In this Photoshop tutorial, we’re going to use an Image Stacks to remove people walking through a scene. This is a great technique that does require some planning and the use of multiple photos, but the results are amazing!

The Image Stack Mode technique is perfect for removing people from crowded places or unwanted objects that are moving through a scene. The Image Stack Mode will take a statistical average of the content found in all the photos. It will keep identical areas and remove everything that changes between the different shots.

It is very likely that cars and people will move and change locations, thus they will be removed when the algorithm is applied, leaving only the background.

When you’re out taking the photos make sure that your camera is on a tripod so that the images line up better during the blend. If you do not have a tripod make sure that you hold your camera as steady as possible when shooting your images.

Wait 20 seconds or so in between each shot. You want to give people and cars time to move. In most cases, you will only need between 8 to 20 photos.

In this tutorial, we’re going to use nine photos that I shot with my cell phone without using a tripod. For this video, I wanted to use photos that were not shot under the perfect conditions so that you could see the power of this technique.

Steps to completing this tutorial:

Loading Multiple Files as Layers

The first step is to bring those files into Photoshop as layers. To do so, go to File > Scrips > Load Files into Stack…

In the “Load Layers” window select “Folder” from the “Use” dropdown. Then click on the “Browse” button, and look for the folder containing your images. If you are following along with my images, find the folder titled “stacking.”

Press OK after you have selected the folder.

The file names will appear in the within the window. If all the files are there, press the OK button to move the files into Photoshop.

Auto Align Layers

For the Image Stack to work, these layers need to align. If you used a tripod when shooting the images, then your layers should already be aligned.

In this tutorial, the photos were shot without a tripod, so we will need to align them.

To align the layers select them all by pressing Command Option A (PC: Ctrl Alt A).

Then go to the Edit menu and select “Auto-Align Layers.”  Make sure that “Auto” is selected, and press “OK.”

Photoshop will then look through all your layers to find similar pixels and align them together.

Put The Aligned Images into Smart Object

Select all your layers again, and right click on the side of any selected layers and choose “Convert to Smart Object.”

Apply The Median Stack Mode To The Smart Object

Now that all the layers are inside a Smart Object we can control how the set blends by using a “Stack Mode.” Go to Layer > Smart Objects > Stack Mode > Median.

This Stack Mode takes a statistical average of the content found in all the photos. It keeps identical areas and removes everything that changes between the different shots.

This will eliminate any object that is not constant through all or most layers. Such as people walking through the scene.

Faster Way of Doing This! Statistics Script

You can get to this point in the tutorial by simply using one command.

Go to File > Scripts > Statistics…

In the Image Statistics window, select Folder as the Use, and click on the Browse button to find the images that you want to use in the Image Stack.

Once the images load, select Median as the Stack Mode, and check “Attempt to Automatically Align Source Images.”

This will Auto-Align the images, put them in a Smart Object using the Median Stack Mode. Getting you to this part of the demo.

Fixing Image Stack Errors

Problems may arise when dealing with background elements that are constantly movings, such as water or flags. In this example, the two flags on top of the Tribune Tower disappear. We can bring them back by copying and pasting a flag from one of the original images.

To do this, go to Layer > Smart Object > Edit Contents.

A new tab will open up that contains the contents of the Smart Object.

Then go to the layers labeled “02.jpg” this image, in my opinion, contains the best version of both flags.

Select the Lasso and make a selection around the American flag. With the selection active press Command C (PC: Ctrl C) to copy.

Go back to the working document and paste the flag there. Command Shift V (PC: Ctrl Shift V). Repeat these steps with the smaller flag below the American flag.

Take All The Pieces and Put Them In a Smart Object

Select the all the layers by pressing Command Option A (PC: Ctrl Alt A), and right click on the side of any selected layer and choose “Convert to Smart Object.”

Now you can apply non-destructive adjustments with Camera RAW.

Apply Basic Adjustments In Camera Raw

Select the Smart Object and Go to Camera Raw filter. Filter > Camera RAW.

This filter works a lot like Lightroom. The controls are in a similar layout and do the same thing.

You can create an HDR effect by darkening the Highlights and brightening the Shadows.

Add a bit of Clarity, which adds contrast to the midtones.

Then add Vibrance, which adds a controlled saturation.

Automatic Upright

In some photographs, the perspective may be distorted. This is more evident in photos containing continuous vertical lines such as buildings.

We can use the Automatic Upright to fix any of these perspective issues.

Click on the Transform Tool (Shift T), then click the “A” automatic button.

Crop The Image

Use the crop tool to crop the picture. Press C on the keyboard, then use the handles to adjust the size of the crop. Press Return when you’re done.

