T H E M AG A Z I N E F O R L I G H T R O O M ® & P H O T O S H O P ® U S E R S      JUNE 2023

Under the We explore the latest updates in

Lightroom Classic that have improved
Photoshop The new Remove tool that was just added
to Photoshop in the May 2023 update will
Loupe the Lightroom-to-Photoshop workflow Proving Ground blow your mind with its simplicity and power

Cover Image by Steve Whiston  |  KelbyOne Member

FUN WITH MASKS

From learning the fundamentals
of masking to using them creatively
to add depth and dimension
to your images
JUNE 2023     VOL 26     NO 06

[020] [026] [032]

LIGHTROOM LABORATORY UNDER THE LOUPE RETOUCHING PORTRAITS IN LrC
Pro Editing Secrets with Lightroom New Options in the LrC-to-Photoshop Workflow Correcting White Balance for Skin Tones

[040] [054] [062]

MAXIMUM WORKFLOW VISUAL STORYTELLING LIGHTROOM Q&A
ON1 Sky Swap AI 2023 The Elusiveness of Memory Terry White Answers All of Your Lightroom Questions

[070] [066]
EDITING MASKS FROM FUNDAMENTALS TO POWERFUL RESULTS LIGHTROOM TIPS & TRICKS
MARK HEAPS Learn to Work Faster and Smarter in Lightroom

[ 007 ]  A NOTE FROM SCOTT

[ 009 ]  CONTRIBUTORS

[ 010 ]  BENEFIT SPOTLIGHT

[ 012 ]  KELBYONE COMMUNITY

[ 018 ]  NEW ONLINE TRAINING

[084] [096]
DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
Creative Layer Blending Using Text and Color Effects Create an Effect Inspired By Secret Invasion

[106] [114] [120]

BEGINNERS’ WORKSHOP PHOTOSHOP PROVING GROUND DESIGNING IN PHOTOSHOP
Creating a Day-to-Night Gradient The Power of the Remove Tool The Final Frontier

[128] [132] [146]

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

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KelbyOne
A NOTE FROM SCOTT
THE DAY PHOTOSHOP SHOOK THE WORLD
Did you feel that? That was our Photoshop world,
industry, and creative culture changing forever. That’s
how big, how amazing, how insane, how disconcerting,
and how incredible one of the new AI-powered features
that just came to Photoshop really is.
Although Adobe recently released four solid new
features in their May 2023 update of Photoshop, it’s
the new Beta version’s AI-powered feature called
“Generative Fill” that’s turned our world upside down.
Calling it a “game-changer” is doing a disservice to
the magic it performs. With Generative Fill, simply
type what you want, and Photoshop makes it happen,
pulling from millions of stock images to generate
unique combinations that fix, change, remove, and
edit your images in ways that I knew we’d be able to
do one day, but I thought that day was still five to ten
years down the road.
You can ask it to create a lake with calm waters, and
in 15 seconds it’s there. Not just one lake, but three
unique lakes to choose from. Don’t like any of them?
Ask for three more. Then you can ask it to create a sky.
Do you want it cloudy? Overcast? Sunny? Menacing?
Whatever you choose, in 15 seconds, it’s there, blending
seamlessly with your lake. Add a rowboat? Sure. A dock?
Absolutely. And anything you add has: (a) the right
lighting to match the scene, (b) the right perspective,
(c) the proper shadows, and (d) the right scale.
The bar has been lowered, the playing field leveled,
and now anyone can create composites that only
Photoshop experts could pull off before. The weird
thing is, for a Beta, these results mostly look good;
really good. Sure, sometimes you get weird results
(after all, it’s rendering these things on the fly in the
cloud), but then you hit Generate and here come three
more results. However good you think this might be,
trust me, it’s better.
To get this “Beta” feature, launch the Adobe Creative
Cloud app, click on Beta Apps in the list on the left,
and download Photoshop (Beta). It’s okay, you can use
it without disturbing your regular version of Photo­
shop. It’s pretty stable and also has all the features of
regular Photoshop.
The morning Generative Fill was released, we did
a live webcast for our members so I could show
Generative Fill and stand by as an imaging therapist,
because this opens a huge can of worms. The technology
is incredible, and jaws were dropping, but some folks
wrote comments like, “Do we still need cameras?”
and “Well, it’s game over now,” and “What does this
do to photo competitions and journalism?” So there
was concern; but mostly it was astonishment at what
they were seeing. Even though I’ve been using this
new version extensively, I’m still surprised every time
I use it because it gives such amazing results.
This new technology isn’t doing anything we couldn’t
do before: We could add a rowboat with a reflection, a
better sky with birds, and so on; but it took lots of time,
patience, and Photoshop skill. Things that took hours
now take minutes, sometimes seconds, which gives us
more time to be creative, but it also changes the way
creativity exists in Photoshop. Everybody’s a Photoshop
expert now, so we need to evolve with it.
There’s so much to unpack here: lots to learn about
making selections to get the best results; what works
and what doesn’t (it still has a tough time rendering
faces and hands); and which prompts (words you enter
to get what you want) work best. We’ll help you get there.
I just released a new course here on KelbyOne called
Getting Up to Speed Fast on the New AI-Powered
Photoshop May 2023 Release (I know, sexy name,
right?), where I go in-depth into how this all works,
but this is all still new and evolving, so we’ll have lots
more coming, but for now, make sure you watch that
course as soon as you get a chance.
Heads up: Keep in mind as you read this issue
that the articles were written, submitted, and laid out
well before Generative Fill came out, and you’ll read
some of these techniques and say, “Why wouldn’t you
use the new Generative Fill?” Well, today, you would!
Remember this date because our Photoshop world
has been changed forever. I’m hoping it’s a good thing,
and we’ll find productive ways to make the most of
these new tools. It’s a new day, and we’ll be here to
make sure you’re on top of it all. Let’s embrace and
lean into the change. Let’s go!
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: Steve Whiston

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 Steve Whiston, who has been
taking photos for more than 40 years and remains as passionate
WEB: as ever in pursuing the perfect light, subjects, and moments.
Adam Frick Starting with landscape photography, his interests have expanded
Eric Hathaway over the years to include travel, abstract, and most recently,
street photography. Steve’s work has been featured in magazines,
Yojance Rabelo
calendars, product and facility brochures, and electronic publi-
Aaron Westgate cations such as blogs and travel e-magazines. He is a multiple
award winner in the Epson International Pano Awards photo
PUBLISHING: contest, as well as awards in Smithsonian Magazine and Aviation
Scott Kelby, Publisher Week competitions. To learn more about Steve, turn to page 17.
Kalebra Kelby, Executive V.P.
All contents ©COPYRIGHT 2023 KelbyOne, LLC. All rights reserved.
Jean A. Kendra, Business Manager
Any use of the contents of this publication without the written permission
of the publisher is strictly prohibited. Photoshop User is an independent
ADVERTISING: journal, not affiliated in any way with Adobe Systems, Inc. Adobe, the
Kleber Stephenson, Vice President of Business
Adobe logo, Acrobat, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, and Photoshop
Development & Enterprise: kleber@kelbyone.com
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COLOPHON:
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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.
JUNE 2023     VOL 26     NO 6

COREY BARKER VICTORIA PAVLOV ROB SYLVAN

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.
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.

PETER BAUER IBARIONEX PERELLO SCOTT VALENTINE

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 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 exper-
imentation. 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.

DAVE CLAYTON SERGE RAMELLI ERIK VLIETINCK

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.
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.
A J.D. by education, Erik has been a freelance tech-
nology editor for more than 22 years. He has written
for Macworld, Computer Arts, Post Magazine, Red
Shark News, and many others. Visit his website at
Visuals Producer.

SEÁN DUGGAN FERNANDO SANTOS 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 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 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.

SEAN McCORMACK COLIN SMITH DAVE WILLIAMS

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.
is a well-seasoned, UK-based travel photographer,
educator, and blogger with internationally published
work and a passion for sharing his knowledge of
Adobe software. Dave lives by the mantra, “Lend me
your eyes and I’ll show you what I see.”

KIRK NELSON LESA SNIDER

is a professional graphic designer and photogra-
pher 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.

MANIPULATING AND EDITING MASKS FROM

FUNDAMENTALS TO POWERFUL RESULTS
Mark Heaps
Mark Heaps is the VP of Brand & Creative for the AI Accelerator company Groq
Inc. Previously he was the Executive Creative Director for Heaps LLC, where he
worked with brands such as Apple, Adobe, Dell, E&J Gallo, Capital One, Intuit,
VMWare, Coca-Cola, and Google. He has been a professional photographer,
producer, director, designer, graphic artist, and illustrator. He’s been a featured
speaker at Adobe MAX, CreativePro Week, SXSW, Photoshop World, Adobe
MakeIt, and more. His passion is supporting people on their path to creativity,
finding joy in production, and spending time with his kids in Austin, Texas.
 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
The Evolution of Photoshop:
The AI Generation
On May 23, 2023, about a week before we published this
issue, Adobe released updates to both the public Beta and
regular versions of Photoshop. The public Beta introduced a
new mind-blowing feature that will excite you and scare you
at the same time. It’s called Generative Fill and it’s based
on Adobe’s Firefly app, which is its AI image-generating
app that has been in an invitation-only beta for some time
now. With Generative Fill, if you can think it, Photoshop
can create it. You have to see it to believe it, so be sure
to check out the replay of Scott Kelby’s live broadcast
showcasing this new feature the morning of its release.
On the same day, Adobe introduced four main new
features in the regular version of Photoshop: the Remove
tool, Contextual Task Bar, live gradients, and adjustment
presets. Some of these features were in the previous public
Beta; in fact, the Remove tool made its appearance in the
Beta only about a month ago. We cover the Remove tool
in “Photoshop Proving Ground” this issue, so be sure to
update to the latest version of Photoshop to experiment
with the Remove tool while reading about it here in
the magazine. And keep an eye on upcoming issues of
Photoshop User to learn more about all the other latest
features in Photoshop. In the meantime, we’ve already
released a course on KelbyOne called Getting Up to Speed
Fast on the AI-Powered Photoshop May 2023 Release
where Scott Kelby covers all the new features, including
Generative Fill in the Beta version.
Winner Member Challenge 54 |
Up Close in Nature
Are you ready to see the winner of the Up Close in Nature
Member Challenge? Once again, the quality of submissions
was outstanding, making it a tough job for our judges to
choose just one winner. After much deliberation, however,
we were thrilled to present the results on the KelbyOne
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023
Kevin Rose
 12 
CHRIS MAIN  |   ASHLEY FOSSE  |   DAVE CL AY TON
Insider blog, and now here in the magazine! If you haven’t
seen what your fellow KelbyOne members have been
working on, head over to the gallery page to see all of
the entries for this challenge by clicking here.
While you’re at the gallery, congratulate our winner,
Kevin Rose, on his fantastic prize-worthy photograph.
Kevin’s ability to capture the intricate details and unique
perspective of this slithery subject is truly remarkable.
Alongside our winner, we had a runner-up as well as
some incredible honorable mentions that absolutely deserve
recognition. Congratulations to our runner-up, Steven Shaya,
and the photographers behind the honorable mentions:
Kandice Drizake, Suzanne Robinson, Schuyler Grace, and
Stephen Weiss! You can head to the Insider to check
out all their images. Thank you to all of our hard-working
members who took the time to enter!
Be sure to look back at all our past Member Chal-
lenges for more examples of community awesomeness,
and read on to learn about our next Member Challenge.
Member Challenge 55 | On the Road
This challenge is all about capturing the essence of life
on the road. Whether it’s a solo adventure or a family
road trip, we want to see your best photographs that
tell a story of life on the move. From the winding roads
of the countryside to the bustling city streets, there are
endless possibilities for capturing the spirit of travel. Show
us the unique sights, sounds, and experiences that you
encounter while on the road.
So hit the road, and start snapping some unforgettable
shots. Make sure you get your entry in before the deadline.
We can’t wait to see your take on life on the road.
Here’s a rundown of how the Member Challenge works:
• Entrant must be a KelbyOne Pro member
to submit their work to the contest.
• Work must be original to the entrant.
• Only one image can be submitted per entrant.
• Work must be created within the challenge
dates (May 5, 2023—July 23, 2023).
• Images must be submitted by July 23, 2023,
at 11:59 p.m. ET.
• Entry must be submitted to the Member
Challenge Gallery.
• T he winner of this Member Challenge will be announced
on the Insider by August 3, 2023, and will receive some
cool prizes, plus major bragging rights!
To learn more about those prizes, visit the Insider and
then get out there and create and submit an amazing
image for your chance to win. n
  KELBYONE COMMUNITY

 Artist Spotlight     Scott Engel / member since 2022 / engelimages.photo

 KELBYONE COMMUNITY

 Artist Spotlight     Haressh Vibhakkar / member since 2021 / haressh-vibhakkar.myportfolio.com/work

  KELBYONE COMMUNITY

 Artist Spotlight     Walt Thirion / member since 2016 / waltthirion.com

 KELBYONE COMMUNITY

 Who’s Who in the KelbyOne Community     Steve Whiston / member since 2007 / fallenlog.com


WHO’S WHO IN THE KELBYONE COMMUNITY
STEVE WHISTON
Steve Whiston has been taking photos for more than 40 years. Starting with landscape photography, his
interests have expanded to include travel, abstract and, most recently, street photography. Steve’s work
has been featured in magazines, calendars, product and facility brochures, and electronic publications.
He is a multiple award winner in the Epson International Pano Awards photo contest, as well as awards in
Smithsonian Magazine and Aviation Week competitions. One of his images is on the cover of this issue.
Congratulations on the cover image. Can you
tell us a little bit about this image?
The photo is taken in Chicago’s Millennium Park in front of
a popular piece of art called the Crown Fountain designed
by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. I’d been watching the
patterns and reflection opportunities when the young
girl appeared to play in the water and was quickly
joined by her father. When she reached out and held
his hand, I immediately felt it could become a powerful
shot. I dropped the exposure a little more than one stop
to create a silhouette while still holding details in the
electronic face in the background. I didn’t consider it at
the time but the woman’s face sort of implies a maternal
connection to the young girl.
You have a great eye for composition. Is that
why you’re drawn to landscape, architecture,
and street photography?
I’m self-taught and devour books on composition and
Photoshop to hone my skills. Shooting landscapes,
I concentrated on creating depth by using various
foreground/background combinations, leading lines,
and the occasional application of the rule of thirds. Fast
forward many years and I’m now captivated by street
photography. There’s much less control of the shot, but
there’s great satisfaction when you’re able to capture the
moment and your image instantly tells a story. Ironically,
I spent many years keeping people out of my photos
and now I’m seeking them out!
You’ve lived in the beautiful Pacific Northwest
for more than 30 years. What places would you
recommend to photograph?
My favorite places are Mount Rainier during wildflower
season (early August), the abstract and wave-like patterns
of the wheat fields of the Palouse in late June, and the
entire Olympic Peninsula all year around. Olympic National
Park offers spectacular beaches with sea stacks, rain
forests, and the snow-capped mountains accessible or
viewed via Hurricane Ridge, which is easily reached by
car. For street photography, I’d recommend the downtown
Seattle area, particularly Seattle Center (just look for
the Space Needle), the Seattle Waterfront, and Pioneer
Square. Unique city views can also be taken from the
ferries in Puget Sound.
 KELBYONE COMMUNITY
You have some great abstract images. Can you
tell us a little about your abstract work and how
it’s added to your own skills?
For abstract, I try to clear my head from any precon-
ceived elements and concentrate on patterns and
textures. Some of my favorite abstract images are
from boatyards where the fiberglass hulls are being
sanded, and splashes of colorful paint appear in random
patterns. You get strange looks setting up your tripod
and pointing it at a boat hull from just a few feet away,
but you also get to meet interesting people. Taking
abstract images has helped me immensely with my
street photography in that it “releases me” from the
more rigid landscape photography workflow.
What was your first camera and what camera
and lenses do you use now?
My first serious camera was a Canon AE-1 film SLR
body with a 50mm lens. In the last two years I’ve
switched to mirrorless and continue to be a Canon
loyalist. I use Canon’s R5 body, which has amazing
technology, particularly in the eye-tracking focus
modes and speed. I have two mirrorless lenses for
now: the 24–105mm f/4 for general walkaround use
and the 15–35mm f/2.8, which I love for landscape
and street photography. I still have an older Canon
500mm f/4 super telephoto that I use (with an adapter)
on the R5 or on my previous workhorse body, a Canon
5D Mark IV.
What is your story behind joining KelbyOne,
and who has inspired your own photography?
I struggled learning to use Photoshop and was
looking for help. I came across NAPP (which is
now KelbyOne) in 2007 and have stayed with them
through the years. I love the courses on composition
as well as Scott Kelby’s travel video guides. Over
the years I’ve looked to many photographers for
inspiration, starting with Ansel Adams who gave the
photography world the concept of pre-visualization.
As a nature and landscape photographer, my favorites
KELBYONE .COM
are Galen Rowell before his tragic accident and Art
Wolfe who I still follow closely. For street photog-
raphy, I absolutely loved the KelbyOne course by
Ibarionex Perello. n
 17 
 Here Are Your Latest Online Courses

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 Every week, we publish at least one new training course.
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Get up to speed on creating photorealistic images using AI! Join Rammy Kazemi as he takes you through all the steps for getting
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can then be applied to any of the other AI-based platforms coming online for generating images based on your imagination.
 SERGE RAMELLI
LIGHTROOM LABORATORY

PRO EDITING SECRETS WITH LIGHTROOM

In this article, I’m bringing you to the beautiful Notre Dame in Paris. This is a photo taken a few years back,
and I found that this particular angle is the best way to capture the beauty of the monument at sunset.
The keys to this image were to wait for the boats to go by, do a long exposure to have a nice smooth
Seine River, wait for the city lights to come on, and then snap the shot while there was still good lighting
in the sky. This is one of my favorite photos, so I wanted to share some tips and tricks on how you can
get a great result with a sunset shot.

I’ll show you my basic workflow as

well as some little details that will
make a world of difference when it
comes to the end result. Here’s the
original image out of the camera.

STEP ONE: For the basic retouch, we

went to the Basic panel and opened
up the Shadows to +100, brought
down the Highlights to –45, set the
black point (Blacks) to –27, and the
white point (Whites) to +1. To finish,
we added some Contrast (+32).
Tip: If you hold the Option (PC:
Alt) key while dragging the High-
lights, Shadows, Whites, or Blacks
sliders, your image will turn almost
Original image
completely (if not completely) black
or white, depending on which slider
you’re using. As you drag the sliders,
when you start to see colors appear,
that means you’re losing information
in those areas (i.e. blowing out
the highlights or blocking up the
shadows). For example, if you’re
dragging the Whites slider while
holding the Option (PC: Alt) key,
the image will turn black. As soon
as you see colors start to appear,
back off on the slider to ensure
that you’re not burning your file in
those areas and ending up with
ALL IMAGES BY SERGE RAMELLI
100% white points, which would
just reveal the paper if you were
to print the photo.

 20 
  L I G H T R O O M L A B O R AT O R Y

STEP TWO: It’s very important to
nail the white balance: if you go too
extreme, the photo will look unnatural
and you’ll lose credibility; if it’s boring,
the image won’t capture anyone’s
attention. Select a white balance in
the WB drop-down menu near the
top of the Basic panel as a starting
point. Here we selected Shade, then
added some Exposure (+0.10) and
played with the Temp (+41) to make
it a little warmer.
You can use one of the profiles in
the Camera Matching set to really get
the best out of your file, no matter
what camera you use. Just click the
icon with the four squares at the top
right of the Basic panel to open the
Profile Browser, expand the Camera
Matching set, and select a profile.
Here we selected Landscape from the
profiles that appeared in our Camera
Matching set, and clicked Close to
close the Profile Browser.

STEP THREE: The overall white balance looks

good, but we can refine the colors even more
to really tweak the look. For that, we went
to the HSL panel, and used the Targeted
Adjustment tool (TAT) to re-create that sunset
look on the sky. The TAT is the small circle
near the top left of the HSL panel. Click on it
to make it active, click-and-hold on the color
in the image that you wish to adjust, and drag
it up or down depending on the look you
want. Here, we started with the Hue tab, and
dragged the TAT down on the brighter areas
of the clouds to add some Red (–22) and
Orange (–3), making the sky more dramatic.
Make sure you don’t go over 40 or below –40
or it will add weird tints and destroy the look
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of your file. We also wanted to darken the sky

a little with the Luminance tab, but this time
we set the sliders manually by dragging the
Blue to –38 and Purple to –16.

