a
little. First, let’s soften the ends,
so go to the Toolbar and select
the Gradient tool (G).
Up in the Options Bar, click
on the gradient preview thumb-
nail to open the Gradient Editor,
and choose the Foreground to
Transparent preset from the
Basics folder. Click OK, and
make sure the Linear Gradient
icon is selected in the Options
Bar. Press D to set black as the
Foreground color.
Step 12

STEP 13: Press Q to activate

Quick Mask mode. In the image,
start at either end of the shadow
and draw the gradient to the
Step 13 middle of the shadow. Then
do the same on the other side.
Ultimately, you want the red
overlay to fade over the ends
of the shadow. The overlay is
a visual representation of the
selection. Once done, press
Q again to exit Quick Mask.
That’s how you can make a
quick gradient selection.

STEP 14: With the selection set,

go under the Filter menu, to
Blur, and choose Gaussian Blur.
This can vary depending on
your image but, in this case,
we’ve set the Radius to 4 Pixels.
If you see the middle area of the
shadow being blurred instead
of the outer edges, click Cancel
in the Gaussian Blur dialog, and
go to Select>Inverse Selection.
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Then try applying the Gaussian

Blur again. Click OK when done.
Press Command-D (PC: Ctrl-D)
to deselect.

 93 
  HOW TO

STEP 15: Click the Add Layer Mask icon (circle in a square) at the bottom of the Layers
panel to add a mask to this shadow layer. Press D then X to set the Foreground color
to black and, using the Gradient tool again with the same settings, draw gradients
from the left and right ends of the shadow just as we did in Step 13, but this time
go just past the middle of the shadow to fade it a bit more. We also added a short
gradient coming in from the bottom to fade the bottom edge of the shadow, and used
the Brush tool (B) set to black to fade the bottom center of the shadow even more.

STEP 16: Finally, make sure the layer itself is selected and not the layer mask by
clicking on its thumbnail in the Layers panel. Then run a smaller Gaussian Blur on
the whole thing just to smooth everything out. Here we set it to 2 pixels. Click OK Step 16

when done.

STEP 17: Now let’s add some

shapes and other design
elements to create a finished
piece. Start by going to the
shape tools in the Toolbar and
choosing the Rectangle tool (U
). Then in the Options Bar, set
the tool mode to Shape. Click
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

the Fill color swatch to open the

fill type drop-down dialog, and
then click the Color Picker icon
at the top right. We’re using
a yellow-gold color (#c09d11),
but you can also use a specific
team’s colors. Click OK to close
the Color Picker. Leave the
Stroke color set to No Fill.

 94 
  PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP 18: In the Layers panel, select the layer below the
subject, and then draw a rectangle shape behind the
subject (press-and-hold the Spacebar while drawing
the shape to reposition it). When you release the mouse
button, it fills with the selected yellow color. To round the
corners as shown here, grab any one of the four circle
icons just inside each corner of the shape and drag toward
the center; all four corners will change at the same time.

STEP 19: You can also adjust the rounded corners in the
Properties panel (Window>Properties), where each corner
has a separate setting. To change them individually, click
the Link icon to the left to unlink them. You can either enter
a specific number or use the scrubby slider by moving
your cursor over the corner icon that you want to change,
then click-and-drag to adjust the corner. We’re setting
the lower-left corner to 430 px. This gives that corner
a much larger curve to make it a little more interesting.
Tip: You can also Option-drag (PC: Alt-drag) any of the
circle icons within the shape to round corners individually.
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 95 
  HOW TO

STEP 20: Give the opposite

corner a tad more round-
edness by increasing it to
75 px. Now we’ve made a
custom frame element from
a simple shape.

STEP 21: Remember that

background image we
brought over with the
subject? Turn that layer
back on and move it above
the yellow shape layer in
the Layers panel. Press Step 20
Option-Command-G (PC:
Alt-Ctrl-G) to clip that image
inside the shape layer.
Step 21

STEP 22: Use Free Transform

to scale the background
inside the shape so you can
see the various elements
better. With the subject
removed from the back-
ground, you have a lot of
freedom on where to place
and scale it. Press Enter
once in place.

STEP 23: Let’s add some

depth to this shape element
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

with a shadow effect. Select

the shape layer in the Layers
panel and then click the Step 22
Add a Layer Style icon (ƒx)
at the bottom of the panel
and choose Inner Shadow.
You can see the settings
we’re using here to get a
sense of separation. Click
OK when done. Step 23

 96 
 PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP 24: Finally for the frame,

select the clipped background
layer in the Layers panel and
add a layer mask. Grab the
Gradient tool again with the
same settings we’ve been
using, except this time select
the Radial Gradient icon in the
Options Bar. Draw a gradient
from the top of the document
to the bottom of the shape. This
will allow some of that yellow
background to show through
the background image.

STEP 25: Reselect that shape

layer and make a duplicate
by pressing Command-J (PC:
Ctrl-J). Since the new layer is
now part of the clipping group,
grab the original shape layer
below and move it just below
the subject layer in the Layers
panel. Delete the layer style on
the original shape layer as well
by dragging it to the Delete
Layer icon (trash can) at the
bottom of the Layers panel.

STEP 26: Using the Path Selec-

tion tool (A), click on the top
shape to select its path. Then
in the Options Bar, set the
Fill color to none and set the
Stroke to the same yellow color
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(#c09d11). Then set the Stroke

width to 20 px.

 97 
  HOW TO

STEP 27: To resize the stroke shape, grab the center
control point along each side with the Path Selection tool,
and drag them varying distances and directions to offset
the shape but also to make it a little different as shown
here. Up in the Options Bar, click on the line icon to the
right of the Stroke thickness to access the Stroke Options.
Click the More Options at the bottom.
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022
In the Stroke dialog, turn on Dashed Line and set the
first Dash at 22.5 and the Gap at 16. You can certainly play
around with these settings but these numbers worked for
this. You can see this results in a nice design element.
Finally, change the Caps setting to Round, and click OK.

 98 
 PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP 28: Create a new layer,

and select the Pen tool (P) in
the Toolbar. In the Options Bar,
set the mode to Shape, the Fill
to No Color, and then choose
a color for the Stroke (we’re
using a light blue). Use the
same Stroke width of 20 px for
now, but click on the line icon
to open the Stroke Options and
choose the dotted line preset.

STEP 29: Click in the upper-left

area of the image to start a path,
hold down the Shift key, and
click to add another point on
the opposite side. Then, while
still holding the Shift key, click
in the lower-right area down
along the right side of the
background shape. You’ll see
the dotted blue line appear, and
because you held the Shift key,
it will draw perfectly horizontal
and vertical lines.

KELBYONE .COM

 99 
  HOW TO

STEP 30: Notice the one

dot isn’t perfectly set in
the top-right corner. To fix
that, go back to the Stroke
Options in the Options Bar,
click the More Options
button, click inside the
Gap field, and use the Up
and Down Arrow keys on
your keyboard to nudge
it into position so that it
lines up with the corner.

STEP 31: With these set-

tings you can add more
instances of dots anywhere
you want. Just use different
lengths for the paths for
more or less dots. For dif-
ferent sizes, change the
Stroke width for each path.
You can add a couple more
instances of the rounded
yellow shapes to create the
overall look as well. Also, be
sure to create each of these
elements on a new layer.
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

 10 0 
  PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP 32: Finally, we have a

©Adobe Stock/Ton Photographer4289

texture to overlay on the

entire image so it isn’t just a
plain white background. This
is a simple textured paper
I found on Adobe Stock. You
can find and download the
low-res version of this image
by clicking here.
Just drag it into the image
from the Libraries panel, make
sure it’s at the top of the layer
stack, and scale it to fit the
composition as needed. Once
in place, simply change the
layer blend mode to Multiply
and lower the layer Opacity
to around 75%.

While there’s much you can

experiment with up to this
point, you can also add more
elements, such as names,
dates, or whatever kind of
messaging you might have
but, with it set up this way,
you have a template of
sorts that you can modify
to cater to any theme or
team colors. n

KELBYONE .COM

 101 
 KIRK NELSON
PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

CREATE YOUR OWN QUANTUM LEAP-

INSPIRED TITLE EFFECT
NBC has recently decided to revisit Quantum Leap, the beloved sci-fi series from the ‘90s portraying
the adventures of a time-traveling Dr. Sam Beckett. The new series isn’t a reboot, as it’s in the same
continuity as the original show and pays homage to it whenever it can. It’s clear the show runners were
fans, and their love of the original series shines through. All nostalgia aside, the new series has better
graphics and marketing treatment than the 90s show could ever wish for! In this project, we borrow
some inspiration from the scientist trapped in time, and craft our own quantum effects in Photoshop!

STEP ONE: Open Photoshop and create a new file with File>New.
Set the Width to 1600 pixels, the Height to 900 pixels, and
the Resolution to 72 ppi. Click Create. Once the file is open,
click on the Foreground color swatch near the bottom of the
Toolbar, and set it to a teal color (#54ad99). Click OK to close
the Color Picker and then set the Background color to a dull
blue (#004969).
Grab the Gradient tool (G) and, in the Options Bar, select the
Radial Gradient icon, and click the gradient preview to open the
Gradient Editor. Select the Foreground to Background preset

 102 
  PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

in the Basics set, and

click OK. Drag out a gra-
dient starting from just
below the center of the
document to the outer
right edge.

STEP TWO: We’re using

a stock image of a man
with his arms spread
out wide. If you’d like
to download the low-res
©Adobe Stock/ysbrandcosijn

watermarked version of
this image to follow along,
click this link, log in
with your Adobe ID, and
click the Save to Library
button. Drag the image
from the Libraries panel
(Window>Libraries) to
your working file. Scale
and position the image
so the figure mostly fills
the frame as shown here.
Press Enter to commit
the transformation.
The original photo
has his arms angled
too high to fit well, so
go to Edit>Puppet Warp.
Click to place pins on his
shoulders and waist to
anchor the image. Then
add pins to his wrists
and pull them down to
reposition his arms. If his
waist doesn’t extend to
the bottom of the frame,
add additional pins to
pull his torso further
down. If the distortion
moved his head too
KELBYONE .COM

much, add a pin to the

chin area and correct it.
Press Enter to commit
the transformation.