The post Remove Tourists From Vacation Photos In Photoshop – Stack Mode Tutorial appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this three-part Photoshop tutorial, we will learn how to use Adobe Stock’s visual search to find the right images for your projects faster, as well as learn two color matching techniques.

You can use the first method to change the color of an object quickly and easily using the Hue Blending Mode. The second method creates a more accurate color match using the Lab color mode.

The color that we’re going to match onto the objects in our images is Greenery, the Pantone Color of The Year 2017.

Every year since 2000, the Pantone Color Institute has chosen a color that reflects the current cultural climate. The Pantone color of the year has historically influenced trends in all facets of design. Including architecture, interior décor, fashion, food, travel, and many others fields.

To follow along with this tutorial you can save free watermarked previews from Adobe Stock:

• https://stock.adobe.com/stock-photo/two-different-paper-coffee-cup-with-red-christmas-pattern-and-em/128639281
• https://stock.adobe.com/stock-photo/modern-living-room/25565360

You can select Greenery as your color in Photoshop by using PANTONE 376 C or the hexadecimal color code #84BD00 (According to PANTONE’s Color Standards)

Coffee Cup used in this tutorial:

The post Color Matching In Photoshop – Change Color of Stock Images To Pantone Color of The Year appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

Another year is about to end and what a great year it was for PTC. In 2016, The Photoshop Training Channel grew in all aspects, from subscribers to content created.

I can’t thank you enough for all your continued support!

In the last year, our YouTube channel doubled in size! We now have over 229,000 subscribers, with over 100 free Photoshop video tutorials.

If you haven’t already, I would really appreciate it if you could subscribe to PTC on YouTube. My goal is to reach the 500,000 subscriber mark in 2017.

There’s so much more that I could talk about, but here are just a few notable highlights from 2016:

• Crossed the 200,000 subscriber mark on YouTube.
• Gained over 27,000 Newsletter Subscribers
• Worked on the Adobe Stock Masterpiece Project. (Check out my video interview)
• My artwork was featured in the Photoshop User Magazine Cover.
• Spoke at Adobe MAX in San Diego, CA.
• Spoke at the CreativePro Conference in Minneapolis, MN.
• Taught three CreativeLive classes

If you want to keep up with more than just PTC, then you can always follow me on Instagram (@jrfromptc) where I post about my other projects, speaking engagements, and tons of other things.

Now let’s take a look at the best from PTC in 2016.

Best Photoshop Tutorials of 2016

In 2016, I recorded more Photoshop tutorials than in any other year. Here’s a hand-picked list of some of my favorite ones.

Cinematic Color Grading (Movie Look Effect) in Photoshop – In my opinion, this is the best Photoshop tutorial I recorded in 2016. It teaches color theory, color correction, color grading, and a whole lot more. If you are only going to watch one of my tutorials this year, then this one is the one to watch

How To Blur Backgrounds In Photoshop – Shallow Depth of Field Effect – This was my most viewed Photoshop tutorial of 2016. In this video, you learn how to create a blurry background using the Lens Blur filter and a depth map.

Glass Window Reflection Effect In Photoshop – In this tutorial, you learn how to create a window reflection effect in Photoshop. This tutorial teaches compositing, blending modes, and adjustment layers. It is filled with great tips that could be used in all sorts of projects.

How to Create The 3D Pop-Out Photo Effect In Photoshop (The Out of Bounds Effect) – This Photoshop tutorial teaches you how to make it seem as if an object or person is popping out from a photo. It’s a great lesson in compositing, and masking.

3D Objects From Photos in Photoshop – Learn to create 3D objects from 2D images. In this Photoshop 3D tutorial, we create a cell phone that you can rotate in 3D space. Learn about using lights and reflections in 3D.

Best Photoshop Tips of The Day of 2016

As you may know, I publish a short Photoshop Tip of The Day on my social media accounts (Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Twitter).

My favorite Photoshop tips for 2016 were these:

• Matching Image or Canvas Size of Another Open Document
• Open The Same Document In Two Windows
• Place Command Does Not Create Smart Objects
• Don’t Forget The Clone Source Panel
• Use The Shadows/Highlights Adjustment Non-Destructively
• Set Kerning Between Two Characters

Premium Tutorial

This year I recorded and released my most successful premium tutorial to date, “Photoshop Compositing Made Easy – Concepts, Tips and Techniques.”

It teaches my best techniques for creating good composites. It also shows how I created my personal project, “Walk Through The Jungle.”

Thank you again for all your support! I wish you a fantastic 2017!

– Jesús Ramirez

The post Best Photoshop Tutorials of 2016 on The Photoshop Training Channel appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this video, I will go through five Photoshop tricks and tips that you probably don’t know.