 21 
  HOW TO
STEP FOUR: A key technique for
en­h ancing your photos is dodge
and burn, which makes the overall
lighting more complex and interest­-
ing because it adds contrast to your
photo. You can use several tools for
this. Here, we closed up (darkened)
the top and bottom of the photo. We
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023
STEP FIVE: You can see how the gra-
dient is also darkening Notre Dame,
which we don’t want. To avoid that,
you need to know this trick: Hover your
 22 
started by clicking on the Masking
icon (gray circle with dotted outline
below the Histogram) and selecting
Linear Gradient. We drew the first
gradient starting near the top of the
image and dragging down toward
the horizon, and then lowered the
Exposure to –0.63. Next, we clicked
cursor over the top Linear Gradient
mask (Mask 1 here) in the Masks panel
until you see a three-dot icon appear.
Click on those three dots, and select
Add New Mask in the Masks panel
and selected Linear Gradient again.
This time, we started the gradient
near the bottom and dragged upward
toward the horizon and lowered the
Exposure to –0.82. This will help focus
the viewer ’s attention on the main
subject in our image: Notre Dame.
Intersect Mask with>Select Sky. Now
the linear gradient will only affect the
sky and not your subject.
  L I G H T R O O M L A B O R AT O R Y

STEP SIX: To complete the dodge

and burn, you can click Create New
Mask again and choose Brush. Boost
the Exposure (+1.59 here) and set
“This is one of my favorite photos, so I wanted to share some tips
the Flow and Density to around 70. and tricks on how you can get a great result with a sunset shot.”
Paint to brighten parts of the photo
that are naturally brighter, such as
the church in our image.

KELBYONE .COM

STEP SEVEN: Another tip is to delete click on the Heal mode (bandage). bright reflection on the water at
unwanted elements using Light­ Now simply paint the element you the bottom of the image, which is
room, which you can do in a few want to remove and Lightroom will distracting from the subject.
clicks. Select the Healing tool (Q), and remove it. Here, we removed the

 23 
  HOW TO
STEP EIGHT: Here’s another vital tool
I want to share with you: sharpening.
There are two ways to sharpen your
photos that will make a day-and-night
difference in the final result, including
printing. The first way is to go into the
Detail panel and use the following
rule that I live by: the total Amount
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023
STEP NINE: The other way to sharpen
your photo is by using a Brush (K)
mask. You can set the Sharpness at
42 and the Clarity at 31 and then paint
 24 
of sharpening and Noise Reduction
should add up to 100; for example,
if you set the Amount of sharpening
to 90 then set Noise Reduction to 10.
You can then use the Masking
slider to control where the sharpening
is applied. If you hold the Option (PC:
Alt) key while dragging the Masking
the areas you want to sharpen. That
way, you can highlight interesting
textures, and focus the eyes of the
viewer toward those areas. You never
slider, the image will turn white. As
you drag to the right, you’ll start to
see black areas appear; anything
that’s black won’t get sharpened.
In an image such as this, we want
to make sure that areas such as the
sky and water don’t get sharpened.
want to sharpen the overall photo,
especially when you have beautiful
clouds and water in your frame as
we mentioned in the previous step.
  L I G H T R O O M L A B O R AT O R Y

There you have it! Using all those

tools can really take your photogra-
phy to the next level by giving you
spectacular results. Have fun shooting
sunsets and retouching them! n

Before

After

 25 
 ROB SYLVAN
UNDER THE LOUPE

NEW OPTIONS IN THE LIGHTROOM

CLASSIC-TO-PHOTOSHOP WORKFLOW
The April update to Lightroom Classic (LrC) brought about some new options for consideration in your
workflow when sending photos to Photoshop (Ps). LrC has a long history of being well integrated into
working with Photoshop for tasks that either can’t be done in LrC or not done well enough. In addition,
Adobe currently has a public Beta version of Photoshop available to those with a subscription, which
offers a glimpse of what features may come in future versions. So many folks, including me, find
themselves with more than one version of Photoshop installed and want a way to choose which
version of Photoshop is used by LrC. In this article we’ll explore how to take full advantage of these
new features.

BASIC WORKFLOW TIPS

Before diving into the new features, I want to review
a few aspects of the LrC-to-Photoshop workflow
that should keep you out of trouble. First, make
sure that, when you update LrC to a new version,
you’re also updating the Adobe Camera Raw (ACR)
plug-in at the same time. When LrC sends a copy
with Lightroom adjustments to Photoshop, it uses
Since almost the dawn of (Lightroom) time, we’ve
had the following choices under the Photo>Edit In menu
for sending photos from LrC to Ps:
• Edit in Adobe Photoshop
• Open as Smart Object in Photoshop
• Merge to Panorama in Photoshop

ACR to render the photo that appears in Photoshop. • Merge to HDR Pro in Photoshop
Keeping those two programs at a compatible version • Open as Layers in Photoshop
will smooth out your workflow and ensure the photo
Ever since the Photo Merge options were added to
is rendered correctly.
LrC for creating panoramas and HDR (and HDR panos),
Second, pay attention to where you’re selecting the
I think most of us have stopped using those options
photo in LrC before you send it to Photoshop. If you use
within Photoshop, but it’s worth noting that they still
collections and you want the copy to be added to the
work and can be useful if LrC’s own functions don’t
same collection as the source photo, ensure that you
deliver the desired results.
have the collection selected in the Collections panel (as
The April update allows you to choose the version of
opposed to a collection set or smart collection). If you
Photoshop (based on what’s installed on your computer),
only use folders, then make sure you have the desired
and adds a new option to Open as Smart Object Layers
folder selected in the Folders panel. Then make sure
in Photoshop, which provides the most flexibility for a
the sorting option for that collection or folder is set to
nondestructive workflow when using multiple photos
File Name or Capture Time so that the resulting copy
on layers. Let’s look at how to use those new options.
shows up right next to the source photo when your
editing is done. Once you’re done editing in Photoshop,
use the File>Save command to automatically add the CHOOSING PHOTOSHOP VERSION
copy back to the LrC catalog and save it to the same Historically, the latest version of Photoshop installed
folder as the source photo. always became the primary ex ternal editor without

 26 
  UNDER THE LOUPE

any way to change that and, if you only had one

version of Photoshop installed, then it wasn’t really
a problem. There can be good reasons to have
more than one version of Photoshop installed, and
if that ’s the case, you may want LrC to send the
copy to a specific version of Photoshop for a given
job. For example, perhaps you have the new public
Beta version of Photoshop installed but, because
it ’s a Beta version, you don’t want to use it for some
photos. Alternatively, you might have an older version
of Photoshop installed because it still works with a
favorite old plug-in, and you might want to use that
sometimes. Whatever your reasons, the April update
Step Two
for LrC allows you to choose the desired version of
Photoshop from the LrC preferences. Here’s how:

STEP ONE: First things first, ensure you have LrC version
12.3 (or later) installed.

STEP TWO: Go to Lightroom Classic>Settings (PC:

Edit>Preferences) to open the Preferences and click
on the External Editing tab.

STEP THREE: Click the Photoshop Version drop-down

menu and choose the desired version of Photoshop (if
you have more than one version installed), then close
the Preferences. Step Three
Note: Just as a heads up, at the time of this writing,
ALL PHOTOS BY ROB SYLVAN
there seems to be a bug in the Windows version of LrC
affecting this feature, as I’ve heard from some folks on
Windows that no drop-down appears. It’s being discussed
on the Adobe forum, but I’ve not seen a definitive solution
yet. Hopefully, this will be resolved soon if it affects you.
In this instance, I’ve chosen the Photoshop (Beta)
so I can experiment with the Remove tool. [As of the
May 2023 update the Remove tool is now in the regular
version of Photoshop.—Ed.] I also have an older version
of Photoshop installed, and I could’ve chosen that if it
fit my needs. Now I can use the Photo>Edit In>Edit in
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Adobe Photoshop command or Command-E (PC: Ctrl-E)

and the copy with Lightroom adjustments (because it’s
a RAW photo with edits) will open in Photoshop Beta. Note: The Remove tool is now in the regular version of Ps

 27 
  HOW TO

STEP FOUR: The Remove tool (nested with the Spot

Healing Brush tool [J] in the Toolbar) in Photoshop uses
AI to replace the area you brush with new pixels in an
amazingly realistic way (you can learn more about the
Remove tool in the “Photoshop Proving Ground” column
in this issue). In this image, there may still be areas that
need more TLC with another tool; but I was impressed
with how well the Remove tool removed the branch in
front of this turkey’s face. When the editing is done, use
the File>Save command as usual to add the copy to your
catalog and then return to LrC.
Before using the Remove tool in Photoshop

OPEN AS SMART OBJECT

LAYERS IN PHOTOSHOP
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

For this nex t project, I want to use blending modes

to combine two RAW photos into a multiple exposure
effect, so I don’t need the Beta version of Photoshop
for this. I went back to the Ex ternal Editing tab of
the LrC Preferences and switched back to Adobe
Photoshop 2023. In my experience so far, I haven’t
needed to restart LrC after changing that preference, After

 28 
  UNDER THE LOUPE

but if you find the wrong version of Photoshop opening,

restarting LrC would be the first thing to try. It ’s also
worth quitting the version of Photoshop you don’t
want to be used and, if you have a dif ferent version
of Photoshop open than what ’s set in the Ex ternal
Editing tab, LrC will tell you to either close that version
and retry, or you can click a button to open it in the
version that ’s currently open.
I have these two photos in a collection from a trip to
Nashville, so I selected the collection in the Collections
panel first then, holding down the Command (PC: Ctrl)
key, I selected the two photos I wanted to open as layers
in a single document. Once selected, you can use the
Photo menu or simply Right-click one of the photos
and choose Edit In>Open as Smart Object Layers in
Photoshop from the contextual menu. You’ll note that
all the options requiring more than one photo will only
be accessible when you have more than one photo
selected in LrC.
When you open a photo as a smart object layer in
Photoshop, a full-resolution copy of the source photo,
in this case both RAW photos, is embedded in a smart
object layer. This gives you the power to be able to
edit that full-resolution data in Photoshop if needed
and, since it’s embedded in a smart object layer, it
remains a nondestructive edit (meaning you can always
go back to the original data). Note that this creates a
brand-new file (TIFF or PSD based on your External
Editing preference settings), and any edits you make
to the smart objects are completely separate from the
source photos back in LrC.
Simply double-click the smart object layer thumbnail
in the Layers panel to edit the RAW data in ACR. Any
edits you already applied in LrC will be present, but you
can take this photo in any editing direction you choose
based on your project. For this example, I’m changing
the Profile to something more vibrant and boosting the
Vibrance and Saturation sliders as well. Click OK when
you’re done editing to save your work and exit ACR.
The changes you made will update in the smart
object. I like the way this looks, so I’m going to open the
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other smart object layer into ACR and apply the same
adjustments, click OK, and return to Photoshop. With
those edits made, I just need to change the blending

 29 
  HOW TO

mode on the top layer to create my

multiple exposure effect, and possibly
reduce the Opacity of that layer to
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

dial in my desired look.

With the edits finished, I use the
File>Save command in Photoshop,
then close the photo before switching
back to LrC where I find the new copy
has been added to the catalog and the
collection I had selected from the start.

 30 
  UNDER THE LOUPE

If you want to dive deeper into using LrC and Photo­ most-used plug-in for LrC, and I hope you’ll find it as
shop together, I recommend checking out my article powerful and indispensable as I do. n
KELBYONE .COM

“Refining Your Lightroom Classic to Photoshop

Workflow” from the January 2022 issue of Photoshop
User magazine. Photoshop remains my favorite and

 31 
 SCOTT KELBY
RETOUCHING PORTRAITS IN LIGHTROOM

CORRECTING WHITE BALANCE

FOR SKIN TONES
Last time, we looked at how to sharpen your subject’s face, and this time we’re going to work on some-
thing that’s super important for portraits: nailing the white balance, so the skin tones look right.

ALL IMAGES BY SCOTT KELBY

Note: This is going to be the last installment

of this series. We’ve pretty much covered
the essential retouching techniques in
Lightroom, so next issue I’ll be launching
a new column (and yes, you’ll have to wait
until next issue to learn what my new
column covers) but, until then, let’s wrap
up this column by getting our skin tones
on the money.
Here’s the original image. You can see
that the white balance is way, way off.
I was shooting indoors and probably had
the camera set to either Fluorescent or
Tungsten when I started this shoot, which
is why the image has such a blue color
cast overall.

 32 

STEP ONE: There are three ways to
set your white balance, and we’ll start
with the most obvious, which (if you
shoot in RAW) is the ability to choose
a white balance preset like the one you
could have chosen in-camera. If you
didn’t shoot in RAW, you won’t have
all those choices, because your white
balance has already been chosen, so
the only option you have is simply
Auto white balance, which is the
only preset in the pop-up menu for
JPEG images.
You choose your white balance
preset in the Basic panel, using the
  R E T O U C H I N G
pop-up menu to the right of WB.
By default, it’s set to As Shot, so
it ’s displaying the white balance
you chose in your camera. All you
have to do here, to at least get in
the ballpark, is to choose the white
balance preset that most closely
matches the lighting conditions
you shot under. In this case, I was
shooting using a studio strobe so,
from that pop-up menu, I chose
Flash (as shown here), and you can
see it’s much closer (it’s not on the
money, but this is just a starting
place, and it’s a whole lot better
PORTRAITS IN LIGHTROOM
than Fluorescent or Tungsten). If
the preset looks good, you’re done,
and you can move on with the rest
of your editing and retouching. If
not, you can tweak it (we’ll cover
that in a moment).
STEP TWO: Let’s go ahead and reset
the white balance to the As Shot
setting so we can start over from
scratch. The shortcut for returning
to the As Shot white balance is to
double-click directly on the “WB” in
the Basic panel (as shown below).
KELBYONE .COM
 33 
  HOW TO

STEP THREE: Another way to

fix this problem of the white
balance being too blue is to
use the Temp (Temperature)
slider. Move it to the right,
away from blue and toward
yellow, which will neutralize
that blue cast. The farther
to the right you drag the
Temp slider, the warmer
(less blue) the image gets
(as shown here). You can
also drag the Tint slider
toward magenta to add
more warmth into the shot
if you think it needs it.

STEP FOUR: My favorite way

to set white balance (and
the method I use the most,
by far) is to use the White
Balance Selector tool, which
is that large eyedropper tool
just to the left of WB (shown
here) in the Basic panel. The
idea behind this tool is to
click it on something in your
image that’s a neutral color,
ideally a light gray (okay,
if you want to totally nerd
out about it, you’d find an
area of gray that’s exactly
18% gray; more on that in
a minute). If I can’t find
something light gray, I look
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

for something beige or tan

or some other neutral color.
In this case, we can click on
the diffusion cover on the
front of the softbox behind
her, and that sets the white
balance using that light-
gray area (as shown here).

 34 

STEP FIVE: Before we go any further,
there are two settings you’ll want to
know about before you start using the
White Balance Selector tool. These
two settings kind of drive me crazy
and, on the chance that they might
annoy the living daylights out of you
as well, let’s cover them. The first
is called “Show Loupe,” and what
it does is attach a 5x5 grid to your
cursor that enlarges the area over
which the Selector tool is currently
  R E T O U C H I N G
hovering. At the bottom of the grid, it
displays a readout of the red, green,
and blue values at the point of the
cursor. When those numbers are all
the same, you’re over a true neutral
color. Just for the record, I never,
ever look at these numbers. It’s just
not necessary.
The other setting that’s on by
default is called “Auto Dismiss,” and
when it’s on, once you click the Selec-
tor tool on your image, it immediately
PORTRAITS IN LIGHTROOM
returns the eyedropper tool to its place
back in the Basic panel. It assumes
you’ll click the perfect place the first
time. I turn this off, and that way,
I can click once, see how it looks,
and if I don’t like it (or think I can do
better), then I can click on as many
other places as I like, until I get the
white balance to look like I want. So,
in short, I turn off Show Loupe and
Auto Dismiss, and the tool is that
much easier to use.
STEP SIX: One more thing about using
the White Balance Selector tool: If
you go to the top of the left side
panels and make the Navigator panel
visible, when you hover the eyedropper
over different areas of your image,
it shows you a live preview of what
your white balance would look like if
you clicked on that area. It’s a really
handy preview, so give it a try, and
see if you find it helpful. Okay, now
let’s move on.
KELBYONE .COM
 35 
  HOW TO

STEP SEVEN: If you want to make your

life easier when it comes to white
balance, go to B&H Photo and pick
up what’s called a Gray Card. This is
a card (or in the example shown here,
a collapsible pop-up) that’s exactly
(you guessed it) 18% gray. You have
your subject hold it in the first frame
once you get your lighting in place
and you take a shot with her holding
it up near her face (as you see here).
By the way, the one I’m using here
is the Manfrotto EzyBalance Gray
Card (around $50 at B&H Photo),
and a cheaper alternative is the
Impact QuikBalance Collapsible
12" Gray Panel, which is around
$20 and does the same thing. But
before you buy either, if you own
either a copy of my Lightroom Book
for Digital Photographers or an older
version of my Photoshop Book for
Digital Photographers, turn to the
last page of the book, and you’ll
find a perforated tear-out gray card
that’s 18% gray that can be used the
same way.

STEP EIGHT: Once you have that

shot with the gray card in it, take
the White Balance Selector tool and
click it once on the gray card to set
the white balance (as shown here).

STEP NINE: That process corrected

that one photo, but what if you have
several photos that need fixing or
even hundreds of photos from a
shoot? You’d do the same thing: take
that first photo with your subject
holding the gray card but, before
you click the White Balance Selector
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

tool on it, select all the photos that

have their white balance off, and then
make sure Auto Sync is turned on at
the bottom of the right side panels
(as shown here) by clicking on the
toggle switch to the left of Sync. If it
says “Sync,” it’s turned off; it should
say “Auto Sync,” as you see here.

 36 
  R E T O U C H I N G PORTRAITS IN LIGHTROOM

STEP 10: Take a look down in

the Filmstrip shown here where
I selected some images from this
shoot. The first three appear to
have a blue background (which
will turn gray when we fix the white
balance), but that’s because that
softbox behind her wasn’t turned
on yet, just the front light.

STEP 11: Now that they ’re all

selected and Auto Sync is turned
on (Auto Sync means whatever
you do to the active, most-selected
photo, will be applied to all the other
selected photos), take the White
Balance Selector tool and click it
once on the image with your subject
holding the gray card. It sets the
white balance for all those other
selected images at the same time
(as shown).

STEP 12: I have an optional tweak,

but it’s one I do to nearly all my
portraits because I feel that even
when we use a gray card and nail
the white balance, the skin tone is
too warm, and that’s not how many
commercial images are displayed.
So, once I dial in the white balance
using the gray card, I desaturate
the image a bit by dragging the
Vibrance slider a little to the left
until the skin tone is a bit less warm,
but without looking bluish, which
desaturating does well. Here’s a
before and after, where I corrected
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the white balance using the gray

card and eyedropper and then
lowered the Vibrance a bit. Give
that a try and see what you think.

 37 
  HOW TO
STEP 13: If you have an image where
lowering the Vibrance messes with
other colors in the image, set the
Vibrance back to 0, and click the
Masking icon (gray circle with dotted
outline) in the toolbar below the
Histogram on the right. Wait a few
seconds until you see a round thumb-
nail of your subject at the bottom
of the Masking tools menu. Click on
that thumbnail, and from the list of
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023
 38 
things it can mask, choose Facial
Skin and Body Skin (as shown) so
just those areas will be affected,
and not the rest of the image. Then
click the Create Mask button at the
bottom-right corner of that list. Now
that those areas are masked, scroll
down to the Saturation slider and
drag it to the left to get the same
desaturation effect on just your
subject’s skin.
Well, my friends, that wraps up our
retouching column, and thank you for
reading it all these months. I hope
you’ve found it helpful, and I look
forward to seeing you again next
issue as I debut my new column.
Take care. n
 ARE YOU READY FOR AN AMAZING
NEW EDITION OF THE PHOTOSHOP BOOK
THAT BREAKS ALL THE RULES?