 103 
  HOW TO

STEP THREE: Go to Select>

Subject, and then click
the Add Layer Mask icon
(circle in a square) at the
bottom of the Layers panel
to turn the selection into
a mask. Reduce the layer
Opacity to 70% then grab
the Brush tool (B). Press D
then X to set the Foreground
color to black, and set the
Brush tool’s Opacity in the
Options Bar to around 25%.
Using a large, Soft Round
brush softly paint out his
midsection to let some of
the background gradient
show through.

STEP FOUR: Add a Hue/

saturation adjustment layer
(Layer>New Adjustment
Layer>Hue/Saturation) and
go to Layer>Create Clipping
Mask to clip the adjustment
layer only to the layer
beneath it. In the Properties
panel (Window>Properties)
enable the Colorize option.
Set the Hue to +170 and
the Saturation to +60. Grab
the Brush tool again, set its
Opacity to around 75%, and
paint on the mask connect-
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

ed to the adjustment layer

to remove the colorize effect
from the inside areas of the
figure, so the colorization is
only visible around the outer
edges of his body.

 10 4 
  PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP FIVE: Now we’re going

©Adobe Stock/luismolinero

to place the stock image

of a woman looking over
her shoulder. You can find
and download the low-res
version of this image from
Adobe Stock by clicking
here. Drag the image from
the Libraries panel into the
working file.
Right-click inside the
bounding box, select Flip
Horizontal, and then scale
and position her so she’s at
the epicenter of the gradient
and fully within the bounds
of the previous figure. Press
Enter to commit the image.
Then use the same Select
Subject technique to mask
her out from her background
as we did in Step Three.

STEP SIX: Click on the layer

thumbnail for the woman
to make the layer active
instead of the mask. Go to
Image>Adjustments>Hue/
Saturation and use the
onscreen adjustment tool
(it’s the icon that looks
like a pointing hand at the
bottom right of the Hue/
Saturation dialog) to sample
her yellow sweater. Set the
Hue to +126, Saturation to
–38, and Lightness to –20.
Change the channel drop-
down back to Master and
reduce the Saturation to
–45 and the Lightness to
–15. Click OK.
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 105 
  HOW TO

STEP SEVEN: Create a new

document with File>New that
has square dimensions of
1600x1600 pixels at 72 ppi,
and the Background Con-
tents set to Black. Then go
to Filter>Noise>Add Noise
and use an Amount of 50%,
Uniform Distribution, and
check the Monochromatic
option. Click OK. Then press
Command-L (PC: Ctrl-L) to
run a Levels adjustment, set
the left handle to 110, the
right handle to 130, and
click OK to add very stark
contrast in the noise and
create something that looks
similar to a starfield.

STEP EIGHT: Press the Q key

to enter Quick Mask mode,
and then go to Filter>Ren-
der>Clouds. Tap Q again to
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

exit Quick Mask mode, tap

the D key to set the colors to
the default black and white,
and then press Option-Delete
(PC: Alt-Backspace) to fill the
selection with black, which
adds some non-uniformity
to the starscape. Cancel the
selection with Command-D
(PC: Ctrl-D).

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 PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP NINE: Go to Filter>

Stylize>Wind and use the
Method of Wind and the
Direction set to From the
Right. Click OK, and then
run this filter four more times
(if you go under the Filter
menu, you’ll see Wind at
the top; selecting it there
will apply the same settings
you just used). Now go to
Image>Image Rotation>90°
Clockwise. Then go to Fil-
ter>Distort>Polar Coordi-
nates, set it to Rectangular
to Polar, and click OK. This
creates a starburst type of
effect. Accentuate the effect
by going to Filter>Blur>
Radial Blur and setting the
Blur Method to Zoom, the
Quality to Best, and the
Amount to 50. Click OK.

STEP 10: Using the Move

tool (V), drag the starburst
over to the main project. In
the Layers panel, drop the
layer just above the gradient
background, and position
the center of the burst on
the epicenter of the gradient.
Change the blending mode
to Color Dodge, and reduce
the Opacity to 40%. If the
effect seems a bit muddy,
enhance the contrast again
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by using a Levels adjustment.

Double-click the name
of this layer and rename it
“Quantum Lights.”

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  HOW TO

STEP 11: Grab the Ellipse tool

(nested under the Rectangle
tool [U] in the Toolbar) and, in
the Options Bar, set the Fill to
No Color, the Stroke color to a
bright teal (#a2e6d4), and the
Stroke to 5 pixels. Hold down the
Shift key and draw out a large
circle that begins beneath the
woman’s feet and extends up
above the canvas (click-and-hold
the Spacebar while drawing the
ellipse to reposition it).
Click the Add a Layer Style
icon (ƒx) at the bottom of the
Layers panel, and select Outer
Glow. Set the Blend Mode to
Screen, Opacity to 100%, the
color to a dull lime (#c6c79c),
Spread to 0%, and Size at 18 px.
Click OK. Right-click on the layer
in the Layers panel and choose
Rasterize Layer. Right-click again
and select Rasterize Layer Style.

STEP 12: Press Command-J (PC:

Ctrl-J) to duplicate the Ellipse
layer. Press Command-T (PC:
Ctrl-T) to get the Free Transform
handles. Hold down the Shift key
and drag the center pivot point
of the ellipse straight down to
the center of the gradient (if
you don’t see the center pivot
point, click the checkbox near
the far left of the Options Bar).
In the Options Bar, unlink the
scale settings so the transform
is applied nonproportionally. Set
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

the Width to 80% and the Height

to 73%. After pressing Enter to
commit the transformation, hold
down Shift-Option-Command
(PC: Shift-Alt-Ctrl) and tap the
T key several times to create
multiple duplicate copies of the
ellipse, each one smaller than
the last. This builds the basis
of our quantum tunnel.

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 PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP 13: With the top Ellipse

layer active, hold the Shift key,
and click the bottom Ellipse
layer to select all of them in
the Layers panel. Go to Lay-
er>Smart Objects>Convert to
Smart Object, and name this
layer “Quantum Tunnel.” Dupli-
cate that layer with Command-J
(PC: Ctrl-J) and place it below
the Quantum Tunnel layer. Set
the blending mode to Screen
and reduce the Opacity to 30%.
Use Free Transform again,
and move the pivot point down
to the center of the gradient,
as we did earlier. Relink the
scale fields in the Options Bar
so the layer scales propor-
tionally this time, and set the
width to around 90%. Go to
Filter>Blur>Radial Blur, set the
Amount to 13, Blur Method to
Zoom, Quality to Best, and pull
the Blur Center downward to
match up with the epicenter
in the project. Click OK.

STEP 14: Make another dupli-

cate of the original Quantum
Tunnel layer. Use Free Transform
again to scale this copy up
about 135% proportionally (no
need to move the pivot point
this time). Hold the Option (PC:
Alt) key and select Radial Blur
at the very top of the Filter
menu. This will open the Radial
Blur dialog with the same
settings you used previously.
Increase the Amount to 32,
and click OK. At this point the
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effect for the Quantum Tunnel

is mostly done; we just need
a bit of extra flare and sparkle
to finish up.

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  HOW TO

STEP 15: Go to the top layer

and go to Layer>New>Layer
to get the New Layer dialog.
Name this layer “Flare,” change
the Mode to Screen, enable the
option for Fill with Screen-Neu-
tral Color (Black), and click OK.
After creating the layer, turn
it into a smart object and go
to Filter>Render>Lens Flare.
Use the 105mm Prime Lens
Type, move the flare center to
align with the epicenter we’ve
been using for the rest of the
project, and click OK. By using
the Lens Flare filter as a smart
filter, it’s easy to reopen the
settings and move the flare
center if it doesn’t align the first
time. Reduce the layer Opacity
to 84% and, if there are flare
elements obstructing the man’s
face, add a layer mask and use
a Soft Round brush set to black
to paint out those areas.

STEP 16: Add a new layer

above the flare and name it
“Stars.” Then grab the Brush
tool again and use a Hard
Round brush tip set to a tip
size of 4 pixels. Make sure the
Foreground color is white and
begin adding dots with single
clicks around the background
area. Convert the layer to a
smart object and run the Radial
Blur filter again, but set the
Amount to 5 px. Click OK, and
then duplicate the Stars layer.
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

On the duplicate, double-click

the Radial Blur filter to open it,
and set the Blur Amount to 25.
Using a duplicate layer with a
different blur amount creates a
more detailed blur effect.

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 PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP 17: Now add a Color

Lookup adjustment layer
(Layer>New Adjustment
Layer>Color Lookup) at the
top of the layer stack and,
in the Properties panel, set
the 3DLUT File drop-down
menu to Fuji F125 Kodak
2393. Then hold down the
Option (PC: Alt) key and go
to Layer>Merge Visible to
create a merged layer at the
top of the layer stack. Turn
this layer into a smart object
and run the Filter>Camera
Raw Filter. In the Basic tab,
increase the Clarity to +28
and Vibrance to +29, and
click OK.

STEP 18: As an optional final-

quantum step, add some
quantum text to your quantum-
effect art. And yes, we can
just add “Quantum” to the
front of anything to make it
sound cooler!