This is part three of my Photoshop tricks series if you have not seen part 1 or part 2 then check them out now!

Here’s a quick overview of the Photoshop tricks and techniques shown in this video:

Photoshop Trick 01 – Bring Back Select and Mask in Photoshop CC

Photoshop CC 2015.5 introduced the Select and Mask Workspace and removed the old Refine Edge (Refine Mask) dialog box. If you prefer to use the old dialog box when working with selections, then use this little-known shortcut in Photoshop CC 2017 and newer to bring back the Refine Edge dialog box.

With a selection or mask active, press-and-hold Shift, and go to Select > Select and Mask. This will open the Refine Edge window instead of the Select and Mask Workspace!

Photoshop Trick 02 – Keep a Text Record of Every Step With Photoshop’s History Log

To keep text record of every single step that you have done to an image, turn on Photoshop’s History Log.

Press Ctrl K (Mac: Command K) to bring up the Preferences panel. In the History Log tab, click on the History Log check box. Then click Text File, and choose a location to save the file and give it a name.

You can now start working on your image and Photoshop will record every step you take. To review the steps, find the text file and double click on it.

Photoshop Trick 03 – Open a Flattened Version of a Layered PSD

To open a flattened version of a layered PSD file, go to File > Open and find the PSD file you would like to open and click on it once to select it. Then hold down Shift Alt (Mac: Shift Option) and click Open. Photoshop will then ask you if you want to “Read the composite data instead.” Press OK, and a flattened version of that file will open up.

This is an excellent way to open a large file that usually takes a long time to open. In case you only want to show it to someone or share it in an email or social media.

Remember always to do a “Save As.” Saving the document will override the original file, and you will lose all your layers.

Note:
This is my Adobe Max interview mentioned in this tutorial.

https://www.facebook.com/PhotoshopTrainingChannel/videos/1189169477863079/

Photoshop Trick 04 – Protect Your Images

When sending a copy of a project to a client, you may want to protect the file, so that it requires a password to print or edit. This will prevent your client from using it before you get paid!

To protect your file save it as a PDF (File > Save As… and choose Photoshop PDF). In the Save PDF dialog box, Click “Security” and under “Permissions“, you can enter a password to prevent printing and editing.

You can view the files in Acrobat, but you won’t be able to print it or copy it.

Photoshop Trick 05 – Select Any Color From Outside of Photoshop

To select any color from outside of Photoshop first activate the Eyedropper tool (I on the keyboard). Then left-click-and-hold inside of your image in Photoshop, and drag the cursor outside of Photoshop to any other window or application. Sample the color that you like, then release your mouse button, and the sampled color will appear as your new Foreground color.

The post 5 Photoshop Tricks & Tips That You Don’t Know (Probably) – Part 3 appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this Photoshop 3D tutorial, you’ll learn to work with Bump maps, Normal maps, and Depth maps.

We will create a realistic brick wall using Photoshop’s 3D features, and a Depth map. We will also discuss Bump maps and Normal maps which can add more detail and realism to 3D objects.

Bump Maps in Photoshop 3D

Bump maps are grayscale images that allow you to fake detail in 3D objects. The detail that they generate is simply a lighting trick on the surface of 3D objects. The actual 3D geometry is not changed in any way.

The 256 different levels of luminosity in bump maps are used to tell the Photoshop how far to push down or pull down.

Bump maps are really easy to create using Photoshop’s 3D filters. Go to Filter > 3D > Generate Bump Map. This will bring up the Generate Bump Map dialog box which gives you an interactive 3D preview, with controls on how to generate the grayscale image that will make up your Bump map.

After you generate your Bump map, you can edit it with any of photoshop’s regular adjustments, tools, or filters. One common technique is to use the Dodge and Burn tools to adjust the luminosity of certain areas.

Even though Bump Maps can be very useful in many projects, their drawback is that in certain angles they do not look very realistic.

Normal Maps in Photoshop 3D

Normal Maps are very similar to bump maps. They also allow you to fake the illusion of depth and detail on a 3D object without actually adding any 3D geometry. But Normal maps do it in a different way.

A normal map uses RGB information that corresponds to the X, Y and Z axis in 3D space. The RGB channels tell Photoshop the direction of the surface normals are oriented in for each and every polygon.

Normal maps are as easy to create in Photoshop as Bump maps. Go to Filter > 3D > Generate Bump Map. This will bring up the Generate Normal Map dialog box which is almost identical to the Generate Bump Map dialog box. This dialog box also gives you an interactive 3D preview, with controls on how to generate the image that will make up your Normal map.

