Before making color and tonal adjustments
The
powerful tools in Photoshop can enhance, repair, and correct the
color and tonality (lightness, darkness, and contrast) in an image.
Here are some items to consider before making color and tonal adjustments.
Work with a monitor that’s calibrated and profiled. For
critical image editing, calibration and profiling is essential.
Otherwise, the image you see on your monitor looks different on
other monitors or when printed.
Plan to use adjustment layers to adjust the tonal range and
color balance of your image. Adjustment layers let you go back and
make successive tonal adjustments without discarding or permanently
modifying data from the image layer. Keep in mind that using adjustment
layers adds to the file size of the image and demands more RAM from
your computer. Accessing the color and tonal commands in the Adjustments
panel automatically creates adjustment layers.
If you don’t want to use adjustment layers, you can apply
adjustments directly to an image layer. Remember that some image
information is discarded, when making a color or tonal adjustment
directly to an image layer.
For critical work and maximum preservation of image data,
it’s best if the image you work with is 16 bits per channel (16‑bit
image) rather than 8 bits per channel (8‑bit image). Data is discarded
when you make tonal and color adjustments. The loss of image information
is more critical in an 8‑bit image than a 16‑bit image. Generally,
16‑bit images have a larger file size than 8‑bit images.
Duplicate or make a copy of the image file. Working on a
copy of your image preserves the original in the event you want
to use the image in its original state.
Remove any flaws such as dust spots, blemishes, and scratches
from the image before making color and tonal adjustments.
Open the Info or Histogram panel in Expanded view. As you
evaluate and correct the image, both palettes display invaluable
feedback on your adjustments.
You can make a selection or use a mask to confine your color
and tonal adjustments to part of an image. Another way to apply
color and tonal adjustments selectively is to set up your document
with image components on different layers. Color and tonal adjustments
are applied to only one layer at a time. Only the image components
on the targeted layer are affected.
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