This update to Scott Kelby’s award-winning book does something
for digital photographers that has never been done before—it cuts
through the bull and shows you exactly “how to do it.” It’s not a
bunch of theory; it doesn’t challenge you to come up with your
own settings or figure it out on your own. Instead, Scott shows
you step by step the exact techniques used by today’s cutting-
edge photographers, and best of all, he shows you flat-out exactly
which settings to use, when to use them, and why. That’s why
editions of this book are widely used as the official study guide in
photography courses at colleges and universities around the world.

| kelbyone.com | peachpit.com | #kelbyonebooks

 SEAN MCCORMACK
MAXIMUM WORKFLOW

ON1 SKY SWAP AI 2023

ON1 Sky Swap AI is a powerful and innovative tool for replacing the skies in your photos quickly and
effectively. Of all the uses for AI technology, it’s particularly beneficial for sky replacement. This allows
you to select and mask the edges of the sky easily, and make use of a whole library of new skies.
ON1 Sky Swap ships with a library of more than 200 skies, including more than 100 from OcuDrone,
creators of high-quality replacement skies. You can also access your own custom skies. Using ON1
Sky Swap AI removes the need for painstaking manual masking and allows greater creativity when
editing your photos.
ALL IMAGES BY SEAN McCORMACK

With Sky Swap being part of ON1 Photo RAW 2023 for
a while, you know that, as a feature, it has been well
refined. Now, in plug-in form, it’s ready for use with host
programs such as Lightroom Classic or Photoshop. For
those tinkering with other programs, it can also be used
with Capture One, Affinity Photo, Corel PaintShop Pro,
and Apple Photos.
While there are those who will argue that swapping
out skies is cheating, it’s often useful for commercial
and social photos, be it portraits, landscapes, or even
property. If you’re doing any composite work, automatic
masking of the sky is a godsend. And of course, there’s
just the creativity of trying something new.
ON1 VS ADOBE
As Lightroom Classic doesn’t offer any layer-based
options where additional files can be added, there’s
no ability to do a sky swap. The Select Sky mask
would work for such an option were Adobe to decide
to change their mind. It could even be as simple as
loading the replacement sky in that part of masking.
But sadly, they don’t.

 4 0 
  MAXIMUM WORKFLOW

Photoshop now has Sky Replace-
ment and does come with a small
set of skies. It does have a differ-
ent masking to ON1 Sky Swap, but
there’s a whole library of skies ready
to choose from with ON1. Even if
you consider just the library, it’s
less than 20¢ per image for a high-
res sky. That’s a bargain in itself.
THE INTERFACE
Sky Swap AI couldn’t be much simpler.
On the right you have the main settings
panel, which has tabs for Sky Swap
AI and Local Adjustments.
On the left are general tools:
Crop, Local, Mask, Refine, Retouch,
and View. View is where you begin
using Sky Swap AI. For the most
par t, you’re probably bet ter of f
doing a lot of the work that isn’t
swapping skies in your host pro-
gram unless you need the specific
masking tools that ON1 provides.
We’ll look briefly at Retouch in the
first image though.

Image courtesy of ON1

Sky Replacement in Photoshop also
generates a lot of layers, so it’s not
quite as tidy as Sky Swap.

GETTING STARTED
The Sky Swap AI installer automat-
ically creates plug-ins for all of the
host applications it finds during the
installation process. As is typical, these
programs must be closed during this
operation for it to be successful.

Once done, it will be available in

the Edit In menu in Lightroom, or the
Filters menu in Photoshop. At “Maxi-
mum Workflow,” we recommend using
Photoshop because of the ability to
use smart objects for easy editing
KELBYONE .COM

after saving. If you’re just doing a

quick sky replacement, and you know
exactly what you want, by all means
go direct from Lightroom.

 41 
  HOW TO

THE ESSENCE
OF THE SWAP
This image is a fairly
drab morning at a busy
stone circle. Everyone
has equal permission
to be there, and after
a failed sunrise, most
moved into the circle
for detail shots. There’s
not a lot that can save
this shot, but it ’s a
good place to show
some of the Sky Swap
AI controls.

STEP ONE: From Light-

room you can use either
File>Plug-In Extras or
the Photo>Edit In menu
to access ON1 Sky Swap
AI 2023. In Photoshop
you access it from the
ON1 menu under the
Filters menu. Use a new
layer, and/or convert to
a smart object for easier
editing later.

Accessing ON1 Sky Swap from Lightroom Classic

PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

Accessing ON1 Sky Swap from Photoshop

 42 

STEP TWO: To begin, choose from one
of the sky categories at the top of
the Sky Swap AI panel. Use the More
triangle icon to reveal additional
categories. With this image being
quite cloudy, especially with clouds
rolling over the hills, the Clouds
category is a great choice.
STEP THREE: Next you can refine the
position of the sky and how the mask
interacts with it. If you’re curious
about what exactly is happening
to the mask, click the black-and-
white mask icon at the top of the
panel, and choose View from the
 MAXIMUM WORKFLOW
From the Clouds drop-down menu,
you can hover over each cloud thumb-
nail and select a suitable replacement
sky. You absolutely have to use sense
here. Pick a sky that matches the
scene but elevates it. Clouds 013
looks reasonable here.
options that appear. You’ll see the
mask, and the changes each slider
makes to the mask directly from here.
KELBYONE .COM
While viewing the image should be
where you make the final decisions,
it’s definitely helpful to see what’s
happening behind the scenes.
 43 
  HOW TO
STEP FOUR: Shift Horizon moves the
sky up and down. Here –25 introduces
more blue to the top and suits the
blending on the right better. You can
fade the sky to match the original
image using Opacity, but 100 works
well here and retains the depth of
the blue. If you need to create a
deeper blend, Fade Edge and Shift
Edge can be used to control how
the sky interacts.
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023
STEP FIVE: A quick press of the Pre-
view button shows that the new sky
has darkened the top of the photo and
made it a little cooler. We can easily
 4 4 
Again use the mask to get a
sense of what ’s happening here,
as seeing it visually makes a bigger
difference to your understanding
of the sliders. Shift Edge is a little
harder and works mostly from the
sky edge up, while Fade Edge is
more like a moveable graduated filter.
Scale expands the sky, effectively
zooming in on the sky, while Level
rotates the horizon.
change this using the Brightness and
Warmth sliders, which we set to 14
and 9, respectively.
  MAXIMUM WORKFLOW

STEP SIX: These aren’t the

only Appearance sliders.
You can use Haze to either
reduce the haze in the
replaced sky, or to add
it to match the image. If
you love the look of long
exposure skies, it’s really
easy to mimic this in Sky
Swap AI. The Blur Amount
slider essentially acts as Blur Angle at 0°
a shutter speed control,
while Blur Angle changes
the cloud direction. Here’s
how a Blur Amount of 50
looks at a Blur Angle of 0°
and 90°. Let’s stick with
0 for this.

Blur Angle at 90°

STEP SEVEN: As this image has no eyedropper to select a warmer or

KELBYONE .COM

water for reflections, you only have neutral tone. We left the blend Mode
the option to work on Foreground on Multiply as Screen is too bright.
Lighting. The chosen swatch is a little Setting Foreground to 20 with Edges of
cool in this image, so we used the 21 and Distance of 25 improves this.

 45 
  HOW TO
STEP EIGHT: With the sky replacement
done, and blended, we want to fix the
most annoying thing in the scene:
those photographers. As the final
output from this file is rendered, we
may as well take them out here. Over
on the left in the Tool Well is the
Retouch brush. We painted over the
trespassers to remove them. You may
need to drag the source point to get
the best match.
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023
 46 
KEEP IT LOCAL
With the sky swap done, you can now
consider the overall image and what
other work could be done to enhance
it. Change to the Local tab. This gives
a range of tools that can be masked
into the image, or they can affect the
whole photo with a white mask. Each
time you want to work on a specific
area with different settings, click the
Add Adjustment button.
STEP NINE: First, we’ll work on the
brightness of the photo using Expo-
sure and then Contrast. To see what
you’re doing, click the Mask icon at
the top of the panel to reveal the mask
options. Click Invert to make it white.
Here we set the Exposure to 0.4
and Contrast to 40. The foreground
looks great, but these settings don’t
affect the replaced sky. You may prefer
that they do, but currently they don’t.
  MAXIMUM WORKFLOW

STEP 10: We need to blend the top

part a little better. Click Local in the
Tool Well on the left and in the settings
on top, click the second icon and
change it to Linear Top. Set the shape
to Gradient. We dragged down to
the foothills to allow for a smoother
transition to the top. This has a side
benefit of keeping attention on the
stone circle.

STEP 11: After clicking Add Adjust-

ment again, from Local, we chose
Gradient from the Shape menu and
dragged out a shape around the
circle. By default this darkened every-
thing else, and actually improved the
image. But really what we need to
do here is lighten the circle.

KELBYONE .COM

 47 
  HOW TO

STEP 12: We clicked on the

Mask icon in the Mask AI sec-
tion of the Adjustment panel
and clicked Invert from the
options that appeared. This
now darkens the circle, so we
increased the Exposure to 0.5.
Refine the mask as required.

You can also add more adjust-

ments should you need, or tidy
up other areas such as the grass
in this image. When you’re fin-
ished, click Done to return to
your host application. Here’s
the edit and the original.

Before
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

After

 4 8 
  MAXIMUM WORKFLOW

REAL ESTATE
One area of photography that
often needs sky replacement
is real estate. The weather can
be giving enough light for the
photo, but you might have a
heavily clouded sky, or possibly
worse, an empty blue sky with
no interest. Here’s an image
with a dull sky, but with sun
on the house.

STEP ONE: Selecting the 06 sky

from the OcuDrone Majestic
Blue category reveals a bit
of an issue. The white of the
building has been mistaken
for sky.

STEP TWO: In this case swap-

ping the Method from Model
A to Model B in the Position
section helped resolve this.
This image still needed some
work to get the sky to look
better, so we set Fade Edge
at –14 combined with a Shift
Edge of 17 to smooth the sky
edge. Use Shift Horizon to taste
until you see a combination of
cloud and blue sky you like.
Here it’s –41.

KELBYONE .COM

 49 
  HOW TO

WATER BY NIGHT
The next photo is just
for fun really. It’s a late
evening scene with
reflections. The fun part
is dropping in the Milky
Way where it probably
shouldn’t be yet.

STEP ONE: From the Night

Category choose Night
010. You can try both
Methods. In this example,
Model A detected less of
the horizon, but Model B
missed the gap between
sails on the rightmost
Galway hooker. So A is
more useful here.
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

 50 
  MAXIMUM WORKFLOW

STEP TWO: The sky looks out of and Fade Edge to 100 to allow the
place, so we brought Opacity down sky to fade in.
to around 50 and set both Shift Edge

KELBYONE .COM

STEP THREE: To help the blend Lighting isn’t working here, so we

even more, we brought the Warmth set both Foreground and Edges to 0.
slider down to –100. The Foreground

 51 
  HOW TO

STEP FOUR: The final tool you haven’t

seen yet is Reflection, so let’s turn
this on. Amount was a bit strong,
so we set it to 30. In reality, you
wouldn’t see stars, as the water is
moving, but it’s good to see the
effect. Shift Vertical is the mirror of
Shift Horizon; this lets you place the
reflection wherever you like in the
shot for the most impact. The default
0 is more than adequate.

Before

THE REPLACEMENTS
ON1 Sky Swap AI 2023 is a versatile
tool offering two masking methods,
some reasonable tools for working
on the edges, and a huge library of
interesting skies. It’s competing with
Photoshop’s Sky Replacement, though,
which actually did a better masking
job on our last image (above) in our
testing. But it doesn’t have the night
sky images used to enhance the photo.
You can also import even more skies
into ON1 Sky Swap to make access
even easier.
You won’t go wrong with ON1 Sky
Swap AI, but do try Photoshop’s Sky
Replacement, and other plug-ins After

with AI-based sky replacements.

This, after all, is a niche tool and you’ll
want to find which one works best
for you. A reminder that KelbyOne
members get a 30% discount on
their next ON1 purchase. All member
discounts are linked in your mem-
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

ber’s Dashboard. n

 52 
Visit Platypod.com to pre-order
your Platypod Handle today!

Exclusively at platypod.com
 IBARIONEX PERELLO
VISUAL STORYTELLING

THE ELUSIVENESS OF MEMORY

The recent renovation and organization of my home created an opportunity to rediscover a variety of
analog and digital photographs. Each set of pictures sparked memories collecting dust in the corners of
my mind. The realization that I hadn’t thought of those moments surprised me. Some had been significant
moments in my life; yet, they had been relegated to a space that I rarely visited.

ALL IMAGES BY IBARIONEX PERELLO

 54 

I visualized the memories as an
amorphous collection of people,
places, and things; however, they
lacked any specificity. I realized that
my memories often sparked the
same stories and anecdotes when
shared with others. I had crafted the
CliffsNotes of my own life.
The rediscovered photographs
weren’t part of those oft-repeated
narratives. Instead, they represented
fuller, richer, and more detailed expe-
riences than I casually remembered.
Moments included: the interior of a
London cab, the night skyline blurring
by; a steaming cup of hot chocolate
and French croissant at a Paris café;
and a young mother leading her two
boys across Lombard Street, one of
them in tears for some unknown reason.
The photographs lured me back
to those precise moments in time.
I lingered on how it felt to have the
experiences and not merely as another
opportunity to make photographs.
Sometimes I remember immersing
myself in the whole experience. Then
there were other times when I was
fixated on taking a picture. It chal-
lenged me to consider how often
I valued the experience more than
the anticipated photograph.
It’s a tricky question, especially for
someone who is perpetually seeing.
There’s no time when I’m not observing
the world and the moments around
me, considering the possibility of
a photograph. It’s more a muscle-
memory practice than a periodic
choice or practice. I enjoy observing
the disparate elements and imagining
how to combine them to create a good
photograph. It’s a continual challenge
that I welcome and embrace.
BE IN THE MOMENT
I realize, however, that my visual
pursuits can sometimes come at a
price. I forget to be in the moment
when I prioritize documenting it. I may
successfully capture a beautiful image
of what something looked like, and
miss the chance to know what it
felt like.
As I compared those found older
images to more recent work, I recog-
nized differences. They weren’t just
changes in how I used light, color,
and composition. I realized how I had
prioritized the experiences.
I remembered an evening photo
walk in a garden in Japan. The trees
were adorned with thousands of lights
as visitors walked down paths and over
small bridges. There were photographs
of those things, but I also remembered
when I didn’t make a photograph. That
night I con­sciously chose to sit down
with my friend George and share a
cup of hot tea. That garden’s beauty
and photographic potential were all
around, but I decided not to be lured
by them.
I sat outside the tea house on a
short bench, the sensation of the
warm teacup in my hands. Light and
color played off the surface and the
small lake. The cookie I ate offered a
satisfying crunch as I bit into it. It’s
a memory I revisit without the aid of
a photograph.
This moment and others are
accessible to me because I made
experiencing the moment just as,
if not more important than making
the photograph. Increasingly, I want
photos that remind me of that choice
rather than what I missed out on.
My meditative practice teaches
me the importance of being in the
moment, whether or not I’m making
photographs. Periodically during the
day, I rein in my thoughts by focusing
on breathing. I think about more
than just where and what I’m doing.
I observe what it feels like to be in
 V I S UA L S T O RY T E L L I N G
my body as I make photographs,
organize the equipment closet, or
sweep the floor.
It doesn’t matter whether these
moments are mundane or boring. It’s
another opportunity to be present
and truly experience a moment. It
makes me better able to return to
this mindset when the world is full
of color, life, and surprises.
MORE THAN GOOD
When I consider my photographs for
processing, I think of how I can edit
the images to reflect the experience
I remember. I can take that file and
make it look “good,” but why not
play to discover whether I can do
something more?
The place where I work recently
renovated its tea house, a popular
destination in the heart of a beautiful
rose garden. They welcomed some
staff members to enjoy a luncheon
to celebrate the reopening. I was
graciously invited and, along with three
co-workers, enjoyed drinking various
teas and eating from a tall tier of finger
sandwiches and pastries.
KELBYONE .COM
Before
 55 
  HOW TO

We ate slowly, sharing our expe-

riences of the flavors and textures of
the food. We celebrated the warm
weather and how the light played
around us. There was joy at not only
the wonderful experience but that we
were sharing it.
I made various images that after-
noon, but the single shot of the place
setting and a teapot resonated with
me the most. I knew what a straight
documentary version would look like,
but what else could I do with it?
[KelbyOne members can click here
to download a smaller DNG version
of this image to follow along for prac-
tice purposes only and, even though
we’re using Adobe Camera Raw in
the following steps, you can just as
easily follow along using Lightroom
Classic (LrC).—Ed.]

STEP ONE: After opening the file in

Photoshop’s Camera Raw converter,
select the Crop tool (C; LrC: Crop
Overlay tool [R]). Click-and-drag the
lower-left corner of the crop overlay
up and to the right, cropping out
the sugar bowl’s presence on the
frame’s left-center edge. Press Enter
to commit the crop.
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

STEP TWO: In the Basic panel, select

the White Balance tool (I; LrC: White
Balance Selector tool [W]). Move it over
the plate above the teapot and click
to establish a custom white balance.

 56 
 V I S UA L S T O RY T E L L I N G

STEP THREE: The goal

is to render the file as a
high-key image rather than
a neutral one. To do this,
begin by setting Exposure
to +1.15, Contrast to –7,
Highlights to –58, Shadows
to +25, and Whites to –3.

STEP FOUR: Though the

image is almost uniform-
ly white, there are also
textures on the various
surfaces. Bring these out
slightly by setting the
Texture to +21.

KELBYONE .COM

 57 
  HOW TO

STEP FIVE: There are hints

of yellow and orange on
the teapot and part of the
exposed fork. Bring them
out slightly by increasing
Vibrance to +18.

STEP SIX: It’s important

to separate the various
white objects in the frame.
Controlling contrast helps
differentiate the teapot’s
spout and the plate behind
it. In the Curves panel (LrC:
Tone Curves panel), choose
the Parametric Curves
option (the first icon to
the right of Adjust). Set
Highlights to –51, Light
to –16, Darks to –4, and
Shadows to +53.
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

 58 
  V I S UA L S T O RY T E L L I N G

STEP SEVEN: A subtle vignette

helps to guide the viewer’s
eye to the center of the frame.
Go to the Vignetting slider in
the Effects panel and click
the triangular toggle on its
right to reveal the refinement
controls. Set Vignetting to
–16, Midpoint to 57, Round-
Step Seven ness to –21, Feather to 74,
and Highlights to 55.

STEP EIGHT: Let’s adjust con-

trast in a more controlled and
refined way by using a mask.
Click on the Masking icon
(gray circle with dotted out-
line), click on Range, and
select Luminance Range
from the pull-out menu.
Step Eight

STEP NINE: With the Show

Luminance Map checkbox
enabled, move the Lumi-
nance Range Slider from
the right until you achieve
a setting of 49; then drag
the slider below the bar on
the right to 78. You’ll see the
mask revealed with a red
overlay on the image.
Note: In LrC, you need
to click anywhere inside the
Luminance Range control bar
to make the Show Luminance
Map checkbox active.
KELBYONE .COM

 59 
  HOW TO

STEP 10: Next, disable the

Show Luminance Map over-
lay. In the Light panel (LrC:
Tone panel), set Exposure
to +0.30, Contrast to –8,
Highlights to +17, Shadows
to +10, Whites to –49, and
Blacks to +12.

STEP 11: Adding a cool tone

to the shadows will create
a nice subtle color contrast.
Hover your cursor over
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

Mask 1 in the Masks panel

until you see the three-dot
icon appear to the right of
the mask. Click on the three
dots and, from the pop-up
menu, select Duplicate Mask
1. Then, in the Color panel,
set the Temperature to –37.

 6 0 
  V I S UA L S T O RY T E L L I N G

STEP 12: A nice final touch is the

addition of grain. Click the Edit icon
to close the masking tools and return
to the main control panels. Go to
Effects and click the triangular icon
next to the Grain slider to expand its
controls. Set Grain to 40, Size to 28,
and Roughness to 36.

The result becomes more than a snap-

shot of a table setting. It possesses a
lovely calm feeling, which is attribut-
able to the simplicity of the composition
and limited color range. It’s an image
that emphasizes shape and tone. Most
importantly, it evokes a feeling that
recalls a wonderful afternoon filled
with beauty, flavors, and laughter. n

KELBYONE .COM

Before After

 61 
 TERRY WHITE
LIGHTROOM Q&A
Q. 
Would you make all of your edits
prior to Denoise, or doesn’t it matter?
A. I f you use the new Denoise option in the Detail
panel and it applies a significant amount of noise
reduction to an image, it can visually impact the
edits you’ve made to the photo. In other words,
the image may not look the same and need further
adjustments. Therefore, I’d apply Denoise as a
first step, and then go from there with all other
adjustments and edits.
Q. 
Does it matter whether sharpening is done
before or after Denoise, or do you end up
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023
with the same result independent of the
order they’re performed?
A. Normally, I don’t really have a preference of sharpening
before or after my edits in Lightroom. If you think
about it, Lightroom even applies some sharpening
to your RAW files when you import them, before
you make any edits. When it comes to Denoise,
however, I’d lean toward sharpening at the end of
 62 
ALL IMAGES BY TERRY WHITE
the editing process, as you may or may not need
any additional sharpening.
Q. Okay, I took your advice and got a new Synol-
ogy NAS to store my photos. What’s the best
way to copy or move my photos from all the
various drives they’re on to the new NAS?
A. Congratulations on your new NAS (Network Attached
Storage) device. Think of your NAS as simply a
big hard drive which you connect to and mount
on your desktop via your network, instead of a
USB or Thunderbolt cable. While you can certainly
connect to your NAS via your Wi-Fi network, I highly
recommend that you plug your computer into your
network via Ethernet, if possible. This will speed up
the copying of thousands of photos by quite a bit.
Once you mount your NAS on your desktop,
and see its icon, go to Lightroom Classic, click
the plus sign in the header of the Folders panel
on the left, and choose Add Folder. You’ll then
be prompted to choose the location of this new
  LIGHTROOM Q&A

folder, so create it on your NAS/Shared

Folder so that Lightroom knows about
your NAS and has an empty folder to
where it can move images.
Now that you have this new folder
showing in Lightroom’s Folders panel,
you can drag any of your existing folders
on your other mounted drives to this
folder to move those images from those
drives to your NAS. If you prefer to copy
the images, then you should do that in
the operating system and relink them in
Lightroom Classic to their new location
on the NAS.