The best takeaway from this

project is the amazing utility
of smart filters, from abus-
ing several stacked filters
to create our own quantum
tunnel to using obscure, rarely
used distortion filters to create
a quantum-starfield effect.
Being able to reapply a filter
quickly and easily to change
the settings is something past
Photoshop users would think
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only a time-traveling quantum

artist could do! n

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 LESA SNIDER
BEGINNERS’ WORKSHOP

REMOVING & LIGHTENING

SHADOWS ON SKIN
A rogue shadow can ruin an otherwise great portrait. Happily, if you have a good-sized patch of non-shad-
owy skin next to the shadowy part, you can often remove the shadow completely. And if not, you can
always lighten the shadows so they’re not as noticeable. In this column, you’ll learn a nondestructive
technique for both. Let’s get started!
©Adobe Stock/Kassandra

STEP ONE: Choose File>Open and navigate to a portrait

with shadows on the skin. If you’re starting in Lightroom,
select the thumbnail in the Library module and choose
Photo>Edit In>Adobe Photoshop 2022.
If you’d like to download the low-res watermarked
version of this image to follow along, click this link,
log in with your Adobe ID, and click the Save to Library
button. Double-click the image in the Libraries panel
(Window>Libraries) to open it in Photoshop.
To make it easier to work with the image, increase
the resolution of the practice file. (We normally don’t

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  BEGI N N E RS’ WORKSHOP

recommend enlarging images, but

this is only for practice purposes.)
Go to Image>Image Size, turn on
the Resample checkbox, select
Preserve Details 2.0 from the Res-
ample drop-down menu, set the
Width to 5,000 pixels, and click OK.

STEP TWO: To remove the dark

shadows above and across the
model’s left eye, we’ll use the Clone
Stamp tool. To prevent harming
the original image, we’ll use it
on a new, empty layer. To do that,
choose Layer>New>Layer and
in the New Layer dialog, name it
“shadow removal.” Click OK.

STEP THREE: Press S on your key-

board to grab the Clone Stamp
tool (circled). In the Options Bar,
open the Brush Preset picker
(also circled) and choose a Soft
Round brush around 80 pixels in
size. Next, set the Mode menu to
Lighten, Opacity to 100%, turn off
the Aligned checkbox, and set the
Sample menu to All Layers.
For the curious, Lighten mode
tells the Clone Stamp tool to
change only pixels that are darker
than the lighter, non-shadowy skin
from which you’ll copy the pixels.
Using a 100% Opacity gives you
full-on pixel-copy operation (like a
skin graft). Turning off Aligned lets
you continuously copy (sample)
pixels from the same area (when
it’s turned on, the sample area
moves with the cursor). And
changing the Sample menu to
All Layers tells the Clone Stamp
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tool to copy (sample) the pixels

on the layer(s) below the currently
active layer, enabling it to work
on an empty layer.

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  HOW TO

STEP FOUR: Press Command-+ (PC:

Ctrl-+) to zoom into the image,
hold the Spacebar, and click-and-
drag to reposition the image so
you can see her eye on the right
and forehead. Mouse over to the
image and Option-click (PC: Alt-
click) a non-shadowy area just
above the topmost dark shadow
on her forehead (your cursor turns
into a target). Release the modifier
key (Option or Alt) and then click-
and-drag all the way across the
top part of the shadow to remove
it. As you drag, a little crosshair
(circled) represents the sample
point. Release your mouse button,
move your mouse down and then
click-and-drag to remove another
section of the shadow. Notice how
the sample point resets itself to the
original area each time you release
your mouse button.

STEP FIVE: Option-click (PC: Alt-

click) to reset the sample point
near the side of the shadow and
then remove another portion of
the shadow. Keep resetting your
sample point and removing shadows
until most of the shadows on the
left side are gone. When you can,
keep the sample point close to the
area you’re fixing so the skin tone
matches, but that may not always
be possible (note the sample point
circled in the third example).
Tip: To make the shadow removal
look realistic, you may need to
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

experiment with turning the Aligned

checkbox in the Options Bar on
and off to see what works best.
The undo keyboard shortcut is your
best friend in this technique; if you
don’t like the way a brushstroke
looks, press Command-Z (PC: Alt-Z)
to undo it then adjust your sample
point, or fiddle with the Aligned
checkbox, then have another go.

 114 
 BEGI N N E RS’ WORKSHOP

STEP SIX: When you’re finished

with the forehead shadows,
start on the eyebrow and eyelid,
using the same technique of
resetting your sample point
(circled) and then dragging to
remove the shadow. If neces-
sary, reduce brush size to more
closely match that of the area
you’re fixing. And if you end up
with a light area that needs
darkening, as shown here in
the third example, change
the Option Bar’s Mode menu
to Darken (circled, as are the
sample point and cursor).

STEP SEVEN: Now let’s lighten

the other shadows that aren’t
easily removed (because there
isn’t quite enough non-shad-
owy skin nearby to copy). To
do that, click the half-black/
half-white circle at the bottom
of the Layers panel and
choose Curves.

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 115 
  HOW TO

STEP EIGHT: In the Properties

panel that opens, locate the
center point of the graph, then
click slightly to the left of it to
set a point on the diagonal
line, and then drag the point
upward to lighten the whole
image. Don’t worry, you’ll hide
the lightening and reveal it only
atop the shadows over the next
few steps.

STEP NINE: With the Curves

adjustment layer’s mask active
(circled), invert the mask by
pressing Command-I (PC: Ctrl-
I). The fills the mask with black,
which hides the lightening you
just did.
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

 116 
 BEGI N N E RS’ WORKSHOP

STEP 10: Press B on your key-

board to grab the Brush tool
(circled). In the realm of masks,
painting with black conceals
and painting with white reveals.
So press D to set the color
chips at the bottom of the Tool-
bar (also circled) to the default
colors of white and black, and
make sure white is on top. In
the Options Bar, use the Brush
Preset picker to choose a Soft
Brush and lower the Opacity
(circled) to around 50%.
Tip: The size of the brush
should not exceed the size of
the shadow you’re lightening,
so you’ll need to change brush
size as you go, using the Left
and Right Bracket keys ([ ]) on
your keyboard.

STEP 11: Mouse over to the

remaining shadows on the
model’s skin and paint repeat-
edly within a shadow to lighten
it—take care not to paint out-
side a shadow’s edge. Don’t
worry if the shadows look
discolored as you’re doing
this; you’ll lower the Curves
adjustment layer’s Opacity in
the next step.
Tip: If you mess up and paint
outside a shadow, or if you
lighten a shadow too much,
press X to flip-flop the color
chips so black is on top, and
then paint repeatedly back
across that area.
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 117 
  HOW TO

STEP 12: In the Layers panel, lower

the Opacity (circled) of the Curves
layer to around 50%.

Here’s a before and after version.

Before

The beauty of this technique is that

you haven’t harmed a single pixel
of the original image! Plus you can
double-click the Curves adjustment
layer to reopen its properties and
adjust the point you added to the
graph to fine-tune the shadow
lightening. Until next time, may the
creative force be with you all! n
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

After

 118 
 Never get “stuck” in Lightroom again!

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 DAVE DeBAEREMAEKER
PHOTO EFFECTS

ENHANCING TRAVEL PHOTOS

WITH ACTION FIGURES
I really enjoy two types of photography: travel and toy. Ideally, I combine the two by packing a few action
figures in my camera bag when I travel. When I arrive at my location I use the action figures as foreground
elements in my travel and landscape photos. It’s not always possible, however, to get to the locations
I want to shoot. This has been extra hard lately due to the various pandemic lockdowns. In the meantime,
good friend and photographer, Dave Williams, has been traveling the world, living in his van, Kofifernweh,
and having some amazing adventures. So Dave and I decided to collaborate on creating an image.
He would shoot a landscape scene during his travels; I would shoot an action figure in my home studio.
Then I’d combine them into one single scene.

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  PHOTO EFFECTS

The action figure I decided to use was Gandalf (a wizard from Lord Of
CONSIDERING THE SHOT
The Rings). To match the character, Dave took a shot of an old castle
By Dave Williams
in Germany called Burg Eltz. Armed with these two images, and some
Photoshop magic, I was able to come up with a photo that contained As a travel photographer, my intention
both of them. This is how I merged the two shots in Photoshop. when shooting is to instill a sense of
(KelbyOne members can click here to download these two images for wanderlust in the viewer. My images
practice purposes only.) are largely landscapes, and it’s not
often that I plan to add anything to
my scenes in postproduction, but
when Dave DeBaeremaeker asked if
we could collaborate on this project,
I had absolutely no hesitation. Adding
a human element in the form of a toy
sounded like a fun way to bring one
of my photos to life.
Shooting a scene with the inten-
tion of using it as a composite is a
different ball game than shooting
without intention. I knew I’d have
to incorporate a foreground space
in which Dave could composite
in his Gandalf image, so this was
one of my main considerations
Above: Burg Eltz Castle when shooting.
by Dave Williams; Right:
Gandalf action figure During my travels, I decided the
from Lord of the Rings most logical place for Gandalf would
by Dave DeBaeremaeker
be on the walkway that approaches
the almost 900-year-old Burg Eltz
Castle in Germany (construction
began in 1157). When I composed
the scene, it was clear that the
castle would form the middle ground,
blending in with the background
comprised of the forest and sky.
That left the path as the distinct
foreground, and a place for Dave to
do his magic. Having this additional
consideration when I was shooting
was a great creative workout and
learning opportunity for me, as I had
to consider the composition and light
in anticipation of what Dave would
do in this collaboration.
This is a project I’ll definitely try to
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take forward myself, and I’ll be firing

more photos in Dave’s direction to
see what other fantastical wonders
he dreams up.

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  HOW TO

ESTABLISHING
THE BACKGROUND
STEP ONE: Begin by opening up Dust Spots
the background file, burg_eltz
.jpg, in Photoshop. There are
a few things that need to be
tidied up in the background, as
White Spots Red Sign
outlined in this image.

STEP TWO: If you look closely

at the roof to the right of the
main gate, you’ll notice the top
of a bright red sign peaking out.
Let’s remove the majority of the
red from the sign and make it
less distracting. Create a Hue/
Saturation adjustment layer (Lay-
er>New Adjustment Layer>Hue/
Saturation). In the Properties
panel (Window>Properties)
change the second drop-down
menu near the top from Master
to Reds, and slide the Saturation
slider down to –90.

STEP THREE: Now, create a new

blank layer, double-click its name
in the Layers panel, and rename
it “Fixes.” Grab the Spot Healing
Brush tool (J) and, in the Options
Bar, resize it to around 10 pixels,
set the Hardness to around 60%,
and ensure that the Sample All
Layers box is checked.

