In this third in our series of black and white conversions in Photoshop, learn how to quickly convert a color photo to black and white in Photoshop using a Gradient Map, which replaces the original colors in the image with black, white and all the shades of gray in between!
In this second tutorial in our Photoshop black and white conversions series, learn how to quickly convert a color photo to black and white by desaturating the color using both the Desaturate command and a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer!
In this first in our series of black and white conversions in Photoshop, learn how the Grayscale color mode allows us to quickly and easily remove the color from a photograph, giving us an instant black and white version of the image.
In this series of tutorials, learn the many ways of converting color photos to black and white in Photoshop. With few exceptions, the tools and techniques we cover here have been around in Photoshop for years and are available to anyone using any recent (and even not-so-recent) version of Photoshop!
If it’s true that two heads are better than one, it’s also true that two views of the same image are better than one, especially when it comes to photo editing. Learn how to keep a constant eye on your overall image in Photoshop no matter how far you’ve zoomed in with this dual view editing technique!
Tired of the buildings in your photos looking like they’re leaning backwards? That’s a common perspective problem known as keystoning, but Photoshop’s powerful Lens Correction filter, first introduced in Photoshop CS2, makes it easy to fix! We can even take care of a few other potential image problems along the way, all with the same filter!
The Curves image adjustment is widely considered to be the most powerful and versatile photo editing tool in the entire program. While the basics of Curves may not have changed in Photoshop CS3, the Curves dialog box has received a major upgrade with new features and some welcome improvements!
Photoshop’s Curves adjustment can seem less like an image editing tool and more like something from a science lab, but in this tutorial, we compare it with the Levels adjustment to see just how simple Curves really is, and why Curves goes far beyond anything you could hope for with Levels!
The Shadow/Highlight adjustment is one of the most popular and useful image editing tools in all of Photoshop thanks to its amazing ability to bring out hidden detail in the shadows and highlights of a photo. In this tutorial, we tap in to the real power of the Shadow/Highlight command by exploring its advanced options!
The first step in a good photo editing workflow is to correct any overall tonal problems in the image, brightening highlights, darkening shadows and adjusting the midtones. Photoshop’s Levels adjustment not only makes tonal correction fast and easy, it’s what the pros use for accurate, professional quality results!
Over the years, many unsuspecting photographers and photo retouchers have destroyed their images with the Brightness/Contrast command. Thankfully, those days are over! The improved Brightness/Contrast command in Photoshop CS3 may be all you need to add life to dull, flat images, and it doesn’t get much easier than this!
Histograms are one of the most valuable tools we have when editing or restoring images, and knowing how to read a histogram is an essential skill for anyone who’s serious about the quality of their photos. Learn what histograms can tell us about our images and how to use them to easily spot potential problems.
Tired of having no control when converting your color photos to black and white or being forced to think like a computer? Then you’ll definitely want to check out the Black & White adjustment in Photoshop CS3, a tool so easy and natural, if you can click and drag your mouse, you have all the skills you need!
Photoshop file sizes getting out of control? Learn how Photoshop’s adjustment layers can help keep them to a minimum and keep you, your computer and Photoshop running smoothly!
Still using Photoshop’s standard image adjustments to edit your photos? Still causing permanent damage to your images with every edit you make? There’s a better way! Learn how to work non-destructively and with greater flexibility with Photoshop’s Adjustment Layers!
Cropping photos is one of the most common uses for Photoshop, but what if you want your cropped image to maintain the same aspect ratio as the original? No problem, thanks to a rarely used but very useful command called Transform Selection!
Photoshop’s Dodge and Burn tools are great for lightening and darkening specific areas of a photo, but they both permanently damage your image. Learn a better way to get the same results without harming a single pixel!
Having trouble getting your digital photos to fit nicely in standard-size picture frames? Learn how to easily crop your images to any specific size you need!