Q. I ’m using the latest version of

Lightroom on an M1 iPad Pro
(latest iPadOS). The subject mask-
ing tool is an incredible timesaver
that I use quite frequently as long
as there’s only a single subject in
the shot. Is there a way to have it
only select one person?
A. Unfortunately, the masking in Lightroom on
mobile hasn’t caught up to the masking
features of Lightroom on desktop. If you
were using Lightroom on desktop and
you had a photo with three people, it
would be able to give you a separate
mask for each person. Lightroom on
mobile, as of the writing of this column,
only has Select Subject and, as you’ve
indicated, if there are two or three
subjects, they’ll all be selected. You can
still take advantage of Select Subject,
however, and then subtract from that
mask and Brush away the other people
you don’t want. It’s not as seamless as
selecting each person, but it does work
quickly enough to get it done.

Q. I do a lot of exposure bracketing,

oftentimes just as a safety net, but
I do enjoy HDR images. Is there
KELBYONE .COM

some way to filter these, probably

with a plug-in?
A. W hile there’s no filtering for exposure
bracketing, there is a way to have

 63 
  HOW TO
Lightroom Classic automatically stack the images
together for you so that you can identify them.
Usually, when you shoot bracketed, the shots
happen within a few seconds of each other. Light-
room Classic can automatically create stacks of
your bracketed exposures based on the time in
between them.
Put all your bracketed shots in a collection. Then
choose Photo>Stacking>Auto-Stack by Capture Time.
When the dialog appears, drag the slider down to
around 10 seconds. You’ll be able to see the number
of stacks it will create before you click Stack. Once
you click Stack, all of your bracketed shots will be
in stacks so that you can easily identify them.
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023
Q. 
I often click Auto on my RAW photos in the
Lightroom Classic Develop module just to see
whether it proves to be the first right step in
editing. It usually does, but I tend to turn the
Saturation down to 0, or change the Blacks
to a less strong shift. I know I could combine
additional starting choices via user presets,
 6 4 
but is there any way to establish new defaults
in Auto?
A. T hat’s a good question, and I’m right there with you
in wishing I could set some preferences for how
Auto Tone works; however, it’s designed to work
as an AI/machine-learning adjustment instead of
just a preset or preference. It was rebuilt to make
adjustments based on the specific photo on which
you’re working. This has improved over time. I used
to complain about it applying negative Contrast
every time, but it no longer does that. Vibrance
and Saturation vary, but I agree with you, and
I’d love to be able to say that people never apply
Saturation. Hopefully, it will keep improving as it
learns, and reach a point where we don’t need or
want to make adjustments. n
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.
 SEÁN DUGGAN
LIGHTROOM TIPS & TRICKS
Both the cloud-based Lightroom and Lightroom Classic provide different ways to view and work with
your images. This month we’ll look at some of these views, how you can quickly access them for differ-
ent purposes, as well as how to bring back mysteriously hidden UI elements.

Keyboard shortcut = P

Photos Panel in Lightroom (Cloud) ALL IMAGES BY SEÁN DUGGAN

LIGHTROOM: THE PHOTOS PANEL PANEL VISIBILITY IN LIGHTROOM

Let’s begin with one of the most essential panels in Light-
room. The Photos panel on the left side of the interface
is the primary way you navigate your images and it can
be shown or hidden via one of the most useful shortcuts
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023
I recently ran into a situation where the Histogram was
missing in Lightroom. I’m not sure how it went AWOL but,
based on experience with mysteriously absent UI elements,
I suspected it was due to an accidental keyboard shortcut.

in Lightroom: P. You can also click the Photos icon in the
upper left to show or hide the Photos panel. In addition
to the All Photos section, which includes sub-categories
such as Recently Added, Recent Edits, and By Date, you
can also access your Albums here, as well as the very
useful Learn and Discover sections.
A quick trip to the View>Edit Panels menu confirmed this.
I don’t recall doing it, but I’m sure that the Command-0
(PC: Ctrl-0) shortcut was the culprit (it’s the same shortcut
as for the Fit on Screen command that I use all the time in
Photoshop). Note that for the main panels, the Histogram
is the only one where its keyboard shortcut will remove
it completely; for the other panels, their shortcuts merely
close the panel, but their names are still visible.

 66 
  LIGHTROOM TIPS & TRICKS

these as I explore different treatments after the initial Edit

adjustments. As I covered in last month’s article, each
of these panels, and especially Versions, is an important
tool for exploring different creative treatments.

Command-0 (PC: Ctrl-0) = Toggle Histogram visibility

While you’re in the View>Edit Panels menu, take a

moment to learn all the other useful keyboard shortcuts
for viewing or hiding the different Edit panels. Three of
my favorites are the Profile Browser (Shift-B), Preset
Browser (Shift-P), and the Versions Panel (Shift-V).
I often find myself bouncing back and forth between

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Profiles Browser = Shift-B Presets Browser = Shift-P Versions Panel = Shift-V

 67 
  HOW TO

FILMSTRIP VISIBILITY
IN LIGHTROOM
The Filmstrip in Lightroom is dis-
played when you’re viewing a single
image in Detail view (D), as well as
when you’re working with an image
in Edit mode (E). The keyboard
shortcut for hiding or showing the
Filmstrip is the Forward Slash key
(/). You can also click the Filmstrip
icon at the lower right to hide or
show the filmstrip.
To resize the Filmstrip, hover
Hide/Show Filmstrip,
the cursor over the top edge of the keyboard shortcut = /

Filmstrip until you see the cursor

icon change to a black bar with
an upward and downward arrow.
Then drag up or down to resize the
Filmstrip (the same technique can
be used to resize the Filmstrip in
Lightroom Classic).
If you Right-click in the Filmstrip
Filmstrip Style: Photo
to display the contextual menu, you
can choose a Filmstrip Style (at
the very bottom of the menu) of
Photo or Square. In Square mode
the thumbnails are displayed in a
square cell. This results in more
of a border between the thumb- Filmstrip Style: Square
nails; but the horizontal images
will appear smaller than when
the Filmstrip style is set to Photo.

PANEL VISIBILITY IN
LIGHTROOM CLASSIC
In terms of the possibility of mistak-
enly hiding vital Develop panels with
an accidental click here or there,
Lightroom Classic is better than it
used to be, but there’s still the pos-
sibility to hide panels inadvertently
in other modules. Let’s start with
the panels in the Develop module.
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

If you Right-click on the title bar

of a panel in the Develop module,
you see a contextual menu with five Tone Curve no longer visible

options. The first one, Customize

Develop Panel, provides the most
options for doing just that.
Selecting this option opens a
dialog where you can choose which

 6 8 
  LIGHTROOM TIPS & TRICKS

Develop panels are visible. In the example shown on the previous
page, the Tone Curve panel has been unchecked. When this change
is saved, the Tone Curve, which is normally placed under the Basic
panel, will no longer be visible in the Develop module. If you ever
feel that you’re missing a panel that you know should be there, this
is the first place to check. And if there are panels that you never use
and would rather not see, this is how you can set that up.
You can also use this panel to drag-and-drop the panels to arrange
them in a top-to-bottom order that makes the most sense for how
you like to use the program. For instance, if you like to explore Lens
Corrections before making other adjustments, you could arrange
the panels to place that at the top of the list (the program will need
to be relaunched before you can see the panels in the new order).
is under the center part of the UI where the
thumbnails or Loupe view of the images
are displayed. The Toolbar content will vary
depending on which module you’re working
in. The shortcut to hide or show the Toolbar
is T, and it’s very easy to inadvertently tap
this and not realize that you’ve just hidden
the Toolbar (it happens to me often!).

Library Toolbar — Grid View

Develop Toolbar

LIGHTROOM CLASSIC:
WHERE DID THE FILTER BAR GO?
The Filter Bar is only found in the Library
If you want to return to the default module when you’re viewing the thumbnail
ordering of the Develop panels, grid. You can find it above the thumbnails. Like
there’s a button for that. the Toolbar, it’s easy to hide this accidentally.
In the other Lightroom Classic The shortcut to hide or show the Filter Bar is
modules (i.e., Library, Map, Book, the Backward Slash key (\).
Print, etc), Right-clicking on the
title bar of a panel will show a LIGHTROOM CLASSIC:
contextual menu where you can HIDE THE UI
check or uncheck a panel name to Press the Tab key to hide the left- and right-
hide it. Since no dialog opens, as side panels and Shift-Tab to hide the side
with the Develop module, it’s much panels and the Filmstrip.
easier to hide a panel accidentally Press L to dim the interface around the
with this method. image and press L again to show the photo
with the interface totally blacked out. Press
L a third time to return to the normal view.
LIGHTROOM CLASSIC:
WHERE DID THE Press F to enter Full Screen view, which
TOOLBAR GO? hides the program interface and displays the
As mentioned earlier, one of the image as large as possible on your screen (the
most common ways that parts same shortcut works for Lightroom). Press F
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of the UI go missing is via an again to exit Full Screen view. n

accidental keyboard shortcut.
The Toolbar is present in all the
Lightroom Classic modules and

 69 
It’s about that time where we need to revisit
masks in Photoshop. Previously, we produced
a monthly series about selections and masks,
and you can access those here. In that series
we covered a lot of great techniques for mask
creation and manipulation. A lot has changed
in the world of mask-making, so let’s recap
the foundation and then dive into some less
conventional editing of masks. If you’re not
new to masks and how they work, jump ahead!
If you’re brand-new to Photoshop, welcome,
and here’s a helpful page from Adobe on the
fundamentals of masks and layers.
In Photoshop, a mask is a nondestructive way to hide
parts of an image or layer without erasing them. They’re
great for making image composites, modifying background
colors, removing or cutting out objects, and targeting
edits so they affect only certain areas, rather than the
entire layer. There are many categories of masks that
aren’t always connected to a layer; for example, we have
quick masks, which convert an active selection into a
mask that you can manipulate or paint. There are other
areas where masks are used only to represent information
such as in the Select>Color Range filter, where you’ll
see a mask preview of the areas that can be selected
by sampling a color and adjusting the sensitivity using
the Fuzziness slider. Although you might get confused
by this variation of areas in Photoshop where you see
masks, the rules are always the same.
A mask is a grayscale reference. The areas of the mask
that are white reveal 100% of the underlying content,
whereas black areas of the mask completely hide those
parts of the image on that layer. The areas that are gray
partially reveal or select, depending on the shade of
gray in the mask; lighter being more visible and darker
being more hidden.
Select and Mask workspace
A good example of this is a layer mask! The foundation
of most compositing and image manipulation done in
Photoshop uses layer masks on images, adjustment
layers, and smart objects.
FUNDAMENTAL MASK EDITS:
SELECT AND MASK
The Select and Mask feature is the result of many
years of mask-editing features that have been
added to Photoshop. To use this workspace, you can
either begin with Select and Mask, found under the
Select menu, or you can start with an active selection
and click the Select and Mask button found in the
Options Bar while you have any selection tool chosen,
such as the Marquee tool (Rectangular or Ellipti-
cal), the Magic Wand tool, Object Selection tool (the
new favorite of many Photoshop users), etc. You can
also Right-click on an existing layer mask thumbnail
in the Layers panel and choose Select and Mask.
Adobe seems to want this to be the primary way for
you to manipulate masks, so it’s the most contemporary
foundation for anyone using Photoshop to understand
and master.
Photo by Carlos Andres Gomez on Unsplash
KELBYONE .COM
 71 
 To use the Select and Mask feature in Photoshop to
modify your layer mask, follow these steps:
1. O
 pen Photoshop and open the image with which
you want to work.
2. C
 reate a new layer and add a layer mask to it
by clicking on the Add Layer Mask icon (circle in
a square) at the bottom of the Layers panel. (You
can also start with an active selection and Photo-
shop will use the selection to make the mask.)
3. M
 ake sure the layer mask thumbnail on the layer
you created is active in the Layers panel. Click
on it to make it active (you’ll see white brackets
around the thumbnail).
4. G
 o to the menu bar and choose Select>
Select and Mask. Alternatively, you can use
the keyboard shortcut Command-Option-R
(PC: Ctrl-Alt-R).
5. T
 he Select and Mask workspace will open,
displaying your image with a variety of tools
on the left and controls/options on the right.
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023
 72 
6. U
 se the different tools in the Select and Mask
workspace to refine your mask. Here are some
commonly used tools:
a. B rush (B): Use this tool to paint on the image to
include or exclude areas from the selection or
layer mask.
b. R
 efine Edge Brush (R): This tool helps you refine
the edges of your selection or mask by automati-
cally detecting and adjusting the edges.
c. L
 asso (L): You can use the Lasso tool to make
a freehand selection of specific areas.
d. Q
 uick Selection (W): This tool helps you make
selections based on color and texture.
e. S elect Subject: By clicking this button up in
the Options Bar, Photoshop attempts to select
the main subject automatically in your image.
In the image shown here, the View drop-down
menu in the View Mode section at the top of
the Properties panel is set to Overlay (V) with
the Opacity set to 50%.
 f. S
 mooth, Feather, Contrast, and Shift Edge:
These sliders are in the Global Refinements
section in the Properties panel on the right.
If you’re familiar with these labels from legacy
tools and features within Photoshop, you have
an idea of what they do, but here are some
quick notes:
i. Smooth will round the harsh angles
within a selection (think of rounding
corners in a square or rectangle).
ii. Feather will provide a soft dis-
solve at the edge of your selection
instead of a high contrast edge.
iii. Contrast is exactly that; it reduces the
tonal range within the mask, pushing
shades of gray more toward black or
white. Think of this as always pushing
from the middle outward to the more
absolute values of black or white.
iv. Shift Edge is extremely helpful when
the selection tools leave a 1 px or so
border around your masked object
and you want to reduce or increase
the masked area. For example, if you
were selecting an object with an edge
light in a photo but you didn’t want to
include the edge light, you could con-
tract the mask inward to trim off those
extra unwanted pixels in the shot.
7. A
 s you use the tools and adjust the settings, you’ll
see the changes reflected in the preview window.
8. O
 nce you’re satisfied with the modifications, click
on the OK button at the bottom of the Properties
panel.
9. T
 he modified layer mask will be applied to your
layer, and you can continue editing or adjusting
your image as desired.
THE REFINE EDGE TOOL
The most powerful feature of Select and
Mask (in my opinion) is the Refine Edge
tool. This tool has been in a continual state
of progress since it was first featured as a
simple selection tool many versions ago. If
you’re new to the feature, this is where you’ll
get most of the heavy lifting in modifying
masks for common photography types of
edits. If you’re a graphic designer working
in poster design, or similar, this is less useful. But let’s
cover some of the features of the Refine Edge tool.
• A djust the Size and Hardness of the brush
by clicking the brush preview in the Options Bar
at the top and using the sliders in the drop-down
Brush Options. You should think of the size of the
brush as the target area you’re asking Photoshop
to evaluate within your mask. This is where it will
“hunt” for identifiable edges to interpret whether
they should be added or removed from the mask.
• C lick-and-drag the Refine Edge Brush tool
along the edge of the object you want to refine.
The tool uses various algorithms to detect the
transition between the object and the back-
ground, and it tries to create a smoother and
more accurate edge. Many users find that too
large a brush lacks control and will give them
a chaotic set of results. Too small a brush and
you’re basically painting your own mask the
old-school way. My advice is to use a brush
size that overlaps the area you want Photoshop
to evaluate for mask modification by between
20–100 pixels.
• Pay close attention to areas with complex details,
such as hair or fine textures. The Refine Edge
Brush tool is specifically designed to handle these
challenging areas. As you paint along the edge,
you’ll notice that the tool intelligently adjusts the
selection or mask to preserve fine details and
remove unwanted artifacts.
• If you make a mistake while using the Refine
Edge Brush tool, you can switch the brush to
a Restore state by pressing the Option (PC: Alt)
key while you’re painting. You can also click on
the Minus icon (–) in the Options Bar to switch
it to the Restore state.
Tip: You can zoom in and out of the image using the
Zoom tool (Z) or by pressing Command-+ (PC: Ctrl-+)
or Command- – (PC: Ctrl- –), respectively, to get a closer
look at the edge you’re refining.
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 73 
 EDGE DETECTION AND
SMART RADIUS
Two of the more confusing controls
in Select and Mask that should be
mentioned are Edge Detection and
Smart Radius. Often users say they
adjust the Radius slider for Edge
Detection but don’t see much change
in the results. This is because it’s
dependent on the image. Let’s break
this down.
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023
 74 
EDGE DETECTION: Edge detection is a
feature that automatically identifies the
edges of an object within an image.
When enabled (a Radius greater than
0), it analyzes the image and detects
areas of contrast or sharp transitions
between different colors or tones.
By adjusting the Radius, you can
control the sensitivity of the Edge
Detection algorithm. This can impact
how accurate your mask will be, not
just in edge detection, but also the
blending around that edge, as when
you select hair or branches on a tree.
The great part is that if you already
have a mask started, as you adjust
the Radius slider, you’ll see your
mask adjust (depending on the View
mode you’re in).
SMART RADIUS: Smart Radius is a
feature in the Select and Mask work-
space that automatically adjusts the
edge-refinement radius for better
results. It aims to adapt the radius
size based on the local variations
in edge detail, resulting in improved
selections or layer masks, especially
in areas with complex or subtle edges.
When Smart Radius is enabled,
Photoshop analyzes the image to
identify areas with different levels of
edge detail. It then adjusts the radius
size dynamically, making it larger in
areas with more pronounced edges,
and smaller in regions with finer
details. This adaptive approach helps
maintain sharpness while preserving
intricate elements.
By using the Smar t Radius
option, you can achieve better edge
refinement without the need for
manual adjustments. It’s important
to note, though, that Smart Radius
may not always provide optimal
results, especially in images with
unconventional edge structures or
challenging conditions. In such cases,
manual refinement using tools such
as the Refine Edge Brush tool may
still be necessary.
In summary, consider these two
features in unison, Edge Detection uses
a global sensitivity when looking for
edge detail; Smart Radius will vary the
width around detected edges when
establishing the blend/mask detail
being made. If you were to think of
this in a real-world example, Smart
Radius might look only at a small
boundary found by Edge Detection
along the edge of a person’s neck
or cheek; however, once you get up
to the hair, and you have a visually
busy background, then Smart Radius
would expand upon the original Edge
Detection to further allow for detail
and blending.
Whatever way you modify your
masks with this tool, you also need
to decide how you want to output
that new version of your mask using
the Output To drop-down menu at
the bottom of the Properties panel.
You have several options, including
creating a duplicate layer with a layer
mask, or you could simply update
the existing mask. I’ve written before
about nesting masks inside Photo-
shop: add a mask to a layer, put that
layer into a layer group, and add a
mask to the group. Now you have two
places to manipulate what’s affected
or visible in the image.
SOMETHING MORE FUN AND CREATIVE TRANSFORMING A MASK
Okay, so that was more on the technical side, but what if you want to manipulate Whether you have a mask on an
masks just for fun? Let’s run through a list of examples that are some of my image-based layer or an adjustment
favorite ways to play with masks. We’ll use the following two images (top two layer (Curves, Levels, Hue/Saturation,
images below) to create the final image (bottom) through playing with masks. etc.), you can transform the mask
Note: When we were given access to masks more than two decades ago by simply pressing Command-T
it was about learning the fundamental mask theory: white areas of a mask (PC: Ctrl-T) to bring up the usual
are either selected/visible/affected, and black areas of a mask are not Free Transform controls. This is the
selected/visible/affected. And, of course, this means light gray areas are bounding box with all the control
partially and mostly selected/visible/affected, and dark gray are partially and anchors around the corners and
less selected/visible/affected. A good way of understanding this is: if you sides that allow you to scale the area.
painted with a 50% gray shade in a layer mask (R: 128, G: 128, B: 128) you’d
have the equivalent of setting the layer Opacity to 50% on the same layer.
(Again, you can refer to my past series in Photoshop User for a deeper dive
into selection and mask techniques.) So, if you’re not painting/filling areas
of a mask, what else can you do?
Wall: Photo by Ashkan Forouzani on Unsplash

It’s important to note that, in the

Layers panel, there’s usually a little
link icon between the mask thumb-
nail and the image thumbnail. If this
icon is visible, the two parts are
connected, which means that when
you transform one, you’ll transform
the other equally. This is normally
the desired result, because you’ve
masked out the image to isolate it.
Let’s give it a try. (If you’d like to
follow along using these images,
you can find them on Pexels.com
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by clicking here for the man and

clicking here for the wall. Once
you’ve downloaded them, open both
images in Photoshop.)