Unlike a Bump map, Normal maps can be very difficult edit in Photoshop. Each RGB channel is adjusted to present a movement in a single axis in 3D. This means that any adjustments would need to be made the appropriate RGB channel, and not the whole image.

Depth Maps in Photoshop 3D

Depth maps are 2D images that use their luminance values to create 3D objects. Unlike Bump maps or Normal maps, Depth maps in Photoshop do alter the 3D geometry of an object.

In this tutorial, we use a Bump map as a Depth map to create our 3D object.

This image was also created using a Depth map 3D modeling technique similar to the one shown in this video.

Links Mentioned in This Tutorial

Adobe Stock Image (Brick Wall):

Photoshop CC Minimum System Requirements:
https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/system-requirements.html

The post Photoshop 3D – Using Depth Maps, Bump Maps, and Normal Maps appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create the glowing fist effect from the Netflix series, Iron First.

Even though you may never have the need to create this effect for your projects, by following this tutorial you will learn techniques that will help you in other areas.

In this project, we will work with blending modes, filters, adjustments layers, smart objects, layer masks, and clipping masks. There will be plenty of Photoshop tips for you to pick up along the way!

The post Iron Fist Effect in Photoshop – Glowing Hand appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, I’m going to give you an in-depth explanation on how the Blending Modes (Blend Modes) in Photoshop work.

You may have worked with Blending Modes in the past, and it was probably more of an experimental process for you. The purpose of this tutorial is to show you how exactly how each Blend Mode works, so you don’t have to experiment as much.

By the time you finish watching this Photoshop tutorial, you should have a strong understanding of how to use Blending Modes and which to use to get your desired effect.

When Were Blend Modes Added to Photoshop?

Blending Modes have been around since 1994 when Layers were first introduced in Photoshop 3.0.
19 original Blending Modes are: Normal, Dissolve, Darken, Multiply, Color, Burn, Darker Color, Lighten Screen, Color Dodge, Lighter Color, Overlay, Soft Light, Hard Light, Difference, Exclusion, Hue, Saturation, Color, and Luminosity.

In 2002, five Blending Modes were added to Photoshop 7 along with the Fill slider. Linear Dodge (Add), Linear Burn, Vivid Light, Linear Light, and Pin Light.

Hard Mix was added in 2003 to Photoshop CS. Subtract and Divide were added to Photoshop CS5 in 2010.

Currently, we have 27 Blending Modes. 30 Blending Modes if you include the two extra Blending Modes for the painting tools (Behind and Clear) and the extra Blending Mode for groups (Pass Through).

Blending Modes or Blend Modes?

Officially they are known as Blending Modes, but you can use the names interchangeably. I sometimes refer to them as “Blend Modes,” so no worries as to which name you use. As longs as you know how they work!

Opacity vs Fill With Blending Modes

19 out of the 27 Blending Modes behave the same way when Fill is adjusted, compared to when Opacity is adjusted. However, there are 8 special Blending Modes that give you a different result when Fill is adjusted compared to Opacity.

This is extremely important because this extra method of blending pixels vastly extends the capabilities of Blending Modes. More importantly, The blend tends to be more aesthetically pleasing when using Fill rather Opacitycity.

In the example below, you can see how a layer with different luminance values was blended with a photo of Venice using the Hard Mix Blending Mode. The image in the center is set at Opacity at 50%, while the image on the right is set to Fill at 50%.

The Blending Modes that are part of this group of 8 are Color Burn, Linear Burn, Color Dodge, Linear Dodge (Add), Vivid Light, Linear Light, Hard Mix, and Difference.

“Transparency Shapes Layer” Check Box

The 8 Blending Modes in this group, also give you an extra level of blending by un-checking the “Transparency Shapes Layer” checkbox in the Layer Style panel.

In the example below, you can see how Linear Light blends differently when “Transparency Shapes Layer” is un-checked. Notice how the edges of the circles blend differently on the example on the right.

Result + Color = Result

You should remember these three terms to understand how Blending Modes work.

The “Base” color is the original color in the image.

The “Blend” color is the color being applied with the painting or editing tool.

The “Result” color is the color resulting from the blend.

How the Base and the Blend colors mix depends on the algorithm or Blending Mode that you select.

Blend Mode Math

For those of you who are interested in how the math behind the blend modes work I’ve created a simplified explanation

Photoshop uses “Standardized” values to calculate the blend. The lumininace values in Blending Mode math range from 0 (black) to 1 (white). However, Photoshop uses 0 (black) to 255 (white) to represent luminance values in RGB. Photoshop has to conver the values, so black is still 0, but white becomes 1. 50% gray which is 128 becomes 0.5.

To convert a luminance value to a standardized value, dive it by 255. For example, a value of 192 (light gray) divided by 255 is 0.75 (192÷255=0.75).