Unless you take all your photos with your camera mounted on a tripod, some of them are going to turn out a bit crooked. Fortunately, Photoshop makes it incredibly easy to straighten them in just a few simple steps and without any guess work!
Learn how to change the brightness of an image without affecting its color using the Luminosity blend mode in Photoshop. Part of our complete series on the five essential blend modes for photo editing.
Learn how the Color blend mode in Photoshop lets us change the hue and saturation of an image without affecting its brightness. Part of our complete series on the five essential blend modes for photo editing in Photoshop.
Learn how the Overlay blend mode in Photoshop both lightens and darkens an image at the same time to increase contrast. Part of our complete series on Photoshop’s five essential blend modes for photo editing.
Learn all about the Screen blend mode in Photoshop and how it instantly lightens an image. Part of our complete series on the five essential blend modes for photo editing in Photoshop.
In this tutorial in our series on Photoshop’s five essential blend modes for photo editing, learn all about the Multiply blend mode and why it’s great for darkening an image.
Feeling overwhelmed by Photoshop’s 27 layer blend modes? There’s really only 5 you need to know! Learn the essential Photoshop blend modes – Multiply, Screen, Overlay, Color, and Luminosity – and how to use them to quickly edit and improve your images!
Learn an easy way to smooth and soften someone’s skin in a photo without losing important image details, using a technique normally used for advanced image sharpening!
Tired of the sky in your photos being dull, faded and washed out? Learn a simple technique for boosting image contrast, enhancing details in the clouds, and turning those gray skies to blue, all with just a few easy steps!
Learn how easy it is to match colors of objects in separate photos using Photoshop’s Match Color command, as well as how to quickly fix up the results when Match Color doesn’t get it quite right.
Learn how easy it is to color or tint someone’s hair in a photo with Photoshop! Use this technique on photos of other people, or use it on yourself to see what you’d look like with a different hair color, then go back any time you want and change the color again without having to redo all the work!
Let’s face it, sometimes photos don’t do people justice, and a wrong setting on the camera or an unflattering angle can make their nose look bigger than it really is. Fortunately, Photoshop makes digital plastic surgery a breeze without the need for any fancy surgical tools or even a steady hand!
Bring colors to life in your images by tinting and enhancing them with Photoshop’s Photo Filter. Thanks to the layer mask that comes with adjustment layers, we can easily combine multiple Photo Filters to enhance different areas of the image separately! We’ll even finish things off with a Curves adjustment just for fun!
When it comes to editing images, the very first step should always be to fix any overall tonal and color problems, and the Levels command allows us to quickly and easily fix both problems at once!
Get great results when sharpening images without fumbling around with confusing options by using Photoshop’s High Pass filter and your choice of layer blend modes.
Learn how to quickly neutralize a color cast in an image using the Photo Filter and the exact opposite color.
Unless you’re looking at a photo of a guy in the rugged outdoors, chances are the stubble on his face isn’t adding anything to the image. In this Photoshop tutorial, we’ll see how to give a guy a virtual shave and improve his appearance.
Nothing seems to have the power to captivate us quite like a person’s eyes, and in this tutorial, we bump up that power even more with a shadowy, sultry look.
Learn step-by-step how to easily whiten and brighten teeth with Photoshop! For Photoshop CS5 and earlier.
Whether you’re an amateur or pro photographer, you can make ordinary photos more extraordinary using Photoshop and a simple yet powerful design trick.
In this third tutorial in our series on Smart Filters in Photoshop CS3, learn how to use a Smart Filter’s built-in blend mode and opacity settings!
In this second tutorial in our series on Smart Filters in Photoshop CS3, learn how to edit the settings of a Smart Filter!
Smart Filters are easily one of the best new features in Photoshop CS3, and using them couldn’t be easier. In this tutorial, we take a look at the basics of applying Smart Filters to an image.
Getting a fast black and white conversion of a color image in Photoshop usually means poor quality, but not with these quick, easy steps!