Adjustment Layers

There are various types of adjustment layers available in Photoshop. We will discuss some of the most important ones here:
  • Levels: This option helps us to adjust the intensity of the Shadows in an image (the darkest pixels in the image); highlights (the brightest pixels that highlight a particular portion of an image) and the midtones (the pixels that fall between Shadows and Highlights). In brief, it adjust the tones in an image.
  • Curves: The Curves option functions more or less like the levels option. It allows us to adjust the tonal range of colors in an image. The difference between the two options is that, while the Levels option divides all the pixels in the image into three types (i.e. Shadows, Highlights and Midtones), the Curves option offers a greater flexibility by supporting a range of 0-255. This option also lets us change the individual channels in a Color Mode (for example the Red in the RGB Mode).
  • Color Balance: This option changes the overall mixture of colors in an image.
  • Brightness and Contrast: As the name suggest, this option allows us to adjust the brightness and contrast in an image.
  • Hue/Saturation: The Hue/Saturation command lets you adjust the hue, saturation and brightness of a specific color component in an image or simultaneously adjust all the colors in an image. In Photoshop, this command is especially good for fine-tuning colors in a CMYK image so that they are in the gamut of an output device.
  • Selective Color: Selective Color correction is a technique used by high-end scanners and separation programs to change the amount of process colors in each of the primary color components in an image. You can modify the amount of a process color in any primary color selectively--without affecting the other primary colors. For example, you can use selective color correction to dramatically decrease the cyan in the green component of an image, while leaving the cyan in the blue component unaltered.
  • Channel Mixer: This command Modifies a color channel and makes color adjustments easier, which were not easily done with other color adjustment tools.
  • Gradient Map: This maps the equivalent grayscale range of an image to the colors of a specified gradient fill. If you specify a two-color of the gradient fill, for example, shadows in the image are mapped to one of the endpoint colors of the gradient fill, highlights are mapped to the other endpoint color and midtones are mapped to the gradations in between.
  • Photo Filter: This option mimics the technique of putting a colored filter in front of the camera lens to adjust the color balance and color temperature of the light transmitted through the lens and exposing the film. The Photo Filter command also lets you choose a color preset to apply a hue adjustment to an image. If you want to apply a custom color adjustment, the Photo Filter command lets you specify a color using the Adobe Color Picker.
  • Threshold: This option helps us to convert all the pixels in an image to either black or white, depending upon the degree of their brightness.
  • Invert: This option lets us invert the color of each pixel in our image. Choosing this option would convert each pixel to its inverse in the 0-255 range color model. For example, a pixel having a color value of 0 will be converted to a color value of 255 and vice versa. In short, it produces a negative effect.
  • Posterize: This option allows us to view an image as a poster that is colored artistically with water color.
The following points tell us how to preview, apply and discard the settings we have specified for the Adjustment layer :
  1. To Hide/show a preview of the changes the Adjustment Layer has brought about, click on the Eye icon of the layer.
  2. To change the settings made, double click the Adjustment Layer and change the settings.
  3. To discard an Adjustment Layer, drag the layer to the Delete Layer button at the bottom of the Layers Palette.
  4. To implement an Adjustment Layer as a permanent change, flatten the image by choosing the Flatten Image option from the Layer menu bar option.

NOTE :- Remember that an Adjustment Layer is just a mask and changes made are not actually applied to the image.

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