STEP FOUR: Then click on the

dust spots in the sky at the top
right of the image. Do the same
for the light on the wall to the
right of the main castle gate.
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

Finally, paint over the long build-

ing with the bright white roof
that’s nestled in the trees to the
left of the main gate. This should
remove all the distractions we
pointed out in Step One. Feel
free to clean up any other parts
of the image that you may find
distracting. The end result should
look like this.

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  PHOTO EFFECTS

STEP FIVE: Next we’ll turn the

existing layers into a smart
object by clicking on the bottom
layer in the Layers panel, holding
down Shift, and then clicking the
top layer to select all three layers.
Right-click on any of these layers
and select Convert to Smart
Object. This should combine all
three layers into a single layer.
Step Five
Rename this layer “Burg Eltz.”

STEP SIX: Let’s make some tonal

adjustments to the background.
Start by ensuring the Burg Eltz
smart object layer is active by
clicking on it in the Layers panel,
and then go to the Filters menu
and select Camera Raw Filter.
All of the adjustments that we
applied in the Basic panel are
shown here. Click OK when done.

STEP SEVEN: Next, we’ll darken

the background with a gradient.
Add a new layer in the Layers
panel, and grab the Gradient
tool (G) from the Toolbar. In
the Options Bar, select the
Linear Gradient icon, and then
click on the gradient preview
thumbnail to open the Gradient
Editor. Select the Foreground to
Transparent preset in the Basics
set, and click OK.
Press D on your keyboard
to set the Foreground color to
black. Then, draw a gradient
from the bottom of the gate to
the bottom of the walkway. This
should create a gradient layer
where the top is black and the
bottom is transparent (in the
image shown here, we’ve hidden
the Burg Ertz layer so you can
see the gradient layer by itself).
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Rename the layer “background

gradient,” and then change its
blend mode to Soft Light and
Opacity to 59%.

 123 
  HOW TO

STEP EIGHT: Select all the layers in

the Layers panel, and click on the
Create a New Group icon (folder)
at the bottom of the Layers panel.
Rename the group “Background.”
This will organize the background
layers and make keeping track of
the rest of the layers easier.

STEP NINE: Finally, grab the Crop

tool by pressing C on your keyboard.
In the Options Bar, select 4:5 (8:10)
in the Ratio drop-down menu and
make sure the Delete Cropped
pixels option is not checked. We
only want to cut off the sides to
make the image vertical without
losing any height, so drag the crop
box to go from the top to the bottom
edge of the image (if it isn’t already).
Click-and-drag the image to the
left to position the white of the
lower turret so it closely aligns
with the bottom left corner of the
top-middle section of the rule of
thirds grid. Then press Enter. The
image should now look like this.

THE MAGIC OF GANDALF

Now it’s time to add Gandalf to
the image. While Gandalf is an
action figure, he’s actually highly
detailed, with lots of wispy hair.
The first step in this process is to
cut Gandalf out of his background
so our Burg Eltz background will
show through; however, properly
selecting and extracting Gan-
dalf could take an entire article
by itself. So, if you look in the
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

exercise files accompanying this

tutorial, you’ll find a PNG version
of Gandalf where we’ve already cut
him out from his background. The
straight-from-the-camera version
is also included if you want to try Step Nine
to extract him yourself. To save
time here in the tutorial, though,
we’ll start with the cutout version
of Gandalf.

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  PHOTO EFFECTS

STEP 10: Open the gandalf

.png image in Photoshop.
Using the Move tool (V),
click-and-drag Gandalf
into the Burg Eltz image.
This should create a new
layer above the existing
Background folder. Rename
this layer “Gandalf.” Press
Command-T (PC: Ctrl-T )
for Free Transform, and
scale him to an appropri-
ate size for the scene by
clicking-and-dragging the
corner transform handles.
Drag him into position on
the walkway to the castle.
Tilt him back a little by
moving the cursor outside
the transform box until it
changes to a curved double
arrow, and then click-and-
drag the mouse to the left
until the popup readout right
next to your cursor says –2°.
Then press the Enter key to
let the change take effect.

STEP 11: Next, let’s reduce

the yellow of Gandalf’s skin
and remove a lingering color
cast from the background
he was shot against. Add
another Hue/Saturation
adjustment layer above
the Gandalf layer. In the
Properties panel, change
Master to Yellows, and set
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the Saturation slider to –57.

Then select Greens in the
drop-down menu and set
Saturation to –100.

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  HOW TO

STEP 12: Let’s also add a

Brightness/Contrast adjustment
layer (Layer>New Adjustment
Layer>Brightness/Contrast) and,
in the Properties panel, change
the Brightness to 61. Don’t
worry that these adjustment
layers are also affecting the
castle image; the next part of
this step will fix that.
In the Layers panel, select
the Gandalf layer and the two
adjustment layers and con-
vert them to a smart object.
Rename this new smart object
layer “Gandalf.”

STEP 13: Now let’s make some

tonal adjustments to match
Gandalf to the background.
Start by clicking on the Gandalf
smart object layer in the Layers
panel, and then selecting
Camera Raw Filter from the
Filter menu. Use the settings
as shown here and click OK.

STEP 14: The edges of Gandalf’s

cloak are a tad too bright. To
darken it, start by adding a new
layer above the Gandalf smart
object and call it “edge darken.”
Set the layer blend mode to
Step 13
Soft Light. Now hold the Option
(PC: Alt) key, place your cursor
between the Gandalf and edge
darken layers in the Layers
panel until it changes to a
square with an arrow, and then
click. This will turn the edge
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

darken layer into a clipping

mask, so any changes to that
layer will only be visible in the
parts of the Gandalf layer that
are also visible. The upside to
all of this is that, when we do
our burning with a brush in the
next step, we no longer have
to be careful about painting
outside Gandalf. Step 14

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  PHOTO EFFECTS

STEP 15: Grab the Brush tool by pressing the B key then, in the Options STEP 16: Now we need to add
Bar, set the size to 125 px, Hardness to 0%, and both the Flow and Opacity some shadows to anchor Gandalf to
to 30%. Press D on the keyboard to set the Foreground color to black. Now the ground. Start by creating a new
use the edge of the brush and paint along the edges of Gandalf’s cloak. The blank layer, and position it below the
edges should start to develop a shadow effect. There’s no exact amount to Gandalf smart object and above the
add here, but slowly build up the brushstrokes until it looks good to your Background group. Set the blend
eye. Concentrate a bit more at the bottom of his cloak. If you go too far, you mode to Multiply, and rename this
can drop the layer Opacity of the “edge darken” layer to compensate. You’re layer “foot shadows.”
looking for a result that looks something like this image.

STEP 17: Grab the Brush tool again

and, in the Options Bar, set the size
to around 80 px, Hardness to 0%, and
the Flow and Opacity to 20%. Make
sure that the Foreground color is black,
and then, on the foot shadows layer,
start painting in the shadows. Note
that the light is positioned in front
of Gandalf, slightly to his left, so any
Step 16 shadows will fall behind him to his
right. Under the staff you can simply
place the brush where the staff meets
the ground and click the mouse a
couple of times.
Step 15 Then start painting under his feet
where they touch the ground. You
want to slowly build up the shadows,
almost black directly under his feet,
and quickly falling off to the left, and
behind him. Make sure you add some
longer shadows behind him extending
toward the gate a bit to account for
the shadows his body would make.
If you make a mistake, hit Com-
mand-Z (PC: Ctrl-Z) to undo the last
few brushstrokes, or use the Eraser
tool (E) to remove any shadows you’ve
drawn. It may take a few tries but you’ll
soon get the hang of it. Fortunately,
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the foot shadows are the hardest

part of his image. So we’re almost
done! Just a little bit of organizational
Step 17 cleanup and we can move on.

 127 
  HOW TO

STEP 18: As a final organiza-

tional step, select all the layers
above the Background group,
and click the Create a New
Group icon at the bottom of
the Layers panel. Name this
group “Gandalf.”

GLOBAL ADJUSTMENTS
All that’s left are some texture
additions and global color to tie
everything together.

STEP 19: First, we’re going to use a

couple of Adobe Stock images.
If you’d like to download the
low-res watermarked versions
of these images to follow along,
click this link for the first image,
log in with your Adobe ID, and
click the Save to Library button.
Drag the image from your Librar-
ies panel (Window>Libraries) to
the Gandalf image.
Right-click inside the bound-
ing box, and select Rotate 90°
Counter Clockwise. Then hold
the Shift key, and resize the
texture so it’s the same size
as our image. Press Enter to

©Adobe Stock: Texture 1/Phanithi; Texture 2/Stephanie Frey

commit the image. Convert the
layer to a smart object and set
the blend mode to Soft Light.
We want to use this texture
as a vignette, so we don’t need
the rough texture of this file.
Smooth out the texture by going
to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur, and
setting the Radius to 30. Click
OK. Finally, remove the color by
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

pressing Command-U (PC: Ctrl-

U) to open the Hue/Saturation
dialog. Set the Saturation to
–100, and click OK.
Repeat this exact same step
with the other texture from
Adobe Stock that you can find
and download by clicking here.
The only difference is that you
don’t need to rotate this texture.

 128 
  PHOTO EFFECTS

STEP 20: Now add a Color

Lookup adjustment layer
(Layer > New Adjustment
Layer >Color Lookup). In
the Properties panel, set
the 3DLut File drop-down
to Crisp_Warm.look. Then
change the layer blend
mode to Color, and set the
Opacity to 67%.
Finally, in the Layers
panel, click on the mask
thumbnail of the Color
Lookup adjustment layer.
Grab the Brush tool, and set
the size to 100 px, Hardness
to 80%, and Flow and Opac-
ity to 100%. Make sure the
Foreground color is black
by pressing the D key. Then
paint over the sky to remove
the color grading, leaving
it blue.