Keep in mind that when working with numbers between 0 and 1, multiplication and subtraction result in lower numbers (decreased brightness), while addition and division result in higher numbers (increased brightness).

Math Sample:

A = Blend Layer Standardized Value
B = Base Layer Standardized Value

Multiply:
AxB = Result

Color Dodge:
B÷(1-A) = Result

Adobe provides descriptions on each Blending Mode but they do not provide the mathematical equations behind them. If you would like to find out more about the math that is being used behind the scenes you can check out the Wikipedia page on Blend Modes.

Each Blend Mode Explained

In the examples below, we will go through each of the 6 Blend Mode categories (Normal, Darken, Lighten, Contrast, Inversion, and Component) as well as each individual Blend Mode in each category.

There will also be graphics that show the outcome of each Blend Mode at 100% opacity and opacity unless otherwise noted. Each example contains two blend layers, a grayscale luminosity layer, and a color layer. The base layer will be an image of Venice Italy.

Normal Blending Modes

The Blending Modes in this category do not have algorithms that blend pixels. Instead, the Opacity slider controls the blend between layers.

Normal

“Normal” is the default Blending Mode in Photoshop layers. Opaque pixels will cover the pixels directly below them without any math or algorithm applied to them. You can, of course, reduce the opacity of the layer to reveal the pixels below.

Dissolve

The Dissolve Blending Mode isn’t blending any pixels. It is only selecting areas to reveal, based on the Opacity. It is why Dissolve is in the Normal category, as it only shows the pixels below when the Opacity of the layer is reduced.

Darken Blending Modes

As the name implies, the Blending Modes in the Darken category will turn the “Result” colors darker. Anything that is white in the blend layer will become invisible, and anything that is darker than white is going to have some darkening effect to the pixels below it.

Darken

The Darken Blending Mode looks at the luminance values in each of the RGB channels and selects either the base color or blend color depending on which is darker. Simply put, this Blending Mode does not blend pixels, it only compares the base and blend colors, and it keeps the darkest of the two. If the blend layer and the base layer color are the same, then there is no change.

Multiply

Multiply is one of the most popular Blending Modes in Photoshop. I’m sure that you have used it many times before.

This Blending Mode multiplies the luminosity of the base color by the blend color. The resulting color is always a darker color. White produces no change, while the black pixels remain. There are different levels of darkening depending on the luminosity values of the blend layer, making Multiply a great Blending Mode for darkening images or creating shadows.

Color Burn

Color Burn is the first of the eight unique Blending Modes in Photoshop that react differently when Opacity is adjusted compared to Fill.

The Color Burn Blending Mode gives you a darker result than Multiply by increasing the contrast between the base and the blend colors resulting in more highly saturated mid-tones and reduced highlights. The result is very similar to the effect you would get when you use the Burn Tool to darken an image.

Color Burn blends differently when Fill Opacity is adjusted, compared to when Opacity is adjusted.

Linear Burn

Linear Brun decreases the brightness of the base color based on the value of the blend color. The result is darker than Multiply but less saturated than Color Burn. Linear Burn also produces the most contrast in darker colors than any of the other Blending Modes in the Darker group.

Linear Burn blends differently when Fill Opacity is adjusted, compared to when Opacity is adjusted.

*Introduced in Photoshop 7.

Darker Color

The Darker Color Blending Mode is very similar to Darken. This Blending Mode does not blend pixels. It simply compares the base and blend colors, and it keeps the darkest of the two. The difference is that Darker Color looks at the composite of all the RGB channels, whereas Darken looks at each individual RGB channel to come up with a final blend.

Lighten Blending Modes

The Blending modes in this category and re opposites, or complementary colors from the Darken category. These Blending Modes will turn the “Result” colors Brighter. Anything that is black in the blend layer will become invisible, and anything that is brighter than black is going to have some darkening effect to the pixels below it.

Lighten

The Lighten Blending Mode takes a look at the base color and blend color, and it keeps whichever one of the two is the lightest. If the blend colors and the base colors are the same, then no change is applied. As with the Darken Blending Mode, Lighten looks at the three RGB channels separately when blending the pixels.

Screen

Screen is another of Photoshop’s most popular Blending Modes. The resulting color is always a brighter color. Black produces no change, while the brighter pixels remain. There are different levels of brightening depending on the luminosity values of the blend layer, making Screen, a great Blending Mode for brightening images or creating highlights.

Color Dodge

Color Dodge is the third of the eight special Blending Modes. Opacity and Fill with give you different results.