 75 
 STEP ONE: In this case, use the Move
tool (V) to drag the image of the man
into the image of the wall and position
him so he fills almost the entire height
of the image. Go to Select>Subject to
select the person, and then choose
Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection
from the menu bar to create a mask
based on the selection, which will
hide the background around the man.
The faster way to add a mask is to
click on the Add Layer Mask icon (it’s
the rectangle with a small circle in
it) at the bottom of the Layers panel.
(Note: All masks in Photoshop use
this symbol and it’s the same in many
other Adobe programs.)

STEP TWO: Now that you’ve isolated

the person, you can use Free Trans-
form as described above to rotate him
(and his mask) so it looks like he’s
standing up straight. Click-and-drag
outside the box to rotate him and
inside the box to reposition him. Press
Enter to commit the transformation.

STEP THREE: Now we can do some- panel (Window>Properties), drag the

thing different! Load the selection of middle of the curve slightly down
the person again (Select>Subject) just so you can see the effect. For
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

and create a new Curves adjustment
layer by clicking the icon at the
bottom of the Layers panel that looks
like a half-filled circle and, from that
drop-down menu, choose Curves.
Because you made the selection
first, it will use the selection to
create the mask. In the Properties
this example, press Command-J (PC:
Ctrl-J) to make a duplicate of the
Curves adjustment layer. We’ll distort
these layers to create shadows, so
drag both of them below the main
subject layer in the Layers panel
(you should no longer be able to
see the effect).

 76 
STEP FOUR: In the case of the first
shadow, click on the mask thumbnail
for the bottom Curves adjustment
layer to make it active, and then go
to Edit>Transform>Distort. If you use
Free Transform for this, you can hold
down the Command (PC: Ctrl) key, to
distort the bounding box when you
drag any of the anchor controllers.
Looking at this image, we can see
there’s a light coming from behind
(highlights on his back and shoulders),
so distorting the “shadow” to the left
makes sense.
STEP FIVE: Now you can make adjust-
ments to the Curves adjustment layer
in the Properties panel to change
the relative tones in the image and
create a shadow-like effect on the
wall. We also decreased the layer
Opacity to around 60%. Examining
the image further, there’s also a light
coming from above as indicated by
the strong cast shadow under his
chin. Distort and fine-tune the other
Curves adjustment layer to create
the shadow for this light.
Teachable Moment Note: Why
do this instead of just filling a layer
with black and reducing its opacity?
Shadows in the real world, and the
way cameras see them, aren’t even.
They’re areas on a surface that are
receiving less light than another part
of the surface because something is
obstructing the light source; therefore
a shadow is just a darker area of the
surface. This is why it’s important to
use adjustment layers, such as Curves
or Levels, because it allows you to
affect parts of an image using the
lighting that was already captured.
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Although a blend of black with opacity
gets a similar effect, the little details
are more accurate depending on how
Using Curves adjustments to create the
you bend the Curves settings. cast shadows on the wall
 77 
 USING FILTERS IN A MASK
The shadows are now geometrically
altered to give a sense of depth
in the composite and they follow
the lighting direction of what we
observed in the photo of the subject,
but they’re way too rigid at the edges.
As an object blocking light moves
further away from the surface onto
which it’s casting a shadow, the
edge of that shadow will usually
get softer.
STEP SIX: With your mask active on
the Curves adjustment layer you can
use Blur filters to help simulate this
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023
 78 
effect. Because it’s distorted, it’s great
to try other blurring filters and not just
Gaussian Blur. For the most distorted
shadow in this example (the larger
one), we used Filter>Blur>Motion Blur
with a horizontal Angle of 0° and a
Distance of 75 pixels.
STEP SEVEN: For the second Curves
adjustment mask we used a traditional
Gaussian Blur. It would be great if
we could use the more modern Blur
Gallery that Adobe introduced into
Photoshop a few years ago, but for
some reason it doesn’t work on masks.
When considering all of the fil-
ters available in Photoshop there are
almost limitless ways you can be
creative using filters in masks. More
commonly used by retouchers and
finishers is Filter>Render>Clouds,
which will give you a more abstract
fill of soft abstract shapes where
you can create variance with Curves
or Levels.
As a further example of using a
filter on a mask to create an effect
in a composite, we can add a subtle
rain-like effect in the image.
STEP EIGHT: To do this, add another
Curves adjustment layer at the top of
the stack, click on its layer mask to
make it active, and press Command-I
(PC: Ctrl-I) to invert it to black. In the
Properties panel adjust the curve
to create a darkening effect (you
won’t see any changes yet). Now
grab the Brush tool (B) set to a Hard
Round brush at a very small size
with Spacing and Scatter settings
applied to it in the Brush Settings
panel (Window>Brush Settings).
Press D to set the Foreground
color to white and then paint on the
mask. This will give you a bunch
of randomly placed white dots on
your mask as you paint, but they’ll
appear as dark spots in the image
because of the curve.

STEP NINE: Now you can use a filter

such as Filter>Blur>Motion Blur
again or some other directional
filter such as Filter>Stylize>Wind
or Sprayed Strokes in the Brush
Strokes folder in the Filter>Filter
Gallery. This is also similar to how
many retouchers add snow to a
scene. (Try playing with those
filters on your masks, because
you can get some really innovative
results.) You can use a regular
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Soft Round brush set to black to

paint on the mask to remove the
parts of the effect that you don’t
want on the subject.

 79 
 PUT IMAGES INTO
YOUR MASKS
So far, in our example, we’ve done
some scene manipulation, but it’s still
quite flat-looking except for the cast
shadows. In the real world, there are
subtle and nuanced shifts in light and
shadow coming from many sources.
This high degree of overlayed variance is
something people should consider when
building ambience into their images. For
example, let’s test an image like this
one of a bird sitting on a barrier/fence.
This is another Pexels.com image that
you can find by clicking here.
Let’s copy-and-past this image into
a mask in Photoshop. Here are the
steps to do this: Step 10
Photo by hilal kh on Unsplash

STEP 10: Open the bird image, go to

Select>All, and then Edit>Copy to copy
the image. Create a Levels adjustment
layer in your working image, and then
Option-click (PC: Alt-click) on the layer
mask thumbnail in the layers panel
to see the mask in your image. Go
to Edit>Paste to paste the bird image
into that mask. Invert the image by
choosing Image>Adjustments>Invert
or by pressing Command-I (PC: Ctrl-I)
and you’ll get a negative of the original
image in the mask. The white areas of the
mask, which were originally black, are
now the editable areas for adjustment.
Use Free Transform to fill the mask with
the image and position it.

STEP 11: Now you can decrease the

brightness of the affected/masked
pixels using the Levels controls in
the Properties panel to create a cast
shadow of a detail that can’t be seen
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

in the image. We also lowered the

layer Opacity to around 20%. This is
a technique that has been used for
years by painters, post/cover designers,
and illustrators to add some mystery
or intrigue to an image. Blurring the
mask again allows this to look more
natural to the scene.

 80 
MORE WITH BRUSHES
There are literally thousands
of brushes available for Photo­- “In the real world,
shop that you can use on
masks. Using a basic leaf brush there are subtle and
can be another great way to
bring ambient lighting detail
nuanced shifts in light
into your image. and shadow coming
STEP 12: In the Brushes panel from many sources.”
(Window>Brushes), search for
the word “Leaves” and you’ll
find several kinds of brushes
of leaves. (Note: If you don’t
see the Legacy Brushes in
your Brushes panel, click on
the flyout menu at the top
right of the panel and choose
Legacy Brushes. Click OK in
the resulting dialog, and then
search for “Leaves.”)

STEP 13: Using the same tech-

niques as before, simply paint
into the adjustment mask you
desire (Curves, Levels, etc.) and
then make the adjustment. In
this example, we’re still making
shadows for the wall and the
subject. Here’s what our mask
looks like with all the leaves
painted into it. Again, we
painted with white on a black
mask. This was used in another
Curves adjustment layer which
allowed us to manipulate the
tone to create another shadow.

STEP 14: Blurring this slight-

ly less than the bird image
means we’re creating depth
for the items that aren’t even
visible in the scene; but our
brain understands shadows
because we’ve witnessed them
our whole lives. With the leaves
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layer set to Multiply blend mode

and a reduced Opacity of 30%,
the image starts to build a lot
more nuance and character.

 81 
 FINISHING TOUCHES
At this stage, you could play with
other variable details. Maybe add
typography into the mask, or the
glow from a neon sign coming off
the top corner. It really depends on
the story you’re trying to tell. For
our example, we’ll close out with a
few more of the basics.
STEP 15: First add a Hue/Saturation
adjustment layer below the subject
layer. In the Properties panel, click on
Colorize, and set the Hue, Saturation,
and Lightness for the color you’d like
to apply to the wall and shadows.
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 82 
STEP 16: Once the color is set, manip-
ulate the mask to create a more natural
degree of variance into the colorization.
In this case, adding dark lines on the
mask that follow the grout in the wall
helps the shadows in those lines from
becoming a rich blue.
STEP 17: Then we’ll add a Filter>Ren-
der Clouds into the mask to create
that variance we mentioned earlier.
To reduce the impact of the Render
Clouds, go to Edit>Fade Clouds
immediately after applying the filter.
This allows you to reduce the Opacity,

Exposure adjustment layers with masks
Settings for the Exposure adjustment
layer that’s creating a highlight on our
subject’s face
or apply a blend Mode, to the results As a final touch, we added a Solid
of the filter you last used. Color fill layer (Layer>New Fill Lay-
er>Solid Color) with a radial gradient
STEP 18: For a more focused mood, to add the glow of that neon sign
we can use additional adjustments mentioned earlier.
such as Exposure with a radial gra-
dient set in the mask. This will help What’s equally great about using
complement the original lighting these techniques with masks is that
direction seen in the source image you could swap out the background or
of the male subject. By using one the figure, if a client requested it, by
radial gradient in a smaller, more simply updating the layers underneath
focused radius, we can have a bit of those masked layers. n
a highlight on the subject’s face area.
Then, a second Exposure adjustment
layer with an inverse and broader
gradient allows us to reduce exposure,
creating a sort of vignette effect on
the image. Using the settings in the
Properties panel, you can adjust the
lighting within the radial gradient
areas on the Exposure masks.
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 COREY BARKER
PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

CREATIVE LAYER BLENDING USING

TEXT AND COLOR EFFECTS
I love typography and am always excited to explore ways to make it part of my image composites. This
is another one of those effects that I found myself just playing around with, because it’s fun and offers
a wide range of possibilities. Here we’re going to use text as an abstract design mortise that allows us
to blend layer effects in a cool and stylish way.

 8 4 
  PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP ONE: We’ll begin by opening the subject

©Adobe Stock/MaxFrost

image. Whether using the same Adobe stock

image here or using one of your own, the
simpler the background, the better the final
effect looks. So, if your subject isn’t on a
solid, light-colored background, just extract
the subject and create a new solid color
background, or considerably lighten the original
background with Levels.
If you’d like to download the low-res water-
marked 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.

STEP TWO: Now let’s create a new Photo-

shop file in which to build the final image. In
Photoshop, go to File>New to open the New
Document dialog. Make it a poster format
with a Width of 1300 px, a Height of 2000
px, and a Resolution of 300 ppi. When done,
click OK or Create.

STEP THREE: Go back to the subject image

and use the Move tool (V) to drag the subject
into this new canvas. Once there, use Free
Transform (Command-T [PC: Ctrl-T]) to scale
and position the subject in the canvas area.
Notice how we’re placing her very close to
the edges. Once you have her in position,
press Enter.

STEP FOUR: Now we need to convert this to a

smart object; however, in this example there
was a lot of extra background area around the
subject, and when we scaled and positioned
it so the subject filled the canvas, that extra
background is still there; it’s just out of view. If
we were to convert the layer to a smart object
as is, it would include all that extra background.
So, before converting, press Command-A
(PC: Ctrl-A) to select the entire canvas area.
Then with the subject layer active in the Layers
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panel, go under the Image menu and choose

Crop. This will delete all that extra background
outside the selection. Deselect the image when
done by pressing Command-D (PC: Ctrl-D).

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  HOW TO

STEP FIVE: Now that those excess

pixels are gone, Right-click the subject
layer in the Layers panel and choose
Convert to Smart Object from the
menu. With the subject now in place,
let’s add the design shape element.

STEP SIX: Go to the Toolbar, choose

the Type tool (T), and press D to set
your Foreground color to black. The
font we’re using here is called Lust
Script Regular (insert giggles here),
which is an Adobe Font. You can
access Adobe Fonts by going under
the Type menu and choosing More
from Adobe Fonts then, on the web
page that opens, just do a search or
browse the numerous font families.
What we want here is a scripted front
with some large swooping curves.
When you find the font you want to
use, click its Activate Font switch to
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

sync it. Back in Photoshop, click once

next to the subject to establish a text
object, this will also automatically
create a new text layer in the Layers
panel. Up in the Options Bar, set the
font to Lust Script Regular (don’t worry
about the size and position for now;
we’ll change that in a couple steps).

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STEP SEVEN: Back in the image we
typed the number 7 in the Lust Script
font. I landed on 7 for no other reason
than it ended up looking cool with this
subject image, but the beauty of it
being a text object is that you can try
 PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
different numbers and letters quickly
and easily. Click the checkmark in
the Options Bar to commit the text.
STEP EIGHT: Once you’ve set your
letter or number, use Free Transform
again to scale it to just beyond the
canvas edges. By holding Shift while
dragging points you can scale it
disproportionately to better suit the
position of the subject. Press Enter
when done.
STEP NINE: To see how the subject is
positioned in relation to the number
shape, go to the Layers panel and lower
the text layer Opacity to 50%. This
helps if you want to position certain
parts within the area of the text.
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  HOW TO

STEP 10: We need to make a

copy of the subject layer but,
because it’s a smart object,
simply duplicating it as usual
will create a linked copy so, if
you change one smart object, it
updates the other smart object.
We want to be able to edit them
separately, so Right-click the
smart object layer and choose
New Smart Object via Copy. This
creates an unlinked instance of
the smart object.
Step 10
STEP 11: Place the duplicate
smart object above the text layer
in the Layers panel, double-click Step 11
its name, and rename it “Color
Effect” or the like. Also, go ahead
and rename the original smart
object “Base Layer” or some-
thing similar.

STEP 12: Double-click the

Color Effect smart object layer’s
thumbnail in the Layers panel
to open the contained image,
which is the original subject
layer (it’s like Inception but in
tutorial form. LOL!). Anyway, with Step 12
this layer selected, click on the
Add a Layer Style icon (ƒx) at
the bottom of the Layers panel
and choose Gradient Overlay.

STEP 13: Within the Gradient

Overlay settings, start by clicking
the down-pointing arrow next
to the Gradient preview strip
to access the many presets.
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Definitely play around with the

various gradients as you explore
this effect, because they all can
give you some cool results, espe-
cially when combined with blend
modes. Here we’ve chosen the
Step 13
Red_07 preset in the Reds folder.
Don’t click OK yet.

 8 8 
 PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP 14: Next, change the

Blend Mode. Again go through
the list and see what works
best, but here we found that
Hard Light was looking like
a good mix. We also set the
Opacity to 100%, chose Radial
for the Style, and checked
on Reverse. Tweak any other
settings as needed. You can
reposition the gradient man-
ually while the Layer Style
dialog is still open: Just click
on the canvas directly and
move it around. Once in place,
click OK.

STEP 15: You can see it

yields a really nice color
result but the subject does
get a little lost in some
areas. For a quick trick,
go to the Select menu
and choose Subject. Once
selected press Command-J
(PC: Ctrl-J) to copy the
selected subject to a new
layer. Delete the layer style
on this duplicate layer as
it will copy over ( just drag
the Gradient Overlay on this
layer to the Delete Layer icon
[trash can] at the bottom of
the Layers panel).
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  HOW TO

STEP 16: Remove the color

from the extracted subject layer
by pressing Shift-Command-U
(PC: Shift-Ctrl-U). Then, set the
layer blend mode to Multiply
and lower the layer Opacity to
50%. This brings some of that
contrast back without lessening
the color effect.

STEP 17: For added effect, click

the Add Layer Mask icon (circle
in a square) at the bottom of
the Layers panel to add a mask
to the extracted subject layer.
Grab the Gradient tool (G) and,
in the Options Bar, click on the
gradient preview thumbnail to
open the Gradient Editor. Select
the Black, White preset in the
Basics set and click OK. Back
in the Options Bar select the
Radial Gradient icon and draw
a gradient in the lower-left area
to fade the extracted subject
and bring back the color effect
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

around her shoes.

Once done, close this file
and save the changes and you’ll
see the updated smart object
in the main working file. You’ll
also notice it only updated the
top smart object and not the
other one.

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 PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP 18: Make sure the text

layer Opacity is back to 100%
and that the Color Effect layer
is the active layer. Then, press
Option-Command-G (PC: Alt-
Ctrl-G) to clip the Color Effect
layer inside the text layer below.
You’ll see the blended effect
we’re going for here.
Remember the text layer is
still live so you can highlight
it with the Type tool and see
how a different letter or number
looks with immediate results.
You can also experiment with
other fonts.

STEP 19: Grab the Eyedropper

tool in the Toolbar (I), and click
on the light-gray color back-
ground of the Base Subject
layer to sample it. Once the
color is sampled, create a new
blank layer and place it under
the Base Subject Layer. Then,
fill the layer with the sampled
color by pressing Option-Delete
(PC: Alt-Backspace). KELBYONE .COM

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  HOW TO

STEP 20: Make the Base

Layer active once more,
go to the Filter menu, to
Blur, and choose Box Blur.
Why not Gaussian Blur?
No reason! Artistic choice.
When the Box Blur dialog
opens, set the Radius to
around 15 pixels, and click
OK. (Try the different blurs
in the Filter>Blur Gallery
because they ’re fun to
experiment with.)

STEP 21: Since the layer

is a smart object it also
uses smart filters, so you
can see the Box Blur
listed under the layer
with a Smart Filters layer
mask. This Smart Filters
mask only affects the
filter effect. Click on that
mask to make it active,
and press X until the
Foreground color is black.
Using the Gradient tool
again, select the Fore-
ground to Transparent
preset in the Basics set
of the Gradient Editor.
Leave it set to the Radial
Gradient, then proceed to
fade the effect wherever
you might want. Here
we’re adding a large
gradient around the
subject’s head and upper
body and one a little bit
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lower close to her leg. This

varies the blur effect.

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 PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP 22: We want to fade the

Base Layer a little, so click on
it to make it active and add a
layer mask by clicking the Add
Layer Mask icon at the bottom
of the Layers panel. Then draw
another radial gradient near the
upper-right corner to fade that
side of her body.

STEP 23: So far, so good but

it needs a little depth between
the two effects. Make the text
layer active, click on the Add a
Layer Style icon at the bottom
of the Layers panel, and add
an Inner Shadow. You can see
here we’re using a deep purple
as the shadow color to go along
with the current color scheme.
Vary the other settings and, just
as with the Gradient Overlay,
you can position this effect
manually. Once done, click OK.
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  HOW TO

STEP 24: Make the text

layer active and duplicate
it by pressing Command-J
Step 25
(PC: Ctrl-J). It places the
copy as part of the clip-
ping group so just grab
the bottom text layer and
move it to the top of the
layer stack. Delete the
Inner Shadow layer style
on the duplicate by drag-
ging it directly to the trash
can at the bottom of the
Layers panel.

STEP 25: With the top text

layer back in its original
state, Right-click the layer
and choose Convert to
Shape in the pop-up menu.
Once converted, switch to
the Path Selection tool (A),
go to the Options Bar, and
set the Fill to No Color and
the Stroke to white. Also,
set the stroke width to 5 px
or thicker if you desire.

STEP 26: Activate Free

Transform, and press
Command-0 (PC: Ctrl-T)
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to expand the window to

reveal the transform box.
Proceed to offset the posi-
tion of the stroke, scale it
a little, and rotate it so it
goes over both images.
Press Enter when done
altering the stroke.

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 PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP 27: Now add a layer mask

to this shape layer and use the
Gradient tool with the same
radial gradient as before to fade
the stroke in random areas.
Finally, change the layer’s blend
mode to Overlay.