As the very last step, go to

File>Save, and we’re done!
You should end up with a
final image that looks like
this. Collaborating with
another photographer can be
fun in many different ways,
and we hope you enjoyed
this tutorial. n

KELBYONE .COM

 129 
 DAVE CLAYTON
DESIGNING IN PHOTOSHOP

MAKE STYLISH ARTWORK FROM ANY IMAGE

As photographers, whether professional or hobbyists, we take thousands upon thousands of photos
on our “big” cameras, phones, and point-and-shoots. We probably only do anything useful with about
10% of our images; the rest just sit in digital storage. So, in this article, we’re going to take some ordinary
photos and try to make some interesting art using text, poster styles, and color. We can take any photo
and turn it into a fun image that can be framed or used for a postcard, greeting card, or anything else
you can think of. It’s all about being resourceful and creative, and bringing back some life into those old
images. We’ll take few simple photos and turn them into a couple different, fun projects.
©Adobe Stock

POSTER WITH ONE IMAGE AND TEXT
In this first tutorial, we’re going to take a basic object
and make a simple, stylish poster. Now you might think,
“Why would I make a poster of that?” Well, it’s more
about what you can do with your own images. Maybe
you have an object that means a lot to you and, rather
than just frame a photo, you can make it more interesting
to encourage people to ask about it. And because we’re
in the photographic community, let’s use an old camera.
STEP ONE: Create a new document (File>New) that’s 8x11"
for now; you could go bigger at 18x24" for a full poster
size, but for now it’s about layout. Set the resolution to
300 ppi for print and click Create.
STEP TWO: If you have a camera image of your own that
you’d like to use, go to File>Place Embedded, navigate to
the camera image, and click Place. If you’d like to follow
along with this image from Adobe Stock, click this link,

 130 
  DESIGNING IN PHOTOSHOP

log in with your Adobe ID,

©Adobe Stock/R. Gino Santa Maria

and click the Save to Library

button to download the low-
res, watermarked version. Drag
the image from the Libraries
panel (Window>Libraries) into
the new document.
Resize if needed and place
it in the center of your doc-
ument (see example). Press
Enter to commit the image.
Because the photo has a
background, let’s use Select>
Subject, and then click on
the Add Layer Mask icon
(circle in a square) at the
bottom of the Layer panel
to hide the background.

STEP THREE: Next we’ll set

up some guides. Click Com-
mand-R (PC: Ctrl-R) to activate
the rulers. Drag in guides from
the left ruler to 0.5", 1", 7", and
7.5". Now drag out guides from
the top ruler to 0.5", 1", 2", 2.5",
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10", and 10.5". If you were to

frame this, the outer guides
give you the space for where
the frame would go.

 131 
  HOW TO

STEP FOUR: Click on the Foreground color swatch near

the bottom of the Toolbar to open the Color Picker, set
the color to a mid-century brown/orange (#ba782f ), and
click OK. Near the horizontal guide that’s 2" from the
top, use the Type tool (T) to type the words “MY FIRST
CAMERA” or anything you want as a title. We’re using
Eurostile Extd Medium from Adobe Fonts (available with a
Creative Cloud subscription), but feel free to use any font
you like. To activate an Adobe Font, go to Type>More from
Adobe Fonts and, when the Adobe Fonts website opens,
search for the font you want to use. Click its Activate
Font switch to sync it with your Adobe apps, and then
return to Photoshop.
A font size of 28 pt worked great for this. Select all
the letters with the Type tool and, in the Properties panel
(Window>Properties), make sure the tracking (the V/A
field) is set to 0. Switch to the Move tool (V) and position
the text on the 2" horizontal guide and the 1" vertical guide.
Grab the Line tool (nested with the Rectangle tool [U]
in the Toolbar) and, in the Options Bar, set the mode to
Shape, Stroke to No Color, and Weight to 3 px. Holding
the Shift key, draw a line just below the text from the 1"
guide to the 7" guide.

STEP FIVE: Switch to the Custom Shape tool (nested

below the Rectangle tool [U] in the Toolbar) and go to
Window>Shapes to open the Shapes panel. Look for the
Legacy Shapes and More folder. If you don’t see it, click
on the flyout menu at the top right of the Shapes panel,
and select Legacy Shapes and More to load that set.
Click on the shape preview thumbnail in the Options
Bar to open the Custom Shapes Picker. Expand the Legacy
Shapes and More folder. Now expand the All Legacy
Default Shapes, and look for the Film folder. Inside the
Film folder, select the first shape (35mm Film 1). Hold the
Shift key to maintain proportions and draw out a single
frame of film to use like a bullet point as shown here. Use
the Move tool to position it at the 2.5" horizontal guide
and the 1" vertical guide. To the right of it, add the words
“Box Brownie” in Eurostile Medium at 10 pt, and use the
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

Move tool to position the type.

With this type layer active, Shift-click the 35mm Film
1 shape layer in the layers panel so they’re both active.
Press Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J) to copy both layers. Hold
the Shift key and use the Move tool to drag the copies
to the right. Double-click the thumbnail of the duplicated
text layer to activate the Type tool and select the text at
the same time. Type the word “Kodak.” Repeat this again
to create another set of copies, but this time change the
type to “1900-1986.”

 132 
 DESIGNING IN PHOTOSHOP

STEP SIX: Now we’ll add a photog-

raphy quote below the image, so
drag another horizontal guide to
the 9" mark. We’ll add the quote
in-between the 9" and 10" guides
using Eurostile Extd Medium at
18 pt. Type the quote: “If it excites
me, there is a good chance it will
make a good photograph.” Ansel
Adams. Select “Ansel Adams” with
the Type tool and change the letters
to Eurostile Black Italic.

Now it might not look like much,

but we’ve all heard the expression
“less is more.” You can swap out the
image, title, the three things about
it, and the quote or description and
save it as a PSD. Using this simple
method, you can now make your
own set of stylish prints quickly
and easily for your home or office.

KELBYONE .COM

 133 
  HOW TO

TORN PAPER

©Adobe Stock/nndanko
A great way of using multiple images
to make a print is using a simple torn
paper effect, which is easy enough to do
yourself or you can download an image
of torn paper from a stock site such
as the one we’re using in this example
from Adobe Stock. You’ll also need three
images for this technique.

STEP ONE: Create a new image; we’ll go

with 8x11" at 300 ppi again.

STEP TWO: Now open your torn paper

file. This image is available in the Free
section of Adobe Stock, so if you’d like
to download it to follow along, click this
link, log in with your Adobe ID, and click
the License for Free button. This will
download the image to your computer
as well as add it to your Libraries panel
(Window>Libraries). Double-click it in the
Libraries panel to open it in Photoshop.
Grab the Object Selection tool, and
click on a strip to select it (it may
take a few seconds). Press Command-J
(PC: Ctrl-J) to copy the selected strip
to a new layer. Repeat for the other
strips, but remember to click back on
the Background layer before pressing
Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J) to copy it. You
can then hide the Background layer in
the Layers panel by clicking its Eye icon
to see the extracted strips.

STEP THREE: With the top strip selected

in the Layers panel, Shift-click the
bottommost extracted strip to select
them all. Then use the Move tool (V)
to click-and-drag the extracted layers
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

into your 8x11" file. All four layers should

still be selected in the new document,
so use the Move tool to drag them so
the bottom strip is along the bottom
edge and the top strip is along the
top edge. By having them on separate
layers, you can move them around
separately, as needed. Double-click
the name of each paper layer and
rename it “Paper Strip.”

 134 
  DESIGNING IN PHOTOSHOP

STEP FOUR: Next we want to create

three frames in which to drop our
images. First, grab the Rectangle
tool (U), make sure its mode is set
to Shape in the Options Bar, and
click on the Background layer in the
Layers panel to make it active. Now
draw three rectangles that completely
fill in the spaces between the paper
strips (the color doesn’t matter at this
point). While drawing the rectangles,
you can press-and-hold the Spacebar
to reposition them. You should now
have three Rectangle layers below
the paper strip layers.

STEP FIVE: In the Layers panel, click

the Eye icon next to each of the four
Paper Strip layers in the Layers panel
to hide them, and then Right-click
each Rectangle shape layer and
select Convert to Frame. (Personally,
I prefer using frames versus using
clipping masks.)

STEP SIX: Next, download each

Adobe Stock: Dice/jroballo; Cards/vetkit; Chips/Proxima Studio

of the following free images from

Adobe Stock as described in Step
Two above:
• Dice
• Cards
• Chips
Locate the downloaded photos
in your Libraries panel, and drag
each image directly into one of the
three frames in the Layers panel.
Now you can turn the Paper Strip
layers back on.
Next, click on the image thumb-
nail in one of the frame layers in the
Layers panel (make sure you click
the image thumbnail to the right and
not the frame thumbnail on the left).
Press Command-T (PC: Ctrl-T) for
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Free Transform to move and resize

the images, as needed. Press Enter
to commit the transformation. Repeat
for the other two frame layers.

 135 
  HOW TO

STEP SEVEN: Once you’ve done

this, we can add some text
to the paper strips. Over the
second strip, you’ve guessed
it, type “Viva” in the font Free-
house Wide from Adobe Fonts
at 76 pt (see Step Four in the
“Poster with One Image and
Text” technique above for acti-
vating Adobe Fonts). Choose
a red color for this. Use the
Move tool to position it in place.
Then click the ƒx icon at
the bottom of the Layers panel
and select the Satin layer style.
Click OK to apply the defaults.
You can always play around
with gradients and effects after-
ward, or even download some
Vegas type from a stock site.
Repeat this step but this
time type “LAS VEGAS” over
the next strip down and apply
the same layer style. Reduce
the point size to 60 so it fits,
and use the Move tool to
position it. Adobe Stock/MMphotos

STEP EIGHT: Finally, we’re going

to add a playing card texture
on top of the entire design to
add a subtle old-school feel.
This is another free image from
Adobe Stock that you can find
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

and download here. Drag the

texture from the Libraries panel
into your working file, but drop
it on the text or one of the
paper strips. If you drop it on
top of one of the frames, it will
replace the image inside that
frame. Resize it so the texture
fills the document and press
Enter to commit the image.