The Color Dodge Blending mode gives you a brighter result than Screen by decreasing the contrast between the base and the blend colors, resulting in saturated mid-tones and blown highlights. The effect is very similar to the result you would get when using the Dodge Tool to brighten up an image.

Color Dodge blends differently when Fill Opacity is adjusted, compared to when standard Opacity is adjusted.

Linear Dodge (Add)

Linear Dodge (Add) produces similar but stronger results than Screen or Color Dodge. This Blending Mode looks at the color information in each channel and brightens the base color to reflect the blend color by increasing the brightness. Blending with black produces no change.

Linear Dodge (Add) blends differently when Fill Opacity is adjusted, compared to when Opacity is adjusted.

*Introduced in Photoshop 7.

Lighter Color

Lighter Color is very similar to Lighten. This Blending Mode does not blend pixels. It simply compares the base and blend colors, and it keeps the brightest of the two. The difference is that Lighter Color looks at the composite of all the RGB channels, whereas Lighten looks at each individual RGB channel to come up with a final blend.

Contrast Blending Modes

The Blending Modes in this category are a mixture between the Darken and the Lighten Blending Modes. They create contrast by both lightening and darkening the result colors by using complimentary Blending Modes to create the blend.

Photoshop checks to see if the colors are darker than 50% gray or lighter than 50% gray. If the colors are darker than 50% gray, a darkening Blending Mode is applied. If the colors are brighter than 50% gray, a brightening Blending Mode is applied.

With the exception of Hard Mix, all the Blending Modes in this category turn 50% gray transparent.

Overlay

Overlay is another of Photoshop’s most widely used Blending Modes. It is a combination of Multiply and Screen with the base layer always shining through. Overlay uses the Screen Blending Mode at half strength on colors lighter than 50% gray. And the Multiply Blending Mode at half strength on colors darker than 50% gray. 50% gray itself becomes transparent. Also, note that “half-strength” does not mean, Opacity at 50%.

Another way of thinking about Overlay is by thinking of shifting mid-tones. Dark blend colors shift the mid-tones to darker colors, light-tones shift the mid-tones to brighter colors.

One difference between the Overlay Blending Mode and the other Contrast Blending Modes is that it makes its calculations based on the brightness of the colors in the base layer. All of the other Contrast Blending Modes make their calculations based on the brightness of the blend layer.

Overlay, alongside Hard Light, is part of the first set of Commuted Blending Modes in Photoshop. A set of commuted Blending Modes will give you the same result when you apply one Blending Mode to the blend layer, as when you apply the corresponded Commuted Blend Mode to the base layer, and then reversing the order of the layers.

In other words, if you apply the Overlay Blending Mode to the blend layer, you will get the same result, as when you apply the Hard-Light Blending Mode to the Base layer, then reverse the order of the layers.

Soft Light

Soft Light is very much like Overlay. It applies either a darkening or lightening effect depending on the luminance values, but in a much more subtle way. You can think of Soft Light as a softer version of Overlay without the harsh contrast.

Hard Light

Hard Light Combines the Multiply and Screen Blending Modes using the brightness values of Blend layer to make its calculations. Overlay uses the base layer. Hard Light is part of the first set of Commuted Blending Modes alongside Overlay.

The results with Hard Light tend to be intense. In many cases, you will have to reduce the Opacity to get better results.

Hard Light sounds like it would have something in common with Soft Light, it does not. It is, of course, much more closely related to Overlay.

Vivid Light

You can think of Vivid Light as an extreme version of Overlay and Soft Light. Anything darker than 50% gray is darkened and anything lighter than 50% gray is Lighten.

Vivid Light is one of those other Blending Modes where you may want to adjust the opacity since 100% opacity is generally too strong. Also, this is the fifth Blending Mode of eight that give you different results when you reduce the fill compared to opacity.

Vivid Light blends differently when Fill Opacity is adjusted, compared to when Opacity is adjusted.

*Introduced in Photoshop 7.

Linear Light

Linear Light uses a combination of the Linear Dodge Blending on lighter pixels and a Linear Burn on darker pixels.

Typically, the resulting colors are extreme, and you may want to use the Opacity or Fill sliders to adjust them.

Linear Lights blends differently when Fill Opacity is adjusted, compared to when Opacity is adjusted.

*Introduced in Photoshop 7.

Pin Light

Pin Light performs a Darken and Lighten Blending Mode simultaneously. This is an extreme Blending Mode that can result in patches or blotches and it completely removes all mid-tones.

*Introduced in Photoshop 7.

Hard Mix

Hard Mix is both the seventh Blending Mode in the contrast group and the seventh of the special 8 Blending Mode

Hard Mix applies the blend by adding the value of each RGB channel into the blend layer to the corresponding RGB channel in the base layer, resulting in a loss of a lot of detail. The result color can only be black, white, or any of the six primary colors, red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, and yellow.