Most of the effects in our final

image are still live so have fun
trying different color effects,
letters, numbers, and even dif-
ferent subject images because
it’s contained in a smart object.
I know I did! What will you
create with this technique? n

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 KIRK NELSON
PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STOP SKRULLING! CREATE AN EFFECT

INSPIRED BY THE SECRET INVASION POSTER
If you’re familiar with the shape-shifting aliens known to the Marvel comic universe as Skrulls, then
you’re probably just as excited as we are for the upcoming Secret Invasion series that promises to bring
some of that shape-shifting fun to the Cinematic Universe. The promotional poster features a gritty
photo of Nick Fury with a Skrull peeking through the ribbons of the cut paper. We thought this would
make an excellent tutorial and push the boundaries of what we can easily accomplish in Photoshop. This
project features some creative uses of layer effects, plus some fun masking concepts.

 96 
  PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP ONE: Open Photoshop

©Adobe Stock/Paweł Michałowski

and then go to File>Open

and open an image with a
parchment texture like this one
from Adobe Stock. This image
is actually part of their free
stock images! If you’d like to
download this image 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 (Win-
dow>Libraries). Double-click
the image in the Libraries panel
to open it in Photoshop.
Once the image is open, go
to Image>Image Size, make
sure Resample is checked on,
and set the Width to 3000
pixels and the Height to 2000
pixels. Click OK.

STEP TWO: Now go to File>

Place Embedded and select a
portrait image like the one we’re
using here from Adobe Stock.
If you’d like to download the
©Adobe Stock/Djomas

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. Drag the image
from the Libraries panel to the
parchment document.
Use the control handles to
resize and place the portrait
so his face covers the majority
of the vertical space in the
image. Click OK. Then go to
Select>Subject so Photoshop
creates a selection around the
portrait. Click the Add Layer
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Mask icon (circle in a square) at

the bottom of the Layers panel
to mask out the background of
the portrait layer.

 97 
  HOW TO

STEP THREE: In the Layers panel, click

on the portrait layer’s thumbnail to
change the active focus to it and
not the layer mask. Go to Image>
Adjustments>Black & White, select
the Darker preset in the menu at the
top, and click OK. Follow this with a
Shadows/Highlights adjustment, and
check on Show More Options to see all
the controls. Set the Shadows Amount
to 0%, Tone to 50%, and the Radius to
200 px. Set the Highlights Amount to
5%, Tone to 50%, and Radius to 30 px.
Then set the Adjustments Color to
+74 and Midtones to +63. The result
should be a very gritty black-and-white
portrait with high contrast (these
settings may look a little harsh on
the low-res version of the Adobe
Stock image, so experiment with
the sliders, especially the Shadows
Amount). Click OK.

STEP FOUR: Hold down the Option

©Adobe Stock/Ricky
(PC: Alt) key and go to Layer>Merge
Visible to create a new merged layer
at the top of the layer stack. Dou-
ble-click the name of this layer, rename
it “Portrait Source,” and reduce its
Opacity to around 50%. Hide the
original portrait layer by clicking its
Eye icon in the Layers panel. Go to
File>Place Embedded and select the
portrait of an alien like this one from
Adobe Stock. You can click here
to find and download the low-res
version of this image, and then drag
it from your Libraries panel into your
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

working document.
Place the alien layer underneath
the Portrait Source layer, press
Command-T (PC: Ctrl-T) for Free
Transform, and resize and position
the alien so its eyes roughly align
with the human portrait. Press Enter
to commit the transformation.

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 PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP FIVE: The shape of the

faces don’t match, so go to
Edit>Puppet Warp to change
the shape of the alien portrait.
Start by clicking directly on
the irises to set pins so those
don’t move. Then add and
move pins along the chin,
shoulders, ears, and forehead
as shown here. The good
thing about this approach is
that it’s an alien face, so we
can reshape it as much as
we want without it looking
“unnatural.” Press Enter to
commit the transformation.

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 99 
  HOW TO

STEP SIX: Next, let’s

adjust the skin color-
ing for our alien. Go
to Filter>Camera Raw
Filter and in the Basic
tab set the Tint to
–42, Contrast to +60,
Highlights to +3, and
Whites to +16. Pump
up the Clarity to +61
and Vibrance to +12,
and click OK.
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 10 0 
 PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP SEVEN: Use Select>Sub-

ject to let Photoshop automat-
ically select the alien portrait
(if you’re using the low-res
image and areas of the alien
are missing in the selection,
paint over those areas with the
Quick Selection tool, which is
nested with the Object Selec-
tion tool [W] in the Toolbar,
to add them to the selection).
Use that selection to create a
layer mask. Then restore the
Portrait Source layer to full
100% Opacity and hide the alien
portrait layer. With the Portrait
Source layer selected, press
Command-G (PC: Ctrl-G) to
create a group with this layer
inside it. Rename the group
“Slices.” At this point we’re ready
to begin the process of cutting
the portrait up into the slices
that form the primary elements
of this design.

STEP EIGHT: Make the Por-

trait Source layer active, and
grab the Polygonal Lasso tool
(nested with the Lasso tool
[L] in the Toolbar). Zoom out
of your document so you can
see the canvas around your
image (if you’re not in Appli-
cation Frame mode, drag out
the bottom-right corner of the
document window to reveal the
canvas). Click in the canvas
area to create a wide triangular
shape that encompasses the
bottom of the image. Then
go to Layer>New>Layer Via
Cut, which is Shift-Command-J
(PC: Shift-Ctrl-J), to cut the
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selected slice to a new layer.

Then hide that new layer to
make it easier to see where
to select the next one.

 101 
  HOW TO

STEP NINE: Continue the process

of creating slices from the Portrait
Source layer, being sure to hide
each slice as you go. Vary the
size and angle of the slices so
they don’t appear uniform. It’s
not difficult work, but will take
a couple minutes to get them
all. Aim to have around 30 slices
in total. After cutting them out,
reveal all the slices and randomly
shift several slices horizontally
either left or right so they don’t
all align perfectly. You can do
this by making the Move tool (V)
active, and using the Left and Right
Arrow keys on your keyboard. This
imperfect positioning is critical to
the overall effect, so also make
sure the distance you shift each
slice isn’t uniform but randomly
done as well.

STEP 10: Reveal the alien layer

again even though the slices are
hiding it. Go through and hide
five or six of the slices to allow
the alien portrait to show through,
including the very bottom slice. To
enhance the effect, Command-click
(PC: Ctrl-click) the thumbnail of
the hidden bottom slice in the
Layers panel to create a selection
from it. Hold the Shift key and
Command-click (PC: Ctrl-click)
on another hidden slice (here a
thin slice through the forehead)
to add it to the selection. Click
on the mask thumbnail of the
alien portrait to make it the active
element, go to Edit>Fill, set the
Contents drop-down menu to
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

Black, and click OK. This will hide

some of the alien portrait and let
the background parchment show
through (we chose the bottom
slice to leave room for text). Be
sure to press Command-D (PC:
Ctrl-D) to deactivate the selection
before moving on.

 102 

STEP 11: Click on the top visible slice
layer in the Slices group, click the Add
a Layer Style icon (ƒx) at the bottom of
the Layers panel, and choose a Drop
Shadow. Turn off Use Global Light, and
then set the Opacity to 75%, Angle to
90°, Distance to 15 px, and Size to 15
px. Click OK. Then Right-click on the
ƒx icon next to the layer thumbnail
and select Copy Layer Style from the
context menu. Hold down Shift and
click on the last slice layer to select all
the slices. Right-click again and select
 PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS
Paste Layer Style to apply the same
drop shadow to every slice.
STEP 12: This next part can be a
bit tedious, but it isn’t difficult and
really shouldn’t take more than a
minute or two. First, click on any
layer so all the slice layers are no
longer selected in the Layers panel.
Right-click on the ƒ x icon of each
visible slice and select Create Layer
from the context menu. You’ll get
a warning dialog, but just click OK
Step 12
(you shouldn’t see a change in the
document). This will change the drop
shadow into its own layer beneath its
parent layer. Unfortunately, Photoshop
doesn’t provide a means to do this
as a batch operation. For the layers
that are hidden, you don’t need to
create an effect layer from them.
In fact, you’ll see a change to the
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visible parts of the alien if you do
this to a hidden layer, so just press
Command-Z (PC: Ctrl-Z) to undo if
this happens.
 103 
  HOW TO

STEP 13: Go to each drop shadow

layer and, with the Move tool active,
use the Up Arrow key to nudge it
upward to be directly behind its parent
layer so the bottom part of the drop
shadow is no longer visible. Then go
to Edit>Transform>Warp. Up in the
Options Bar, select the Arc Lower
preset in the Warp drop-down menu
and set the Bend to between 1 and
2%. This gives a slightly lower bulge
to the middle of the shadow and
creates the appearance of the slice
being higher in the center than on
the edges, almost as if the cut doesn’t
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run completely across the parchment.

STEP 14: Grab the Crop tool (C)

and crop the image to a vertical
portrait ratio with a width some-
where around 1,350 pixels. This
intentionally leaves the edges of Step 14
the slices outside the canvas.

 10 4 
 PHOTOSHOP DOWN & DIRTY TRICKS

STEP 15: Create another merged

layer at the top of the layer stack
and convert it to a smart object
with Layer>Smart Objects>
Convert to Smart Object. Go to
Filter>Noise>Add Noise and set
the Amount to 27%, Distribution
to Uniform, and check on Mono-
chromatic. Click OK. Then run
the Camera Raw Filter again and,
in the Basic panel, increase the
Clarity to +44, Dehaze to +5,
and the Vibrance to +29. Open
the Effects panel and set the
Grain to 55 and the Vignetting
to –50. Click OK and then enjoy
your Secret Invasion-inspired
portrait with a shape-shifting
alien peeking through!

Even though there were some

repetitive tasks with this project,
the techniques can be lots of
fun and you’ll create some very
interesting and eye-catching
ef fects. The key is to think
through dif ferent ways of
using traditional tools and
techniques, as there might
be a secret use hiding inside
them, just like a Skrull! n
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 LESA SNIDER
BEGINNERS’ WORKSHOP

CREATING A DAY-TO-NIGHT GRADIENT

In this column, you’ll learn how to blend three images of the same scene into a single piece showcasing
different times of day. You can use frames from a timelapse video, or frames taken at morning, noon, and
night, maybe while your camera was connected to an intervalometer. This technique creates a striking
image, plus it’s a great lesson on layers.

©Adobe Stock/samarttiw

We’re going to use three files from

Adobe Stock. If you’d like to follow
©Adobe Stock/samarttiw
along with the low-res preview ver-
sions of these images, click the links
below, log in with your Adobe ID, and ©Adobe Stock/samarttiw

click Download Preview to download

the images to your computer.

• Morning
• Daytime
• Nighttime

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  BEGI N N E RS’ WORKSHOP

STEP ONE: In Photoshop, choose File>Scripts>

Load Files into Stack. In the dialog that opens,
click Browse and navigate to where the files
live on your hard drive. Select all three files by
Command-clicking (PC: Ctrl-clicking) them and
then click Open. Back in the Load Layers dialog,
ensure the two checkboxes at the bottom are
turned off and click OK. If you’re starting in
Lightroom, select three thumbnails and choose
Photo>Edit In>Open as Layers in Photoshop.
This technique works well with cityscapes—
downtown Bangkok here—because they tend
to have a lot of nighttime lights, whereas a
landscape image may be pitch black at night.
Tip: We turned off Attempt to Automatically
Align Source Images for this example, but you
may want to try using it on your own images.
Because Photo­shop will do its best to make the
images match, you may end up with distortion
and transparent areas around the document
edges. We’ll manually align the image layers
in the next steps.

STEP TWO: In the Layers panel, Command-click

the thumbnail of the bottom layer (nighttime)
to select it (you should see “marching ants”
around it in the image). Go to Image>Crop to
crop the image to the selection, which should
remove any transparency around the edges of
the image. Press Command-D (PC: Ctrl-D) to
remove the selection.

STEP THREE: Click the visibility Eye (circled)

for the top layer (morning) to turn it off. Now
click the layer thumbnail of the middle layer
(daytime) to activate it. Lower its Opacity to
around 50% in the Layers panel so you can see
the nighttime layer below. Press Command-T
(PC: Ctrl-T) to summon Free Transform. In the
Options Bar, ensure the Maintain Aspect Ratio
icon (circled) is turned on. Now drag a corner
handle outward until the buildings match more
closely in size to those on the nighttime layer.
Then drag within the bounding box to reposi-
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tion the image as necessary (it doesn’t need

to be precise, just close). Press Enter when
you’re finished, and raise the layer’s Opacity
back to 100%.

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  HOW TO

STEP FOUR: Click where the visibility Eye

icon was for the top layer (morning) to
turn it back on and click on it to make
it the active layer. Lower its Opacity
and use Free Transform again to try
and match the size and position of the
buildings to the layer below (daytime).
The angle at which this image was taken
is different from the other layers, so
just focus on trying to match the center
building. Press Enter when done, and
raise its Opacity back to 100%.

STEP FIVE: In the Layers panel, drag

the layer thumbnails to rearrange the
layers so the morning image is at the
bottom of the layer stack, daytime is in
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

the middle, and nighttime is at the top.

Tip: To see the image thumbnails
better in the Layers panel, click the
Layers panel flyout menu (the three
lines at the top right of the panel) and
choose Panel Options. In the resulting
dialog, pick the largest thumbnail size
and click OK.

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  BEGI N N E RS’ WORKSHOP

STEP SIX: Choose View>Guides>New

Guide Layout and in the dialog that
opens, set the number of Columns to
3 (because we have three images)
and set the Gutter to 600 pixels for a
high-resolution image (try 125 pixels for
the low-resolution preview files). Click
OK and Photoshop adds six guides to
the image, which you’ll use with the
Gradient tool momentarily, to ensure
the transition width between each
image is exactly the same.

STEP SEVEN: In the Layers panel, click

the visibility Eye (circled) for the top
layer (nighttime) to turn it off. Now click
the layer thumbnail of the middle layer
(daytime) to activate it, and then add
a layer mask by clicking the circle-
within-a-square icon (also circled) at
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the bottom of the Layers panel. Notice

how the layer mask (circled) has corner
brackets around it, to indicate that
it’s active.

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  HOW TO

STEP EIGHT: Press G to grab

the Gradient tool (circled).
Press D to set the color
chips at the bottom of the
Toolbar (also circled) to the
default colors of black and
white, and then press X to
flip-flop the chips so black
is on top. In the Options Bar,
click the gradient thumb-
nail preview to open the
Gradient Editor. Choose the
Foreground to Background
preset in the Basics set,
and click OK. Back in the
Options Bar, ensure Linear
Gradient is turned on (cir-
cled) and that the Mode is
Normal and Opacity is 100%.

STEP NINE: Mouse over to

the image and Shift-drag
from the second guide
rightward to the third guide
in the image; Shift-dragging
ensures you’re creating a
perfectly straight line with
the Gradient tool (circled).
Release your mouse and
Photoshop adds a black- Step Nine
to-white gradient to the
layer mask. In the realm of a
layer mask, the color black
conceals and white reveals.
Because we dragged with
the Gradient tool across
the gutter width we set
earlier, we get a nice wide
transition between what’s
on the layer underneath
(morning) and what’s on
this layer (daytime). Don’t
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worry if the buildings don’t

match up at this point; we’ll
fix that at the end.
Tip: If you’re not pleased
with your first attempt with
the Gradient tool, simply
drag again and Photoshop
will update the layer mask. Step Nine

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 BEGI N N E RS’ WORKSHOP

STEP 10: Back in the Layers

panel, click the visibility Eye
(circled) next to the top night-
time layer to turn it back on.
Click the layer thumbnail to
activate that layer and then
add a layer mask by clicking
the circle-within-a-square icon
(also circled) at the bottom of
the Layers panel.

STEP 11: With the Gradient

tool still active in the Toolbar,
Shift-drag from the fourth guide
rightward to the fifth guide to
create another transition.

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  HOW TO

STEP 12: When you’re fin-

ished using the guides,
turn them off by choosing
View>Show>Guides. Alter-
natively, you can clear them
by choosing View>Guides>
Clear Guides.

STEP 13: In this example, the

morning image doesn’t per-
fectly line up with the other
two images, so let’s resize
and reposition it. In the
Layers panel, activate the
morning layer and then press
Command-T (PC: Ctrl-T) to
summon Free Transform.
In the Options Bar, ensure
the Maintain Aspect Ratio
icon (circled) is turned on.
Now drag a corner handle
outward (the cursor is also
circled) until the buildings on
the left match more close-
ly in size to those on the
daytime layer. Then drag
within the bounding box to
reposition the image as nec-
essary (the cursor is circled
here, too). Press Enter when
you’re finished.
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Here’s the final piece.
When you’re finished, save the doc-
ument; though the process differs
slightly depending on the program
in which you started. If you started
in Photoshop, choose File>Save As,
choose a location and enter a file-
name. From the Format (PC: Save
As Type) menu, choose Photoshop
and click Save. If you started in
Lightroom, make sure that program
is still running and then in Photoshop,
choose File>Save. You won’t get
the option to pick a location (or
enter a filename), but Photoshop
 BEGI N N E RS’ WORKSHOP
will automatically tuck the resulting
Photoshop document into the same
folder as the original images (the ones
you opened from inside Lightroom
in Step One). Then, once the file is
saved, choose File>Close to close
it in Photoshop, and it’ll appear in
your Lightroom catalog.
How fun was that? Thanks to the
amazing Julienne Kost for the inspi-
ration for this technique! Until next
time, may the creative force be with
you all. n
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 SCOTT VALENTINE
PHOTOSHOP PROVING GROUND

THE POWER OF THE REMOVE TOOL

If you’re a fan of Photoshop’s Spot Healing and Content-Aware Fill tools, you’re about to fall in love! In
the current Photoshop release is a sweet little gem called the Remove tool. Check out this image below.

What do you see? Better yet,

©Adobe Stock/Netfalls
what don’t you see? People.
Look at the reflections that
I intentionally left behind as
proof that people did exist in
this photo of the Louvre. What if
I told you I did that with a single
tool and no cleanup or repairs
for textures and patterns?
If that doesn’t blow your
doors off, I don’t know what
will. Let’s take a look at this
nifty little marvel that was briefly
in the Beta version of Photo-
shop, but is now available in the
regular version of Photoshop
as of the May 2023 update (the
24.5.0 Release).

A CLOSER LOOK
As with most of the newer Sensei-
powered AI tools, there aren’t
very many controls. In fact, the
Remove tool is about as minimal
as it gets. You can find it just The Remove tool works destruc-
under the Spot Healing Brush tively in that you can work directly
tool (J) in the Toolbar. on a layer to have the results applied
The Options Bar at the top immediately to an image layer, which
gives you everything you need. I don’t recommend. Instead, add a
All the usual suspects are blank layer above the working layer
here: brush Size, pressure toggle and enable Sample All Layers. This
(for use with a pen and tablet has the desired (and predictable)
like Wacom Intuos or Xencelabs), effect of keeping things nondestruc-
Sample All Layers checkbox, an tive and allows you to work with
option to Remove After Each smart objects. Just leave this on
Stroke, Undo, and Apply. These unless you have a special case, such
are all self-explanatory, so we as working below an adjustment
can jump ahead to how you layer or you need to go back and
might use them in your work. do some cleanup work.

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  PHOTOSHOP PROVING GROUND

Here’s the original image from the

beginning of the article.
To use the Remove tool, add a
blank layer above your photo layer
and ensure the Sample All Layers
is on in the Options Bar. For the
moment, also enable Remove After
Each Stroke. Now just paint over
something you want to remove. I’ll
start with the person on the right.
The reflections are just as easy
to deal with, and the results are
similarly spectacular.
You’ll have to cover the entire object
or person in one go, but fortunately it’s
pretty easy to do since you don’t need
Louvre original
a perfect selection. In fact, Remove
works very well with simpler selection
areas. Just ensure you’re filling the area
or there will be artifacts left behind.
Once you’ve covered everything, simply
lift your pen or mouse button and wait
a second or two.
Notice that the pattern is not only
filled in, but it’s also crisp and properly
aligned. When’s the last time you saw
the Clone Stamp or Content-Aware
Fill pull off that bit of magic?
Choose a brush Size that’s just
large enough to make the selection
simple, but not so big that you cover
unnecessary extra elements in the
image. Remove works best when
you make your selection as simple as
possible without leaving anything out.
Unchecking Remove After Each
Stroke lets you build up strokes so
you aren’t required to keep your pen
or mouse button down while painting.
When you finish covering the content
to be removed, click the big Apply
checkmark icon in the Options Bar.
It’s tempting to use this to create
multiple separate selections and work
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on all of them at once. Unfortunately,

this just bogs things down and isn’t
any faster than attacking those ele-
Final Image ments individually.