 136 
  DESIGNING IN PHOTOSHOP

STEP NINE: Set the layer

blending mode to Hue
(trust me on this; but by
all means play around with
other blend modes for your
preferred effect), as it gives
the whole image an old-style,
mid-century tan color. I’ve
also included a version set
to the Exclusion blending
mode for a real funky effect.

And there you have it, a

couple creative ways to make
your prints more stylish for
framing in your home. And
as always, experimentation
is the key! If you see a poster
Hue blending mode
style while you’re out and
about, take a photo of it and
try to re-create it at home for
your personal use. n

Exclusion blending mode

KELBYONE .COM

 137 
 VICTORIA PAVLOV
PHOTOSHOP Q&A
Q. W hat is the best method of choosing a
color in Photoshop?
A. T his is a great question, because colors play a very
important part in Photoshop. The easiest and
most common way of choosing a color is to use the
Eyedropper tool. You can select the Eyedropper tool
from the Toolbar or by pressing I on your keyboard.
Next, specify the eyedropper’s sample area by choos-
ing it from the Sample Size drop-down menu in the
Options Bar. If you have more than one layer, you have
the option of picking a color from multiple layers at
the same time by selecting All Layers in the Sample
drop-down menu in the Options Bar. If you specify
Current Layer, the Eyedropper tool will only sample
color from the current/selected layer.
Now point and click the Eyedropper tool on any
color you want to sample and the Foreground color
swatch near the bottom of the Toolbar will fill with
the sampled color. If you want the sampled color to
be applied to the Background color swatch, Option-
click (PC: Alt-click) instead.
ALL IMAGES BY VICTORIA PAVLOV
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022
Another helpful method of selecting color is
the Color Picker. Click on either the Foreground
or Background color swatch in the Toolbar, and
Photoshop will open the Color Picker. Specify any
color you’d like to use. Select the hue you want by
using the thin color bar in the middle of the dialog,
and then clicking in the larger color field to the left
to select the saturation for that hue.
 138 
Tip: If you want to pick a color outside the current
image, select the Eyedropper tool, click anywhere
inside the active document and, without releasing the
mouse button, move the Eyedropper tool anywhere
outside Photoshop to the color you want to sample,
and then release the mouse button.
Q. I love using keyboard shortcuts in
Photoshop. Is it possible to create
and save my own?
A. You definitely can. I use a combination of the default
shortcuts and my own keyboard shortcuts all the
time. Go to Edit>Keyboard Shortcuts. From the
Shortcuts For drop-down menu, specify for which
area of Photoshop you want to create or modify
keyboard shortcuts. In this example, we’ll choose
Application Menus.
In the section below, expand the menu where
the command lives for which you want to modify or
create a new keyboard shortcut. Click on the command,
and then in the box that appears to the right of it,
type the shortcut you wish to use. Photoshop will
let you know if that shortcut is already being used
by another command. At this point, you can either
click Accept to override that shortcut, or try another
keyboard shortcut.
When you’re finished creating all your custom
keyboard shortcuts, click the middle icon below the
Set drop-down menu at the top right of the dialog.
This allows you to create a new set based on your
changes. Name your set and click OK. It will now
appear in the Set drop-down menu. Click OK in the
Keyboard Shortcuts and Menus dialog, and you now
have your own custom set of keyboard shortcuts.
Q. I ’m a photographer and very often I need
to make the subject the main focus of the
image without manipulating the pixels
of the subject. Will you please share your
favorite way of editing the background
so it doesn’t subtract from the subject?
A. My favorite way of making my main subject the
focus of the image is in the Camera Raw Filter. I’ve
lost count of how many times I’ve said, “Thank you,
Camera Raw!”
First, you’ll need to convert the layer to a smart
object by going to Filter>Convert for Smart Filters.
Then go to Filter>Camera Raw Filter. Click on the

Before
After
Masking tool (the third tool from the top in the toolbar;
it looks like a gray circle with a dotted outline).
In the Create New Mask workspace, click on Select
Subject. Camera Raw will automatically select the
main subject. We want to focus the attention on the
subject by adjusting the background, so hover your
cursor over the mask in the Masks panel, click on the
three-dot icon that appears, and select Invert Mask.
Now that the background is masked, we can
adjust it. In this example, I brought down Exposure,
Contrast, and Highlights, which helped me to bring
the main subject into focus without any extra work
or manipulating pixels in the subject, plus it’s non-
destructive because we applied it as a smart filter.
Tip: You can add or subtract from a mask while
you’re working in Camera Raw. Just click either the
Add or Subtract button in the Masks panel, and then
select the tool with which you want to modify the mask.
Q. I love incorporating dreamy, watercolor
brushstrokes into my photo compositing,
but I’ve never created a watercolor brush
in Photoshop before. How can I convert
my brush into a watercolor brush?
A. I love creating watercolor brushes in Photoshop,
and you can convert any brush into a watercolor
 PHOTOSHOP Q&A
brush in just a few easy steps. Select the Brush
tool, and then select the brush tip in the Brushes
panel (Window>Brushes) that you want to convert
to a watercolor.
Open the Brush Settings panel (Window>Brush
Settings) and check the Wet Edges Box on the left.
Adjust the Hardness slider in the Brush Tip Shape
section (which you can find at the top of the list on the
left of the Brush Settings panel); a smaller Hardness
value will add a “bleeding” effect to the brush.
Now click on Transfer in the list on the left to
activate its settings. In this section, modify the brush
the way you like. Keep in mind that the Opacity Jitter
and Flow Jitter sliders affect the “bleeding” edges
of the brush.
Q. I work with text all the time, so I
download a lot of fonts. Some of them
I use quite often, but it takes a lot of
time to find my favorite ones because
I have so many installed. How can I be
more organized with my fonts to help
me remember the ones I use the most?
A. I love organizing Photoshop, including fonts, in the
best way that works for me. And, like you, I’ve
installed many fonts. To have quick access to the
ones you use the most, grab the Type tool (T). Up
in the Options Bar, click on the font drop-down
menu, and you’ll see a star to the left of each font
in the list. Click on a star next to a font that you
like to add it to the Favorite Fonts list.
If you’re currently using a font that you like, but
it isn’t yet part of your Favorites list, click on the
font drop-down menu, and you’ll see the font at
the top of the list so you don’t have to go searching
for it to click its star. Now you can access your
favorite font(s) from the same font drop-down
menu by clicking on the Show Favorite Fonts icon
(the star) at the very top of the list. You can do
this in the Properties (Window>Properties) and
Character (Window>Character) panels as well. n
KELBYONE .COM
If you have a Photoshop question that you’d like Victoria Pavlov
to answer in the pages of Photoshop User magazine, send it
to letters@photoshopuser.com.
 139 
 REVIEWS GET THE SCOOP ON THE LATEST GEAR

Canon RF24mm F1.8 Macro IS STM

 Fast Wide-Angle Lens with Macro Capabilities  |  Fernando Santos

If you’re like me, you enjoy fast lenses; but the problem is that they’re usually large,

heavy, and expensive. The good news is that this new Canon RF24mm F1.8 Macro

IS STM lens is none of those. Let me tell you some of its specifications.

Weighing just 0.6 lb./270g, with a 52mm filter size, the lens has a diameter Company: Canon

of 2.9”/74.4mm, and is 2.5”/63.1mm long. That’s small and light enough for you
Price: $599.99
to keep it in your camera bag all the time. Unlike some non-L series Canon
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

RF lenses, this one does include a control ring separate from the focus ring, Hot: Small size; lightweight;
macro capability
which many people will appreciate. It also provides optical image stabilization

up to 5.5 stops of shake correction, or up to 6.5 stops if used with a compatible

Not: Optional lens hood
camera body with IBIS. The lens also has macro capabilities: You can focus

as close as just 5.5” (14 cm) for a magnification of 0.5x. The 9-blade aperture

provides a nice circular out-of-focus background that will be appreciated for

environmental portraits.

 14 0 
  REVIEWS

The f/1.8 maximum aperture and the 24mm wide angle

make this a great travel lens that you’ll want to use inside

churches and museums that are poorly lit, where a tripod

“If you’re like me, you enjoy isn’t an option, and you need all the light you can get. Those

fast lenses; but the problem is who do night photography, particularly the Milky Way, may

that they’re usually large, heavy, also enjoy the wide aperture; however, keep in mind that

and expensive. The good news is the lens doesn’t have a special dust/weather-resistant

that this new Canon RF24mm construction.

F1.8 Macro IS STM lens Lens quality is on par with what we’re used to expecting

is none of those.” from Canon RF lenses. Same goes for the EW-65B lens
KELBYONE .COM

hood and the LP1016 lens pouch, neither of which are

included (as you might expect). Overall, the Canon RF24mm

F1.8 Macro IS STM is a fine lens to have in your kit. n

 141 
  REVIEWS

PRIME DeepPRIME DeepPRIME XD

After applying DeepPRIME XD

DxO PhotoLab 6 ELITE Edition

 Major Upgrade with New Color Space & Better Library Management  |  Review by Erik Vlietinck

DxO’s flagship image editor is 22 years old. It used to be called Optics Pro but its
current name, PhotoLab, more accurately describes what you can do with it, and the
new version just expanded on what that entails. PhotoLab 6 is a major upgrade with
the Optics Modules and now includes support for nine new lenses.
PhotoLab 6 ELITE’s denoising technology has come a long way: PRIME was a Company: DxO Labs
jaw-dropping experience, DeepPRIME was even better, but for the new DeepPRIME
XD (eXtreme Details) you’ll have to enlarge the image to see the difference.
Price: $219 (ELITE);
High Quality, PRIME, and DeepPRIME are all still available if you want to denoise $139 (ESSENTIAL)
faster, because DeepPRIME XD is slower; but it does offer unparalleled detail.
I expected DeepPRIME XD to be very slow, but with my mid-2017 iMac, it took exactly
Hot: DeepPRIME XD offers incredible
30 seconds to get an incredible result. In the test photo shown above, you can see
detail and is fast; app starts up
the final DeepPRIME XD, and the zoomed-in callout shows a closeup comparing the faster than previous version;
differences between PRIME, DeepPRIME, and DeepPRIME XD. huge color space
Besides DeepPRIME XD, PhotoLab 6 also comes with re-engineered color pro-
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

cessing algorithms and a new working color space, complemented by a Soft Proofing
Not: Metadata exchange with
mode. The proprietary color space, “Wide Gamut,” is close to the Rec. 2020 space Photo Mechanic isn’t flawless
and makes no use of artificial colors like Kodak’s ProFoto. PhotoLab’s new ReTouch
tools allow you to mirror, rotate, scale, and brush its source and destination, but it’s
still not as easy as it could be.
Finally, PhotoLab version 6 has not only more EXIF and IPTC fields to use but also
exchanges its metadata with Photo Mechanic; although this didn’t work flawlessly
on my system yet. Note: There’s also an ESSENTIAL Edition available that doesn’t
include PRIME, DeepPIME, DeepPRIME XD; Soft Proofing mode; the ReTouching
tools; plus much more. n