This is one of those extreme Blending Modes, but you can use Opacity and Fill to reduce the effect and get results that you can work with. Fill will probably be your better option for reducing the effect of this Blending Mode.

Hard Mix blends differently when Fill Opacity is adjusted, compared to when Opacity is adjusted.

*Introduced in Photoshop CS.

Inversion Blending Modes

The Inversion Blending Modes look for variations between the base and blend layers to create the blend.

Difference

Difference is also the eighth and final Blending Mode that react differently when Fill is reduced compared to Opacity.

The Difference Blending Mode applies the blend by setting the resulting pixel to the value of the difference between the blend pixel and the base pixel.

Blending white inverts the color value and blending black results in no change. The resulting image clearly represents this effect.

The black and dark areas of the luminosity layer remained virtually unchanged. While the lighter tones inverted the colors.

Difference blends differently when Fill Opacity is adjusted, compared to when Opacity is adjusted.

Exclusion

Exclusion gives you similar results as Difference. Blending with white inverts the base color values. Blending with black produces no change. Blending with 50% gray produces 50% gray.

Subtract

Subtract, simply subtracts pixel values from the base layer. This Blending Mode drastically darkens pixels by subtracting brightness.

White has no effect, but the darker colors lighten the image. Only as the blend values get brighter, does the result get darker.

Notice how the light areas of the gradient are almost pure black. While the dark areas of the gradient produced no change.

*Introduced in Photoshop CS5.

Divide

Divide produces the opposite effect as Subtract.

White has no effect, but the darker colors lighten the image. Only as the blend values get darker, does the result get brighter.

Dark areas of the blend layer produce bright colors, while the light areas of the blend layer produced no change.

*Introduced in Photoshop CS5.

Component Blending Modes

The component blending modes use different combinations of the primary components (hue, saturation, and brightness) to create the blend.

Hue

The Hue Blending Mode preserves the luminosity and saturation of the base pixels while adopting the hue of the blend pixels.

The Hue Blending Mode can be used to change hues in an image while maintaining the tonal and saturation values of the original image.

Saturation

The Saturation Blending Mode preserves the luminosity and hue of the base layer while adopting the saturation of the blend layer.

A black-and-white blend layer also turns the image into grayscale because none of the pixels in the luminosity layer have saturation.

Color

The Color Blending Mode preserves the luminosity of the base layer while adopting the hue and saturation of the blend layer. Making this Blending Mode ideal for coloring monochromatic images.

Also, Color, along with the Luminosity Blending Mode, is the second pair of Commuted Blending Modes.

If you apply the Color Blending Mode to the blend layer, you will get the same result, as when you apply the Luminosity Blending Mode to the Base layer, then reverse the order of the layers.

Luminosity

Luminosity preserves the hue and saturation of the base layer while adopting the luminosity of the blend layer.

Pass Through Blending Mode

When you select a group, you will notice that the default blending mode not Normal. Instead, it is “Pass Through.” The Pass Through blending mode tells Photoshop to treat all the layers within a group to behave as if they were just part of a regular layer stack, and not part of the group and blend with the layers below.

The Pass Through blending mode tells Photoshop to treat all the layers within a group to behave as if they were just part of a regular layer stack and not part of the group.

However, if you changed the Pass Through blending mode to any other blending mode, Photoshop will first blend the layers in the group, then it will blend the resulting composite with the layers below it using the Blending Mode that you selected.

This is the same result as merging all the layers in a group and then applying a Blending Mode.

For this reason, you can use it to create some great effects especially when compositing.

Blending Modes with 32-Bit Images

Only 15 blending modes are available when you are working with 32-bit images. They are: Normal, Dissolve, Darken, Multiply, Lighten, Linear Dodge (Add), Difference, Hue, Saturation, Color, Luminosity, Lighter Color, and Darker Color.

Commuted Blending Modes

There are two sets of Commuted Blending Modes, Overlay and Hard Light, and Color and Luminosity.

A set of commuted Blending Modes will give you the same result when you apply one Blending Mode to the blend layer, as when you apply the corresponded Commuted Blend Mode to the base layer, and then reversing the order of the layers.

For example, if you apply the Overlay Blend Mode to the blend layer, you will get the same result, as when you apply the Hard-Light Blend Mode to the base layer, then reverse the order of the layers.

Blending Mode Keyboard Shortcuts

You can change the Blending Mode of a layer by clicking on the drop-down and selecting one from the list. Alternatively, you can use the Photoshop keyboard shortcuts for Blend Modes. Press, Shift + to go down to the next Blending Mode. Or, Shift – to go up the list.