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  HOW TO

JUMPING AROUND

Scott Valentine
Here’s an example where being able to
jump around a bit is helpful.

The boat in the middle needs to go, but

getting it covered without getting sloppy
is a challenge if it all has to be filled in
one pass. It’s much easier to outline it first
and then paint the interior with a slightly
larger brush.

It’s also possible to constrain brush-

strokes to straight lines by using the Shift
key just like with a regular brush. This
can only be done with the Remove After
Each Stroke option selected. I clicked with
the Remove tool on one end of the shore
line, then pressed Shift and clicked at the
other end to match the straight edge of
the shore, before going back to paint in
the lower portion.

Here’s the end result. I removed the

boat and the shore separately. Take a look
at how perfect that horizon is without any
other work!
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Final Image

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  PHOTOSHOP PROVING GROUND

PORTRAIT RETOUCHING

©Adobe Stock/Alex
Of course the Remove tool is also
great for skin retouching where it
far surpasses the Clone Stamp for
preserving fine texture, color, and
shading. You’ll still want to use
frequency separation for shading
and color work, but most skin
blemishes are easily handled.
Even blood vessels in the eyes
are cleaned up without any blurry
edges or weirdness.

Before

After

Running through spot and blem-

ish removal is incredibly quick, and
best done one spot at a time. Be
sure to leave Remove After Each
Stroke selected!

Even stray hairs are a breeze.

I know it may not look like much,

but if you’ve ever had to deal with
these little pests you understand
just what a tiny miracle is going on
here. Blemish retouching is just as
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fast: simply “spot” the individual

features and you’re good to go.
Save frequency separation for
bigger problems!

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  HOW TO

BLENDING

Firefly (creative commons)

What about compositing? For that matter,
what about non-photographic work? I’m glad
you asked!
Here’s an image generated with Adobe
Firefly. I’d like to copy the hand from the
left to the right to make the figure more
symmetrical. A simple rectangular selection
later, and I have my copy.
The outline is clearly visible. Traditionally
I’d use careful masking and Clone Stamping
to help blend in this piece; however, just
tapping around the outline on a blank layer
with the Remove tool yields a fantastic blend.
I went ahead and hit a few other areas to
break up the copy/paste effect, too.
What would have taken probably 15–20
minutes was reduced to a few seconds.

TIPS
Before closing out with some additional
examples, here are a few tips for working
with the new Remove tool.

•  ork small areas one at a time. This

W
includes sometimes breaking up larger
subjects into smaller pieces! Traditional
“spotting” techniques, as you’d use with
Spot Healing, apply here.

• If the results aren’t great the first time,

try again or simply go over the problem
areas. Remove often cleans itself up
really well, and it learns while you’re
working to try and improve results.

• You can start with other copied content

for more advanced blending options.
Throw composites together quickly
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

then let Remove blend for you.

•  hen patterns don’t align well or

W
straight lines aren’t working, try using
Clone Stamp on a blank layer to help
with “hinting.” Alternatively, start at
the end of a line that was messed up
and drag toward its mating end to help
Remove understand what you want.

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  PHOTOSHOP PROVING GROUND

ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES
Each of the following examples took only a few seconds absolutely brilliant is preserving patterns, texture, and
and no other tools besides Remove. That’s not to say even depth of field. In the hiker picture below, notice
Remove is perfect yet! There are plenty of failures the out-of-focus subject is handled just as well as the
and circumstances where Remove produces weird, camera on the guy in the foreground. Amazing! n
unusable results. Just remember to be patient as the
tool learns and gets better over time. Where Remove is
©Adobe Stock/Xalanx

Before After
©Adobe Stock/Evgenii

Before After
©Adobe Stock/Charlie’s

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Before After

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 DAVE CLAYTON
DESIGNING IN PHOTOSHOP

THE FINAL FRONTIER

I’m going to make a confession. It’s not a bad one; it’s a lifelong one. I am a Trekkie. I was born in ’65
and Star Trek was one of the TV shows that shaped my brain into becoming a designer. Sci-fi seemed
to be the trigger for me and I’m glad of that, because not only do I love sci-fi, I love designing. So, in this
month’s tutorial we’re going to create a design in honor of the end of the recent series of Picard which was
10 out of 10 amazing, touching, and awesome!

We’re going to create a starry nebula

space scene and add some text for
a final touch, all in Photoshop. So
let’s boldly go and engage (see what
I did there?).

STEP ONE: For this tutorial we’ll make a

desktop background, but you can make
whatever size you like. To create our space
scene go to File>New, and set the size
to 1920x1080 px, at 300 ppi and RGB.
Set the Background Contents to Black
for this document, and click Create.

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 DESIGNING IN PHOTOSHOP

STEP TWO: To create the base

layer of our star field, we’re going
to fill it with noise. Before we
apply anything, convert the layer
to a smart filter by going to
Filter>Convert for Smart Filters.
This will allow you to make any
changes to the effects applied,
after you apply them.
To add some noise, go to
Filter>Noise>Add Noise and
set the Amount to 385% and
Distribution to Gaussian. Check
on Monochromatic, and then
click OK. It may seem like a lot
of noise but don’t worry, we’re
going to change some settings
to reduce this to a more star-
like fill. Double-click the name
of this layer in the Layers panel,
and rename it “Star 1.”

STEP THREE: Create a copy of

the Star 1 layer by pressing
Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J) or
drag the layer to the + icon
at the bottom of the Layers
panel. Now click on the Eye
icon of the duplicate layer to
turn off its visibility. For now,
we’ll work on the original layer,
so click on it to make it the
active layer. We’ll apply a blur
so go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian
Blur, set the Radius to 0.5 px,
and click OK.

STEP FOUR: Now we need to

use Levels, so press Com-
mand-L (PC: Ctrl-L) to bring
up the Levels dialog. Set the
shadows slider on the left to
200, the midtones slider to
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0.5, and click OK. This hugely

reduces the amount of noise
and makes it look more like a
starry sky.

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  HOW TO

STEP FIVE: Click on the

top copy in the Layers
panel to make it active
and make it visible
again. We need to apply
a Gaussian Blur to this
layer as well, but this
time with 2-px Radius.
Also apply a Levels
adjustment to the layer
and set the shadows to
165, highlights to 175,
and click OK. Before we
move on, add one more
Gaussian Blur of 1 px.

STEP SIX: With the top

layer still active, dou-
ble-click to the right of
its name in the Layers
panel to open the Layer
Style dialog. Click on
the words “Outer Glow”
in the list on the left
to both activate it and
go to its settings. Set
the Blend to Normal,
Opacity to 75%, Noise
to 0%, Color to White,
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

and Size to 10 px. Leave

all the other settings at
their defaults and click
OK. Change the blend
mode of the top layer
to Lighten, which will
allow both sets of stars
to be visible.

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 DESIGNING IN PHOTOSHOP

STEP SEVEN: Shift-click the

bottom layer so both layers
are selected and convert
them to a smart object (Lay-
er>Smart Objects>Convert to
Smart Object). Name this layer
“MERGED STAR LAYERS.” Add
a new layer named “Clouds,”
and make your Foreground
color black and Background
color white by pressing D. Now
go to Filter>Render>Clouds
and click OK. With the Clouds
layer active, change the blend
mode to Color Dodge.

STEP EIGHT: Now add a new

blank layer called “Color ” in
between the two existing
layers. With the blank layer
active, click on the Foreground
color swatch near the bottom
of the Toolbar and, in the
Color Picker, choose a blue
color (#2a00ff ), and click OK.
Now select the Brush tool (B)
and, from the settings in the
Options Bar at the top, select
the Soft Round brush (in the
General Brushes set), change
the Size to 600 px, and lower
the Opacity to 10%. Also, in
the Brush Settings panel
(Window>Brush Settings),
make sure the only setting
checked is Smoothing. Click
some random dabs over the
stars to create the first base
of color for your nebula; any-
where the brush dabs overlap
the density of the strokes will
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increase. You can also change

the size of the brush using the
Left and Right Bracket keys as
you dab around the document.

 123 
  HOW TO

STEP NINE: Now change

the Foreground color to
a light blue (#00e4ff ), and
paint in different areas.
Again you can change the
brush size as you go and
double dab to make areas
brighter, but be careful not
to overdo it or it will look
unrealistic.

STEP 10: We want to add

in some dark purple and
yellow but, before we do,
let’s add a Gaussian Blur to
the blues we just painted.
Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian
Blur, add a blur Radius of
80 px, and click OK.

STEP 11: Now set the

Foreground color to purple
(#a424fe) and repeat the
paint steps on your nebula.
Finally, change the Fore-
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ground color to a light

yellow (#ffc62b) and just
dab in smaller amounts
around the other colors.
Maybe brighten some of
the larger stars by making
the brush size really small
and dabbing them.

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 DESIGNING IN PHOTOSHOP

STEP 12: Select all the layers in

the Layers panel, press Com-
mand-G (PC: Ctrl-G) to group
the layers, and rename the group
“STARS.” Now we have our neb-
ulized star field, let’s add some
text for our Trek tribute. I found a
cool font in Adobe Fonts called
CCRegeneration (I think very
aptly Trek themed by name). 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.

STEP 13: Select the Type tool (T),

choose your font in the Options
Bar (we used the Bold Italic ver-
sion of CCRegeneration), set the
size to 80 pt, press D to set the
Foreground color to black, and
type the word “ENGAGE.” Switch
to the Move tool (V), and drag
the text to place it in the center
of the document.

STEP 14: Now double-click to

the right of the text layer’s name
in the Layers panel to open the
Layer Style dialog, and lower
the Fill Opacity to 0% in the
Blending Options (the text will
disappear). Click on Stroke in
the list on the left to add a 6 px
white stroke with the Position
set to Inside. Don’t click OK yet.

STEP 15: Now click on Outer Glow

in the list on the left and set the
Blend Mode to Normal, Opacity
to 75%, and Noise to 50%. Click
on the color swatch, set the color
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to #d967ff, and click OK to close

the Color Picker. Choose Softer
for Technique, and set the Spread
to 35%, and Size to 20 px.

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  HOW TO

STEP 16: Now click on Inner

Glow in the list on the left, and
set the Blend Mode to Normal,
Opacity to 35%, Noise to 50%,
color to #f f f f f f , Technique to
Softer, Choke to 35%, and Size
to 30 px. Click OK.

STEP 17: The following steps

are up to you because we’re
using a licensed image from
Adobe Stock as well as a beta
effect in the Neural Filters.
So we’ll go ahead and add
these steps but you can use
a different image if you wish.
If you’d like to download

©Adobe Stock/AlexaSokol83
the low-res watermarked ver-
sion of this image to follow
along, click this link, log
in with your Adobe ID, and
then click the Save to Library
but ton. Double-click the
image in the Libraries panel
(Win­d ow>Libraries) to open
it in Photoshop.

STEP 18: Go to Select>Subject,

and click the Add Layer Mask
icon (circle in a square) at the
bottom of the layers panel
to isolate the starship from
the background. Convert the
layer to a smart object, and
then drag it from the Layers
panel into your working file.
(Note: When you license an
image on Adobe Stock there’s
an option to Remove Back-
ground that uses a feature
in Adobe Express to remove
the background. This is what
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

we’ve done here.)

Drag the image layer
below the text later in the
Layers panel, and use Free
Transform (Command-T [PC:
Ctrl-T]) to resize and position
the image. Press Enter to
commit the transformation.

 126 

STEP 19: With the starship layer
active go to Filter>Neural Filters, and
turn on the switch for Harmonization
Beta. You may have to download it
if you’ve never used it before. Now
select the Reference Image, which
is our Color layer. The filter will take
the nebula colors and apply the
color luminosity to the starship to
make it look like it belongs in that
environment. You can use the sliders
to fine-tune the adjustment. Once
you’re happy with the look, ensure
the Output is set to Smart Filter, and
click OK. We added one additional
line of text to complete our design.
 DESIGNING IN PHOTOSHOP
And that’s it! We’ve created a star
field with some simple effects, added
some color for the nebula, type for the
show name, and an image from stock.
Play around with these techniques
and create your own star effects. Just
boldly go and have fun! n
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 127 
 VICTORIA PAVLOV
PHOTOSHOP Q&A
Q. Adobe released a new feature, Generative
Fill, in the Photoshop Beta. I’m a photogra-
pher and retoucher, always looking for new
ways to speed up my workflow and improve
my work quality. I was watching social
media posts about what Generative Fill can
do, and it looks impressive. Know­ing your
work, I’d like to know if you’ll use Genera-
tive Fill, and would you recommend it?
A. G enerative Fill in Adobe Photoshop is a magical
tool from which every creative who works with
Photoshop will benefit. I use it every day across all
my workflows. Whether you’re a portrait, food, or
product photographer; a retoucher; or working with
photo compositing, Generative Fill will significantly
speed up your workflow.
Q. C
A. You can return to regenerate assets if you saved
Before
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023
After using Generative Fill
 128 
We all know how our clients love to change their
minds after a photo session, and they’ll ask you to
remove or add some details to a photo. With the
introduction of Generative Fill, expanding, removing,
or adding anything in Photoshop is just a prompt
away. Write a text prompt of what you want, and
Generative Fill will do the job. You can generate
multiple results and give your client plenty from
which to choose.
Working on photo compositing using Generative
Fill is faster and more enjoyable. You can bring
your imagination to life with just text prompts,
and you can generate any asset you need for
the project. Generative Fill is a fast, technically
correct, and stressless way to work on Photoshop
projects. I’d recommend it for any creative, no
question about it.
 an I return to my project later to use
Generative Fill in the Photoshop Beta
and generate new versions of an asset?
And how many times can I regenerate
the same prompt?
the document as a Photoshop file (PSD). Make
sure you have the layer active where you used
Generative Fill, and you’ll find all generated assets
in the Properties panel (Window>Properties). Click
  PHOTOSHOP Q&A

ALL IMAGES BY VICTORIA PAVLOV EXCEPT WHERE NOTED

the Generate button in

the Properties panel to
create another set of
three options.
I don’t know how
many times you can
regenerate the same
prompt, but I tried many
times without any issues.
If you want to remove
any of the options from
the Properties panel,
hover your cursor over
the thumbnail, click on
the three-dot icon that
appears, and choose
Delete. Removing the
ones you don’t want
saves space in your
Photo­s hop file.

Q. 
Can I use Generative Fill to create an image
from scratch?
A. 
Yes, you can. You can start with an empty document
and make a selection of the whole canvas (Select>All).
Then just click Generative Fill on the Contextual Task
Bar and describe the scene you’d like to create. Have
fun with it!

Q. I n the latest Photoshop update, I see people

using a new bar that’s floating over their
documents. I don’t have it. How can I get it
and how do I use it?
A.  T he bar floating above the image is the Contextual
Task Bar. You can access it by going to Window>
Contextual Task Bar, which will place a checkmark
next to it in the Window menu.
Think of the Contextual Task Bar as a helpful
tool that prompts what your next steps would be
based on which tool is active. For example, say you
drew a selection in your document, the Contextual
Task Bar would contain the options to Modify
Selection, Invert Selection, Transform Selection,
etc. It’s a real timesaver because you don’t have
Tip: You can pin the Contextual Task Bar to a
specific location. Just move it to where you want by
dragging the white bar on its left, click the three-dot
icon in the bar, and choose Pin Bar Position.
Q. 
I generated a cloud in a landscape photo-
graph using the new Generative Fill option
in the Photoshop Beta, but when I moved
the generated cloud to another location,
I noticed a darker area around the cloud
in the new place. How can I fix it?
A. 
Once you move the cloud, click Generate again in the
Contextual Task Bar to regenerate the cloud based
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to go digging through the menus looking for these on the new location. You’ll get a different cloud, but
options. I love using it. it will blend in at the new location.

 129 
  HOW TO
Before
After using the Remove tool
Q. 
Photoshop has a new Remove tool. I’ve been
using the Spot Healing Brush tool for years.
Do you think I should stop using it now and
start using the new Remove tool?
A. 
First, you don’t have to stop using any tool that you
previously used in Photoshop. The beauty of Pho-
toshop is that we can use different tools to do the
same task. The choice is yours. Like you, I’ve used
the Spot Healing Brush tool as well as the Healing
Brush tool for years. I loved these tools and enjoyed
using them as they’re good and very effective, but
now I’m using the Remove tool instead.
The Remove tool gives incredible results along
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023
with ease of use since it’s AI-based. You don’t have
to think about how the subject you want to remove is
close to another object or if the texture of the object
will be preserved. With the Remove tool, you need
to paint to specify the area you want to remove (you
don't have to be super precise in painting that area,
but make sure you completely cover the area you
want removed), and it will do the rest.
 130 
©Adobe Stock/Martin Moutayrek ©
So my answer to your question is yes, I recom-
mend using the Remove tool for the larger things
you want to remove that are close to other objects.
Use the previous Healing Brush tools for smaller,
simpler things.
Q. 
I use lots of layers for most of my projects.
When possible, I try to merge layers to
bring down the number of layers I have.
Is there a maximum number of layers you
can have?
A. 
As far as I know, Photoshop doesn’t have any limitations
on how many layers you can have; however, a large
number of layers can slow down your computer’s
performance. It all depends on your machine’s con-
figuration: how much memory your machine has and
the speed of your processor. n
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.
 REVIEWS GET THE SCOOP ON THE LATEST GEAR

DAVE WILLIAMS
ON1 Resize AI 2023.5
 Next Generation Photo Resizer Software   |  Review by Dave Williams

Cropping tightly on a feature of an image, and resizing that crop is now possible with
a range of software, including Topaz Gigapixel AI, perhaps the main competitor to ON1
Resize AI 2023.5. One big difference between the two is actually in the machine-learning
method itself: ON1 trains its AI algorithms using its own photos rather than those
belonging to their customers. This is something that a lot of photographers welcome, Company: ON1
because it means our photos aren’t being used for free by ON1; ethically a smart move.
ON1 Resize AI 2023.5 works as a standalone app but also as a plug-in for Adobe
Price: $99.99
Photoshop, Lightroom, and Capture One. Buying it as a single app doesn’t make a lot
of sense though when, for far more value, it comes as part of a package with other ON1
apps in the Professional ON1 Plugin Bundle 2023 for $149.99. This software does exactly Hot: Does exactly what it’s meant
to, and does it well
what it says on the label: It resizes images to better fit certain image specifications.
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

Upscaling an image well is something fairly new. Using AI to interpret the image,
expand the pixels, and fill in the blanks based on the image content makes it simple Not:
from a user’s perspective. ON1 has focused on a great user experience. The top
option on the right-hand panel is Photo Size, where you can input either an image
dimension in pixels or a percentage increase along with dpi. Other options sit below
this, including Sharpening, Film Grain, Tiling, and Gallery Wrap, which help you to
refine the resize. Over on the left you’ll see a set of presets for printing and web use,
allowing you to set your image size with one click.