 142 
  REVIEWS

©Jean-Charles Rivas

Before After

DxO ViewPoint 4
 Straighten Your Photos by Warping Them  |  Review by Erik Vlietinck

DxO ViewPoint 4 has received more than just a polishing round with version 4. The
new version adds important new features and a more efficient interface. It integrates
seamlessly with PhotoLab, and as a plug-in to Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements,
and Lightroom Classic. Its standalone app was the one I tested.
One new feature turns this upgrade into a must-have, but first the lesser goods. Company: DxO
There’s a new mirroring tool that lets you flip images around their horizontal or vertical
axis, and there are guides. A navigation sidebar also allows you to go quickly to an
Price: $99
image that you were working on before.
The feature that really makes this an upgrade instead of an update, however, is
the new Reshape tool. For instance, you can realign crooked architecture with the Hot: Reshape tool is very efficient;
new toolbar is more intuitive
ReShape tool, which has a customizable grid and extensive control points that allow
to use
for precise manipulation. Complex distortions can be corrected, because you can
adjust the grid from only a few control points to a great many and, while the press
demo used a photo of a lighthouse that was oddly distorted, I instantly thought of a Not:
totally different scenario.
I’ve been scanning specific pages of books into my notes app. I use my iPad from
the Import menu on my iMac, and then use TextSniper to scan the pages into my
Bear notes app. Most of these books are hard copies, but TextSniper has difficulty
extracting paragraphs in the “wave” caused when the open book doesn’t lie perfectly
flat (and I’d hate to break the book’s spine).
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That problem has now been solved with the Reshape tool in ViewPoint 4. I can
scan a page, open it in ViewPoint 4, and flatten the entire page perfectly in less time
than it costs me to recompose the paragraphs after TextSniper has extracted them.
Photographers who shoot rare books will love this new tool. n

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  REVIEWS

ShiftCam ProGrip
 DSLR-Inspired Mobile Battery Grip for Smartphones | Review by Dave Williams

This KickStarter sensation has realized that mobile photography is the future and
has filled the gaps of ergonomics and functionality with the ShiftCam ProGrip,
making our lives easier and giving us one less worry when we’re shooting with
our smartphones.
A camera shutter is the first step in putting the pieces together and the ShiftCam Company: ShiftCam
ProGrip has achieved this perfectly. The Bluetooth connection replicates what
happens when you hit your camera shutter button, and this connection is locked into
Price: $149.99 (Starter Kit)
the phone so that each time you turn it on, you’re ready to go. Rather than having a
wired connection, this Bluetooth connection makes things simpler for photographers
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

because all you need to do is lock the phone into the retractable clamp and press Hot: A perfectly harmonious phone
grip for mobile creators
one button to turn on everything for a setup that requires minimal effort.
The shutter button is right where you’d expect it to be: ready for the right
forefinger. It’s housed in a grip that’s ergonomically designed for comfort and Not:
control. It’s easy to say something is “ergonomic,” without quantifying the term,
so here’s what I like about it: There’s a distinct notch under the shutter button to
separate it from the other fingers, which is curved to account for the shape of the
hand. On the rear of the grip, there’s a groove for the thumb. The thickness, texture,
softness, and shape of the whole hand grip gives you a secure and comfortable
hold on your phone.

 14 4 

“The ProGrip is functional as a
standalone piece, but it’s part of the
ShiftCam ecosystem of phone
cases and lenses. I can’t find fault
with the ShiftCam ProGrip and
therefore give it a 5-star review.”
 REVIEWS
The ProGrip phone clamp uses a very strong spring
mechanism to hold the phone in place, and this part of
the unit spins 90° with predetermined positions to lock
into along the way. This means that you can easily be in
landscape or portrait orientation. Behind this clamp is a
Qi wireless charger, taking its power from the 6400mAh
battery, which is housed within the grip handle. This is
charged by USB-C and turned on with one of two buttons;
the other one is the Bluetooth button.
Considerations you may have for mobile photography
include the ability to use other accessories or a tripod. This
is covered with the 1/4" tripod thread on the bottom of the
grip handle, and the cold shoe mount on top. The cold shoe
is a separate piece supplied with the ProGrip Starter Kit,
which also includes a USB-C cable, hand strap, and pouch.
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The ProGrip is functional as a standalone piece, but it’s
part of the ShiftCam ecosystem of phone cases and lenses.
I can’t find fault with the ShiftCam ProGrip and therefore
give it a 5-star review. n
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  REVIEWS

Topaz Photo AI
 Maximize Your Image Quality, on Autopilot  |  Review by Dave Williams

Topaz Labs has offered several AI programs to help with postprocessing, and now
they’re offering the equivalent of autopilot. Available as a standalone or a plug-in for
Adobe Lightroom Classic or Photoshop, Topaz Photo AI takes the machine learning
they’ve been running all this time, through all of their previous iterations of software,
and cashes in on all that AI tech to give us incredible power to rescue our images. Company: Topaz Labs
This includes sharpening, removing noise, and increasing their resolution.
Topaz Labs has run millions of images through their machines to train the model
Price: $199
and set the expectations that photographers have on what should be correct in an
image. There’s a lot out there from various companies on sharpening and noise
reduction, and Topaz is getting both of these elements right. Hot: Takes the best machine
learning from other apps and
In Topaz Photo AI, you’ll find a panel named “Remove Noise” that features Normal
combines it, with autopilot
and Strong options, along with a Strength Slider. There’s also a Sharpen panel that
includes Lens Blur and Motion Blur, along with a Strength Slider and an option to
affect the subject only. In my testing, though, the subject wasn’t always correctly Not: Selections aren’t
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

possible manually
selected, and there appears to be no way to correct it manually, aside from changing
the Sensitivity and Softness of the selection that the AI had already made. In addition,
you’ll find panels for Recover Faces, Enhance Resolution, and Upscale, which give
you control over facial adjustments and image scaling. All of these features activate
initially according to the AI-driven autopilot, and then the user follows up afterward
to make any manual changes.
With the images I ran through I found no problems with any of the autopilot
corrections, and the sharpened images produced pleasing results without halos or
overly sharp edges. Topaz Labs has been steering the AI retouching world for some
time now, and they continue to do so. n

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  REVIEWS

Hoya SPARKLE 6X Filter

 Give Your Images a Little Sparkle  |  Review by Fernando Santos

The Hoya SPARKLE 6X filter is a circular filter that you attach to the front of your camera
lens. It’s available in sizes from 49–82mm, in two variants: 4X, which gives you a 4-point
star; and 6X, which gives you a 6-point star.
For my tests, I used the 6X version in the 82mm size, because that one fits most
Company: Hoya
of my lenses (for the smaller ones, you use a step-up ring adapter). My filters are
usually the lens size so that I can keep my lens hood attached; however, this filter
isn’t something that I’ll keep on my lens all the time, so getting the largest version Price: $44.90–81.90 (depending
on filter size)
seemed like the best option.
You can create a star effect without this filter by shooting with very small apertures,
but that can degrade image quality, and you may want to have a larger aperture Hot: Controllable direction
of sparkles
and still be able to add some sparkles to your image. That’s when you reach for this
filter. The filter effect is visible on the brightest spots of your image, and you can
Not: A little pricey
rotate the front element as if it were a polarizer, so that you can control the sparkle’s
direction. The filter also gives your images a subtle, diffused look that many people
may find appealing.
As I said, this isn’t a filter you’ll always keep on your lenses, but you may keep it
in your camera bag, because there are many opportunities to use it. For example, it
can be used for travel photography: a day at the beach to put some sparkles on the
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water, sunglasses, or other reflections; at night in the city; or for astrophotography.

You can also use it in a studio for jewelry and many other situations.
Get the Hoya SPARKLE 6X filter if you literally want to add some sparkle to
your images! n

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  REVIEWS

Insta360 X3
 Waterproof Action Camera Captures 360° 5.7K Video & 72MP Photos  |  Review by Dave Williams

There are less than a handful of key players when it comes to 360° camera tech and,
in my opinion, Insta360 is holding the lead. This company’s consumer level gear is
packed with the power of its pro range and their latest addition to the line-up, the
Insta360 X3, has truly stepped things up a notch. The Insta360 consumer range Company: Insta360
has always been good, giving the general population access to 360° camera tech,
and this latest iteration looks to have implemented everything they’ve learned to Price: Starting at $449.99

make things even better for creators, photographers, and videographers.

Key changes from the One X2 include a larger 2.29" touchscreen, which Hot: Excellent 360° photo and
video capabilities; large,
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

really changes the game. The One X2 had a compact, circular display; but the bright touchscreen display
display on the X3 is much larger and more representative of the image you’ll end
up with from this 5.7k 360° camera, featuring two 1/2" 48-megapixel sensors. Not: Single-lens isn’t top
of the league
After taking the stitching and overlaps into consideration, you end up with 360°
72-megapixel photos, which is the most you’ll find in any action camera. If you
want to use just one lens for a first-person view, you get 4K with a 170° field of
view and, although this isn’t quite as good as the GoPro in single-lens mode,
it’s very close.

 14 8 

The software that pulls all the hardware together
is incredibly powerful, particularly when you consider
the small package holding it all together. The features
expected from Insta360 at this point in the company’s
journey include: Flowstate Stabilization, Horizon Lock,
Bullet Time, Deep Track, and the removal of the pole
with the Invisible Selfie Stick feature; but this time
there’s more! Taking a leaf out of the Ricoh Theta book,
they’ve added Photo Animator, so you can now animate
a 360° photo by turning around and drawing attention
to specific areas or revealing subjects. There are other
things new to the smartphone and desktop app, too. You
essentially have an AI editor to help with your videos and
storytelling, and there’s a new feature called Me Mode,
which fixes the frame to point straight at whoever is
holding the camera pole.
 REVIEWS
The build quality is awesome and the unit feels really
well made. The glass on the touchscreen is tempered to
make it stronger, and the unit is IPX8 waterproof down
to 33' (10m). The new 1800mAh battery packs more
of a punch, and the Insta360 3X even has four built-in
microphones with an advanced algorithm to give crisp,
directional sound. The sound quality is great; however,
it’s not yet a substitute for an external microphone.
The number I was most interested in is f/1.9, which
means that I can get great shots in low light for my arctic
exploration. Overall I’m very impressed with the Insta360
X3 and the power it packs into a compact package, as well
as the no-holds barred approach to releasing incredible
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360° innovations at a consumer level. n
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  REVIEWS

Declutter Your Photo Life

 Adam Pratt  |  Review by Peter Bauer

The subtitle of this book is “Curating, Preserving, Organizing, and Sharing Your Publisher: Rocky Nook
Photos.” The author is the founder of Chaos to Memories, a company that works

with clients to gather, organize, and preserve collections of images, both physical Pages: 208

and digital. This book represents his corporate workflow. It’s not a reference
Price: $25 (paperback);
book, but rather a training manual. Start at the front and work through to the end: $10.99 (Kindle)

no shortcuts, no skipping around. If you want to organize your world of images

(both still and motion), this is definitely the book for you. (And, in all honesty, for
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022

me. I’ll get started with the process right away. Or soon. Or as soon as possible.

I promise!) I know only a few folks with completely organized image collections

and, in almost every case, it’s because they started with a plan and stuck to it

over the years. Here’s how to catch up.

 150 
  REVIEWS

Practical Photoshop 2022 Level 2

 Donald Laird   |  Review by Peter Bauer

I reviewed the “Level 1” version of this series almost six years ago (when Photoshop Publisher: Independently Published
2015 was still new). I noted then that the book and Kindle version were rather

expensive. That hasn’t changed. This is still a rather expensive book, especially Pages: 327

for an “independently published” item. A photography or Photoshop Kindle book

Price: $59.99 (paperback);
costing fifty bucks is pretty rare. (The 2015 version’s Kindle was a mere $35.) $49.99 (Kindle)

The example images and work files for the tutorials are available for download.

(Hint: Go to the page specified in the book, then click on the Buy link to actually

find the download.) You’ll need those image files to get the most from this book;

the Guided Exercises are the core of the learning process. A typical chapter

has a brief explanation of the subject matter followed by one or more exercises.

The exercises are the key to understanding the main topic of each chapter. n
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 COLIN SMITH
PHOTOSHOP TIPS
Hi, tip lovers! I have grown a fresh batch of Photoshop tips for you this month. They’re delicious and
nutritious for your workflow. I hope you enjoy them and put them to good use. As everyone who copies
Apple’s keynotes says, “I can’t wait to see what you do with them.”
SKY BRUSH
The Sky Replacement tool is an incredibly accurate,
fast, and useful tool to change the sky instantly in a
photo. Choose Edit>Sky Replacement and this AI tool
automatically detects and selects the sky. Choose a sky
from the included library, or upload your own, and it will
be dropped into the photo like magic. The only problem
is that sometimes the edges have halos, or white fringes,
because this is how it blends the sky. The halos look good
on horizons, but bad everywhere else. A lot of people
don’t realize that on the top left of the Sky Replacement
dialog there’s a brush, called the Sky Brush (B). Choose
this brush and drag it around the edges to remove the
halos. If you want to add more of the original image, hold
down Option (PC: Alt) and drag on the edges. You’ll fall
in love with this brush!
NEURAL FILTER REMOVES COLOR CAST
Speaking of AI tools in Photoshop. There’s a whole suite
of AI-powered filters called the Neural Filters. One of the
filters is the Colorize filter, which converts black-and-
white photos into color. Just go to Filter>Neural Filters
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022
ALL IMAGES BY COLIN SMITH / PHOTSHOPCAFE.COM
 152 
and turn on Colorize. Here’s a little-known use for this
filter: You know those images shot under colored lights,
where the subject is the same tint as the color of the light,
such as musicians under stage lights, or people who
got too close to neon lights? Use the Colorize filter on
these images and it works like magic, restoring full color.
MAKE SMALL TEXT EASIER TO READ
Here’s an interesting fact that you probably didn’t know;
but you’ll see it everywhere now that I’m bringing it
to your attention. Look at a sign on a freeway or any
street. You’ll notice the tracking (space between letters)
is really wide. This makes the sign easier to read at
a distance. So, if you’re making really small text, the
words will be easier to read if you increase the tracking.
To increase the tracking, click on the text layer in the
Layers panel to make it active and, in the Properties
Panel (Window>Properties), increase the number that
appears in the tracking field (it’s the one that says VA).
You don’t even need to highlight the text or have the
Type tool active.

BETTER OPTION FOR AUTO SELECT
One of the fastest ways to make selections in Photoshop
is the Select Subject feature. (I wish I’d had that years
ago.) When you choose the Object Selection or Quick
Selection tools (W) in the Toolbar, you’ll see Select
Subject up in the Options Bar. Clicking this button will
make an AI-powered selection around the main subject
of the image.
There’s a setting that will make this selection even
better. Click the down-pointing arrow next to Select
Subject and you’ll see an option called Cloud. When
you choose Cloud, now when you click the Select
Subject button, Photoshop sends the layer to the
Adobe server farm and leverages the super computer
performance to make an even better selection. This
takes longer than the Device setting and you’ll need
an active Internet connection, but it ’s well worth it
for the better results.
GET YOUR GRADIENTS BACK TO
WHERE THEY STARTED
Cast your mind back a couple of years. Do you remember
when you used gradients and the ones you needed
most often were always right there? Foreground to
 PHOTOSHOP TIPS
Background; Black, White; Foreground to Transparent;
etc. When you opened the Gradient Picker in any
tool that used them, those swatches were right on
top. Now you have to dig into folders for them, every
time. Here’s a little trick: Choose the Gradient tool
(G) and click on the down-facing arrow next to the
gradient preview thumbnail in the Options Bar to
open the Gradient Picker. Expand the Basics folder,
and drag the swatches out of the folder to the top of
the picker. Now those gradient presets will appear
at the top just like they used to. Add any other ones
you use frequently.
Bonus Tip: Command-click (PC: Ctrl-click) to select
multiple swatches so you can move them all at once.
PRECISE CURSOR
Have you ever been painting fine details or making
selections and your cursor is in the way, blocking
whatever you’re trying to select, or at least you wish
it was more accurate where you’re working? If you use
the Precise Cursor, you’ll get a pixel-perfect crosshair.
Turning it on in the Preferences isn’t an option, because,
let’s face it, you don’t want that cursor all the time. If
you tap Caps Lock on your keyboard, your brush and
selection tools will turn into the Precise Cursor. Tap
Caps Lock off to revert to the regular cursor.
CHANGE LAYER TO
BACKGROUND LAYER
There are many times when you need to convert the
Background layer to a regular layer, and there are many
ways to do it, including clicking on the padlock on the
Background layer in the Layers panel. But what about
the other way around? It’s not as common, but you will
run into times when you need to convert the bottom layer
into a Background layer. There’s only one way to do this
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and it isn’t as obvious. Choose Layer>New>Background
from Layer. Yeah, you could’ve been hunting for that
one for a while.
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  HOW TO

MAKE REAL SHADOWS

I love layer styles; they can add so much with so little
effort. They’re much faster than having to create these
effects with channels and filters. There are times when
you want to convert these styles to individual layers; a
prime example is when you need a cast shadow. While
a drop shadow makes it look like an object is floating in
front of a flat background, a cast shadow will anchor it
to the scene.
When you cut out a person and drop them into a
different background, you need that cast shadow to make
it believable. Usually, you have to warp the shadow, or
skew it and add a fade to get realism. You can’t do that
PHOTOSHOP USER > NOVEMBER 2022
with a Drop Shadow. You can, however, use that drop
shadow if you turn it into a regular layer.
In the Layers panel, Right-click on the layer style on
your layer (after you’ve made the Drop Shadow) and choose
Create Layers. This will separate out all your layer styles
and put them on regular layers. Now you can manipulate
them as much as you want to create your cast shadow.
Create Layers works for all layer styles, including Strokes
and Bevels, not just Drop Shadows. n

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 Learning Light
Designed by Scott Kelby

Learn lighting in the

palm of your hand.
• Made for educators and students
• Designed to teach photography lighting
• Offers a variety of lighting techniques
• Lightweight handheld design
• LED is cool to the touch
• Optional mount for a tripod or stand
• Standard AA batteries included

EDU Price: $89.90

Quickly switch Center column rotates Includes KelbyOne

between daylight to change lighting video training
and tungsten light options for students and
educators

Experiment with various light techniques and effects

Direct Light Diffused Light Fresnel Gobo

See how different light patterns look on your subject
Designed by Scott Kelby
The Learning Light is the first educational
lighting device that allows you to experiment
with various lighting techniques without the
need for complex or expensive equipment.

Scott is a photographer, designer, and award-

winning author of more than 80 books, including
The Flash Book, Light It, Shoot It, Retouch It, and
The Digital Photography Book Series. He’s Editor
of Photoshop User magazine, and CEO of the
KelbyOne Online Educational Community.
Split Rembrandt Butterfly Loop

See it in action and order yours at fjwestcott.com/learning-light-by-scott-kelby