 132 

COURTESY OF ON1
Original
“Using a series of tests,
I found that any increase of
100% is practically flawless.
The AI does a great job in
pretty much any situation
at this scale.”
 REVIEWS
Resize original
New Resize 2023.5 with Face Enhancement
Using a series of tests, I found that any increase of 100%
is practically flawless. The AI does a great job in pretty
much any situation at this scale. Pushing the limits beyond
this to more excessive resizing is still good, from an overall
perspective; however, zooming to 100% view begins to reveal
the errors in the process. But, this was only when I really
pushed images by increasing them to 10x their original size.
The difference between the 2022, 2023, and 2023.5 ver-
sions of the software is that the newest version gives incred-
ible results. The advances made in just one year are very
impressive. Face Recovery and better results in upscaling,
particularly when it comes to JPEG artifacts, take the tech-
nology that ON1 has inside its other AI-powered software to
give even better results.
Overall, ON1 Resize AI 2023.5 is an excellent app for
KELBYONE .COM
anyone looking to upscale images for any purpose, and it
stands well above the competition. Whether you want to
upscale a cropped image or print a billboard, this app has you
covered with impeccable performance and intuitive UX. n
 133 
  REVIEWS

WANDRD ALL-NEW PRVKE

 Updated and Improved Travel Backpack   |  Review by Dave Williams

The WANDRD ALL-NEW PRVKE is a high-quality backpack designed to cater to the

needs of adventurous photographers, travelers, and digital nomads. This backpack
has a sleek and modern design, making it an ideal choice for those who want to
travel in style. Let’s take a closer look at the new version of the WANDRD PRVKE
and discuss its various features and benefits. Company: WANDRD

One of the standout features of the ALL-NEW PRVKE is its build quality. The
backpack is made from high-quality materials such as durable Cordura nylon, YKK Price: from $219
zippers, and weather-resistant tarpaulin, ensuring it can withstand the rigors of
outdoor adventures. It’s available in different sizes, ranging from 21L to 41L, so you Hot: Perfect for travel
can choose the one that best suits your needs. photographers
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

The ALL-NEW PRVKE is packed with features that make it a versatile and
functional travel bag. In terms of storage capacity, this backpack is quite impressive: Not:
for example, it has a dedicated compartment for a laptop or tablet, making it an
excellent choice for digital nomads who bring along their devices. The backpack
also has options (sold separately) for removable Camera Cubes that can hold a
DSLR camera, lenses, and other accessories, making it ideal for photographers
traveling with their equipment. The ALL-NEW PRVKE has a roll-top closure that
can be adjusted to fit your gear, making it easy to carry additional equipment

 134 

“While it may be a bit pricey
compared to other backpacks on
the market, the WANDRD ALL-NEW
PRVKE is worth the investment
if you’re looking for a high-quality
backpack that can withstand the
rigors of outdoor adventures.”
 REVIEWS
and clothing. The backpack also has a hidden passport
pocket that can be used to store your passport or other
important documents.
Another great feature of the ALL-NEW PRVKE is its
comfort. The backpack has a padded back panel and
shoulder straps, making it comfortable to wear even for
extended periods. The straps are also adjustable, so you
can fit them perfectly to your body. There’s also a sternum
strap and a waist belt that can be attached or removed
depending on your needs.
Overall, this WANDRD product is an excellent backpack
designed for anyone who wants to travel in style while
carrying their equipment. It’s durable, versatile, and func-
tional, making it an ideal choice for travel photographers.
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While it may be a bit pricey compared to other backpacks
on the market, the WANDRD ALL-NEW PRVKE is worth
the investment if you’re looking for a high-quality backpack
that can withstand the rigors of outdoor adventures n
 135 
  REVIEWS

Mobile Creator Kit & Everyday Case

 Universal Phone Mount and iPhone Case  |  Review by Dave Williams

I’ll tell you right now that this product, the Mobile Creator Kit, is a game-changer. It’s
everything a content producer could want in this tiny delight. It’s a universal phone
mount that attaches to a phone using the Peak Design Slimlink system. The mount
is really simple to use and perfectly sized for my iPhone. The tripod attachment is
ARCA-compatible and is very strong, which is fantastic if you need to take a steady Company: Peak Design
photo or conduct a time-lapse. The system comes together with a GoPro style mount,
making it compatible with GoPro connections on other gear. The base plate has a
Price: 
Mobile Creator Kit: $49.95;
thumb screw to lock it in position on your tripod, too. Everyday Case for
The Mobile Creator Kit requires your phone to have an Everyday Case for iPhone iPhone: $39.95
($39.95) or Universal Adapter ($29.95), both sold separately. I use mine with the Every-
day Case for iPhone; but the Universal Adapter makes nearly any phone compatible
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

Hot: A perfect mobile photography

with Peak Design Mobile mounts and accessories. solution
You may use the Mobile Creator Kit to take some extremely inventive mobile pictures:
Set your phone in any position by swiveling and tilting it, using the convenient tiny
Not:
arms and connections that come with the Kit. The phone is rock-steady because of the
little magnetic clip that securely connects the Slimlink system on the phone case. I’ve
used it to capture some fantastic images that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.
Additionally, it’s quite resilient, and has withstood some fairly severe abuse, including
the extreme cold of the Arctic on my recent Due North adventures.

 136 

“You may use the Mobile Creator Kit
to take some extremely inventive
mobile pictures: Set your phone in
any position by swiveling and tilting it,
using the convenient tiny arms and
connections that come with the Kit.”
 REVIEWS
Let’s discuss the Everyday Case for iPhone. This is
a smooth case, which is constructed from a top-notch
material that feels wonderful in your hand, and offers lots
of grip. For those of us who dislike bulky cases, it’s also
quite small, which is fantastic. The greatest thing, though?
You can quickly go from using the Mobile Creator Kit to any
of their other accessories without having to remove your
phone from its case because it’s compatible with all of the
Peak Design accessories.
Overall, the Peak Design Mobile Creator Kit and Everyday
Case for iPhone have truly pleased me. These were clearly
designed and built with a lot of effort and consideration,
making them robust, user-friendly, and adaptable. Whether
you’re a professional content maker or just someone who
enjoys taking amazing mobile photos and movies, I think
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you’ll find a lot to appreciate about this kit. If you’re looking
for new equipment, do yourself a favor and check it out. You
won’t be let down, I promise. n
 137 
  REVIEWS

PiXimperfect Compositing
 Create Better Photoshop Composites with Ease  |  Review by Fernando Santos

German software developer Picture Instruments and KelbyOne Instructor and

YouTube superstar Unmesh Dinda (from PiXimperfect) released a very useful Photo-
shop plug-in for those who want to create composites but are not very comfortable
with Photoshop and many of its techniques. If that sounds like you, keep reading
because you may want to have this plug-in in your bag of tricks. Company: Picture Instruments
The plug-in is available directly from the Adobe Marketplace. There’s a free
limited version, but if you want to take full advantage of the plug-in you’ll need the
Price: $129/perpetual or
paid version. The good news is that you can have it on a subscription model, for $2.40/month
just $2.40/month (paid per year), or you can have a perpetual license for just $129.
The whole concept is simple: By using a step-by-step approach, PiXimperfect
Hot: Top-down approach;
makes it easy for those unfamiliar with Photoshop tools and techniques to create
available online help
effective Photoshop composites. Instead of having to learn many different techniques,
and knowing what you need to do to create a realistic composite, you simply follow
the tool options, top to bottom. You don’t need to know where the required Photo- Not: Hair brushes could
be improved
shop tools are located because a simple click can do the necessary operations for
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

you. It can be as simple as removing a background, or as complex as helping you to

match the perspective among the different pieces of your composite.
I found the tool very intuitive. If you want to create better composites, this may
be your first task: get PiXimperfect Compositing. The extensive online help is very
useful, together with the YouTube video where Unmesh Dinda shows how to use
the plug-in. Price is affordable. I found no problems with the plug-in: everything
worked as expected. The included hair brushes could be improved; but that’s not
a deal breaker. n

 138 
  REVIEWS

Manfrotto Pro Scrim All In One Kit

 Very Solid Solution for Beautiful Light and Shadows  |  Review by Fernando Santos

Why would you pay almost $1,000 for something you apparently can have for less than
$100? It all has to do with understanding how light works, why size matters, and how
you can control it all, to be able to make the images you want. Today, we’re reviewing
the 6.5x6.5' (2x2m) Manfrotto Pro Scrim All In One Kit. Let’s start with what’s included
Company: Manfrotto
in this kit. (Don’t let the price scare you!)
This professional-grade kit includes a solid aluminum frame that’s extremely easy
to assemble/disassemble. It also includes three different textiles for you to attach Price: $995.88

onto the frame: a 1.25-stop white diffuser, a white/silver reflector, and a black one
you can use for negative fill. The kit also includes two cine-style ears that attach to Hot: Easy assembly/disassembly;
the frame, and two grip heads that easily connect those ears to optional c-stands. all-in-one kit

You also get a rigid carrying case where you can fit all the included parts, for easy
transport and storage. Not: Slightly rough edges on the
inside of the frame joints
Assembling the rigid frame took me roughly three minutes: the strong internal
elastic cord keeps the aluminum frame pieces together and you just need to attach
one element to the next; then grab the fabric you want, clip it to the frame using the
built-in clips, and you’re done. You can stop here, or you can use the included cine
ears and grip heads to attach to optional c-stands and have total positioning control.
A $100 collapsible 5-in-1 reflector/diffuser is simply not the same thing: the size isn’t
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the same, the mounting options aren’t the same, and product quality isn’t the same.
If you need pro-level results, you probably need pro-level equipment. Manfrotto is
always an excellent choice, and this kit has proved that again. n

 139 
  REVIEWS

Hollyland Mars M1
 All-in-One Wireless Video Transmitter, Receiver, & Monitor  |  Review by Dave Williams

As a seasoned professional photographer, I’m constantly searching for new equip-

ment to improve the caliber of my work, and I recently got the chance to test the
Hollyland Mars M1 5.5" touch display with built-in wireless video transmitter. You
can use just one as a display, or transmit wirelessly from one to another, giving you Company: 
S henzhen Hollyland
Technology Co., Ltd.
a second, remote display. Let’s start by discussing what the Hollyland Mars M1 is
and what it can achieve.
Price: $549
While it might be especially helpful for videographers, it can also be helpful
for photographers who want to get a larger, more comprehensive perspective of
Hot: Low Latency
their images as they’re shooting. The transmitter operates in the 5-GHz frequency
spectrum and has a low latency capability for up to 1080p video transmission.
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

Not: Price; restricted compatibility

The Hollyland Mars M1’s mobility and small size were the first characteristics with some cameras

I noticed about it. It’s highly portable and tiny, making it simple to move between
shooting locations. It also comes with a handy carrying bag that makes transporting
it safer. It’s powered by an NP-F battery, DC power, or a D-Tap battery.
The transmitter is pretty simple to set up. The 1/4" thread mount is standard,
both on the bottom and the side, and the antennae are fixed, requiring no setup.

 14 0 

Once turned on, the transmitter and receiver immediately
couple with one another, so there’s no need to worry
about laborious setup processes. Connection to the
camera is made via SDI or HDMI.
The range of the Hollyland Mars M1 is one of its most
notable qualities. Given its tiny size, it’s amazing that it
can transmit up to 450 ft (150 m). It remained constant
during my testing, which was a significant advantage,
even though I was in an area with a lot of interference.
Another feature that I liked is the Hollyland Mars M1’s
reduced latency. There’s practically no lag between the
live video stream and what you view on the external
display or recorder, because it has a latency of less than
<0.1 seconds. For filmmakers and videographers who
need to make sure that their shots are precisely in sync,
this may be tremendously helpful.
 REVIEWS
The Mars M1 stands up against the Atomos Connect,
the Accsoon CineEye, and the Teradek Bolt, among others.
Ultimately the choice between these transmitters and
their screens depends on your needs and budget. Each
has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important
to do your research in this field. For most applications,
the Hollyland Mars M1 did a great job for me.
If you’re a filmmaker or photographer seeking depend-
able and user-friendly equipment that may improve the
caliber of your work, I’d strongly suggest the Hollyland
Mars M1 wireless monitor with integrated transmitter and
receiver. It has a good range, is portable, and has very
little latency. I gave it a score of 4.5 out of 5 stars, with
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its sole negative point being the restricted compatibility
it has with some cameras. n
 141 
  REVIEWS

Canon RF 24–50mm F4.5–6.3 IS STM

 Is This Lens for You?  |  Review by Fernando Santos

After spending some time with the new Canon RF 24–50mm F4.5–6.3 IS STM
full-frame lens, I found a couple of use cases for this new lens. Should you add
one to your camera bag? Let’s find out; but first, let’s look at some specifications
and features.
Company: Canon U.S.A. Inc.
Just like this lens’s size and weight, its $299.99 price tag is one of the smallest
of all the Canon full-frame RF lenses available. Be aware that its largest aperture
Price: $299.99
of f/4.5 at 24mm, immediately drops to f/5.0 at 25mm, f/5.6 at 32mm, and f/6.3
from 39mm onward. The lens has image stabilization and, according to Canon,
Hot: Small size
it provides up to 4.5 stops of shake correction (or up to 7 stops if you have
coordinated IS). Image quality is good for this price point. In my tests, even with
low light, the lens performed well on my Canon R6. As is usual on the low-end RF Not: Limited focal range and
apertures
lenses, the control ring doubles as the focus ring. The lens is not weather sealed,
and the lens hood is an optional purchase. Quick warning: Don’t be surprised
if you get a message saying, “Set the lens to the shooting position.” Due to its
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

design, the lens needs to be unlocked and extended into the shooting position.
Why would you want to buy this lens? If you want to travel light and enjoy
street photography, for example, this may be a nice little lens to have. Canon offers
longer zoom lenses that may serve you better, but they have a higher price point.
I can see this becoming a popular travel lens if Canon releases an inexpensive RF
50–300mm zoom to pair with it. Another target for this lens might be vloggers
and streamers: Add an RF body and you’ll have a great webcam. n

 142 
  REVIEWS

Learning to See: A Photographer’s Guide

from Zero to Your First Paid Gigs
 David Molnar   |  Review by Peter Bauer
Publisher: Harper Horizon

This is a very solid book, especially for those who want to truly understand what
Pages: 256
they (and their camera) are doing. It’s about going beyond setting the camera

to Auto and taking a bunch of shots, hoping one or more might be good. Here’s
Price: $14.99 (Kindle);
one (unintentionally?) funny line from the author’s discussion of becoming a full- $29.99 (hardcover);
$19.99 (paperback)
time wedding photographer: “…you’re building as clientele that will come back

to you again and again.” I guess the author doesn’t think that a first marriage

is “until death do us part.” Speaking of funny, purchasing this title also gives
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

you access to a series of online videos that are especially useful for the more

technical parts of the book. The author’s sense of humor is very much a part of

the videos. The videos will also be updated from time to time to keep pace with

the ever-changing world of hardware and software.

 14 4 
  REVIEWS

You Will Be Able to Take Great Photos

by the End of This Book
 Benedict Brain  |  Review by Peter Bauer
Publisher: Ilex Press

The Kindle version of this book is available now but, according to Amazon, the
Pages: 192
hardcover won’t be released until mid-October. (Interestingly, the hardcover’s

publisher is listed as Prestel rather than Ilex Press for the Kindle.) While the
Price: $10.99 (Kindle);
author touches on technique and spends a chapter exploring the work of other $24.95 (hardcover)

photographers, “…the essence of the book is about looking, seeing and finding

creative ways to approach image-making and using them to engage in the world

through the visual ‘language’ of photography.” The final third of the book contains

a series of projects designed to help the reader put into practice ideas presented

earlier in the book. Each project starts with an introduction, then shows one or

more images and describes why and how the photos fulfill an artistic vision. The

projects vary quite a bit and include still lifes, portraits, landscapes, abstracts,
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and even macro photos. It’s an intriguing book. n

 145 
 COLIN SMITH
PHOTOSHOP TIPS
Hi, everyone! Welcome to this month’s Photoshop tips. Once again, I’ve concocted a delightful selection
of useful tips that will give you back your day. These tips will save you more time than it takes to read
this column. Now, that’s efficient.

ALL IMAGES BY COLIN SMITH | PHOTSHOPCAFE.COM

CONSTRAIN YOUR ADJUSTMENTS
The best way to apply an adjustment to a layer in
Photoshop is to create an adjustment layer. Click the
half-filled circle icon at the bottom of the Layers panel
to select and create an adjustment layer (Curves, Levels,
etc.). When you create an adjustment layer, all the layers Click and it will be constrained to only the layer under
underneath it will be affected by the adjustments that the adjustment. You’ll see a little arrow to the left of the
you make. Sometimes you don’t want to change all the adjustment layer’s thumbnail to indicate it’s a clipping
layers, you only want to change a single layer. layer. To toggle it back so it affects all layers, Option-click
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023

With an adjustment layer active, you’ll see a box with
a square arrow icon at the bottom of the Properties
panel (Window>Properties). Click that icon to “clip” the
adjustment layer so it only affects the layer directly
under it. Alternatively, you can create the adjustment
layer, hold down the Option (PC: Alt) key, and hover your
cursor between the layer and the adjustment layer in
the Layers panel until it changes to a box with an arrow.
(PC: Alt-click) between the layers again to convert it to
a regular adjustment layer.
COLOR SAMPLER TOOL
AND REMOVING SAMPLES
The Eyedropper tool (I) is really useful for reading the
values of colors and tones in your images. If you open the
Info panel (Window>Info), you can see the color values.

 146 

The panel and Eyedropper work hand in hand. As you
move the Eyedropper, the values constantly update to
show what’s beneath your cursor.
What if you want to freeze these values? You know,
have them stay in the box. If you click-and-hold on the
Eyedropper in the Toolbar, you’ll see a Color Sampler
tool. This looks like the Eyedropper but it includes a
crosshair. Click on the image with the Color Sampler and
it will drop a little crosshair, and those values will show
up in the Info panel labeled #1, #2, etc. You can add up
to 10 samples. So, how do you remove those samples
when you no longer need them? Hold down the Option
(PC: Alt) key and hover your cursor over a sample. Your
cursor will turn into a pair of scissors, and you can click
to remove the sample.
DISPLAYING THE COLOR WHEEL
Since the beginning of time, the Color panel (Window>
Color) in Photoshop has displayed as a gradient of
color. Drag the arrow on the thin horizontal bar of color
at the right to change the color (Hue), and then drag
within the big box on the left to choose the brightness
and saturation. Even though it’s flat, this is called the
Hue Cube. Unknown to many, a number of years ago,
Adobe added a much more useful way to view and
select colors. You might not know, because Adobe
still loads in the Hue Cube as the default (Photoshop
users hate change).
If you click the flyout menu at the top right of the Color
panel, you’ll see several options, including Color Wheel.
This is a much more natural way to look at color and it
makes it easier to visualize things such as complementary
 PHOTOSHOP TIPS
colors. You can easily choose your hue from the outside
ring and your brightness and saturation in the inner triangle.
There’s also a square with a + in it at the bottom right of
the panel. Click this to add the color to your swatches.
This is a smart move for frequently used colors, so you
don’t have to keep creating them every time.
DOUBLE-CLICK MASK OPTIONS
Have you ever double-clicked on a mask thumbnail in
the Layers panel expecting to see the Masks settings
in the Properties panel, and instead you get the Select
and Mask workspace? This can be changed in Photo-
shop’s Preferences. Go to Photoshop>Settings>Tools
(PC: Edit>Preferences>Tools) and look for the option
Double Click Layer Mask Launches Select and Mask
Workspace. Turn this checkbox off, and now it will open
the Masks settings as expected when you double-click
the mask. Of course, if you prefer to go into the Select
and Mask tool to make refinements, leave this on. That’s
why these are called Preferences after all.
MAKE YOUR PRESETS MORE USEFUL
A few Photoshop versions ago, Adobe decided to update
the presets. This was good and bad. It was good because
they added some more useful ones, rather than the
bubble texture; however, I wish they’d added even more
useful ones such as social branding, better arrows and
shapes, etc. But hey, who doesn’t need more hippos
KELBYONE .COM
and gazelles? My big beef (and I’m not alone) is that
all the presets were put into subfolders. This includes
shapes, textures, styles, brushes, gradients, etc. The
problem is, when you open these tools, all you see is
 147 
  HOW TO
a column of folders, instead of, say, the urgently needed
Foreground to Background gradient.
I have a useful fix. This is going to require five minutes
or more, but this will be one of the best investments of
time you could make in Photoshop, and you’ll get your
time back quickly. Open one of the presets panels, say the
Gradients panel (Window>Gradients), and then expand
the Basics folder at the top; you know, the stuff you use
all the time. Click on the first preset, hold down Shift,
and click on the last one. They’ll all be selected. Now
drag them to the very top of the panel, above the top
folder until you see a blue line appear. Release and they’ll
move out of the Basics folder. Now when you choose the
Gradient tool (T) and open either the Gradient Presets
in the Options Bar or the Gradients panel, you’ll see
actual gradients that you can immediately use instead
of searching through the folders. Do this with all your
presets—brushes, shapes, patterns, styles, etc.—and
move your most-used presets to the top of the panel and
see how much easier life is.
PHOTOSHOP USER > JUNE 2023
 14 8 
CHANGE RECENT FILES TO 100
Are you looking for an older document and forget where
you saved it? No one is judging; we all do it from time
to time. You can look at the thumbnails on the welcome
screen, or try this: Choose File>Open Recent. Sometimes
you’ll see what you’re looking for and sometimes you wish
Photoshop remembered a little further back, or a few more
documents. The good news? It does, and it can, and it’s
not too late! Open Photoshop>Settings>File Handling (PC:
Edit>Preferences>File Handling). At the bottom, you’ll see
a Recent Files List Contains option with 20 in the box.
You can change this number up to 100. This is the good
part: As soon as you close the Preferences dialog, the
Open Recent list will be updated to show the previous
100 files. This has been a lifesaver for me.
CHANGE CANVAS COLOR
The canvas is the area outside your document when you
zoom out and expand your document window. Usually,
the canvas is gray; however, you can change it to any
color you like. Right-click on the canvas, choose Select
Custom Color, and you’ll see a Color Picker. Choose your
color and the canvas will show that color whenever you
choose Custom in that contextual menu.
It gets even better. Whenever you tap the F key to
cycle through the screen modes (there are three of
them), you can set a different custom canvas color for
each mode. This is good for maybe working with a gray
canvas when you’re editing an image. Then go into the
second screen mode for screen captures against a white
canvas, as I do for this column and my books. Then you
could set black for the third mode (Full Screen Mode)
and use it for presentations. n
LEARN WHAT IT TAKES TO CREATE STUNNING PORTRAITS
’s N o t
(Hint: It e Lighting)
Just t h

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