If you have a painting tool active, this shortcut will change the Blending Mode of the tool instead of the layer. To prevent this from happening, get in the habit of pressing the V key to select the Move tool, then press Shift + or Shift – to scroll through the Blending Modes.

If the focus, the blue highlight, is around the Blending Mode drop-down menu, these shortcuts will not work. Simply hit Enter, or Return on the Mac to remove the focus from the dropdown, then apply any shortcut that you would like.

Except for Subtract and Divide, the two Blending Modes added in Photoshop CS5 in 2010, each of the Blend Modes has a keyboard shortcut that you can use to apply it to a layer.

However, I don’t recommend learning all of them. Only learn the ones you use most often. Most of the time I only use Screen, Multiply, Overlay, Soft Light, Color, and Luminously. Those are the only blend mode keyboard shortcuts I have memorized.

To select a Blending mode press Alt Shift on Windows, or Option Shift on the Mac, then press the corresponding letter to get you the Blending Mode that you would like to use.

The post Blending Modes Explained – The Complete Guide to Photoshop Blend Modes appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this Photoshop tutorial, I will show you three Photoshop hacks you probably don’t know.

Photoshop Hack 01 – Create Template Files

If you have Photoshop files that you use as templates, consider using a Photoshop Template file. To create a Photoshop Template file simply add the letter “T” to the PSD file type. The PSDT file will open an instance of the original file, and you will never override the original.

Photoshop Hack 02 – Custom Plugins Folder

In Photoshop CC you no longer chose a custom plug-ins folder. But you can use this Photoshop hack as a workaround.

Photoshop recognizes shortcuts (Windows) and alias (Mac OS) within the Plug-Ins folder and subfolders. Which means that you can place your plugins into a custom folder, then create a shortcut/Alias to that custom folder. Then, put the Shortcut/Alias into the plugins folder. You will see all of your plug-ins in the custom folder are now appearing in Photoshop CC under the Filters menu.

After you restart Photoshop, you will see all of your plugins appearing in the Filters menu.

Hack 03 – Use Premiere LUT Files in Photoshop

If you are a member of the Creative Cloud and have access to Premiere and After Effects, you can import the Lut files from those programs into Photoshop.

Simply copy the LUT files from Premiere and paste them into the Photoshop LUT folder.

Photoshop Hack Bonus – Bring Back Refine Edge

Photoshop CC 2015.5 introduced the new Select and Mask Workspace and removed the old Refine Edge (Refine Mask) dialog box.

If you prefer to work with Refine Edge, then use this little-known shortcut in Photoshop CC 2017 and newer to bring back the Refine Edge dialog box.

With a selection or mask active, press-and-hold Shift, and go to Select > Select and Mask. Using this modifier key will open the Refine Edge window instead of the Select and Mask Workspace!

The post 3 Photoshop HACKS That You Probably DON’T Know appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to sharpen images in Photoshop.

When sharpening photos in Photoshop, it is important to understand that the sharpening adjustments that we apply do not add any new detail to the photo. In Photoshop, we can only create the illusion of sharpness by increasing the contrast of edge pixels. Making it seem as if there is more detail in the image.

If the sharpening is pushed too far, it can create edge halos or increase noise in the photo, so it is always a good idea to keep your adjustments as subtle as possible.

There are no rules or settings that you should always use. The amount of sharpening that looks good depends on the contrast of the texture of the image. The only thing that seems to hold true in most cases is that you should apply subtle adjustments.

When applying sharpness, always view the image at 100% so that you can see how the image is being affected, any other view will be inaccurate and misleading.

The tools that we will look at to sharpen images in Photoshop are the Smart Sharpen Filter, and the Camera RAW filter.

There are three types of sharpening that you can apply to a photo, Capture Sharpening, Creative Sharpening, and Output Sharpening. But in this video, we will mainly focus on capture sharpening.

Capture Sharpening

The sharpening that you apply to an image to bring back the sharpness lost through the process of capturing the image to a sensor and converting it to a digital format. The demosaicing process.

To offset this loss of detail, when you open a RAW file in CameraRAW or Lightroom you will see that the Sharpening “Amount” is set to 25 by default.

If you open a JPG, instead you will see that the Amount will be set to 0, because your camera or the device that created the image adds sharpening as the jpg is made.

Creative Sharpening

Applied selectively based on artistic intent. It is an effect that tends not to be realistic or subtle.

Output Sharpening

The last step before output. Done after you reduce the size of the image and before exporting it as a JPEG, or before printing the image. Both printing and downscaling an image may soften it, and it may require a bit of sharpening to bring back some detail.

The post How to Sharpen Images in Photoshop appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to convert photos to black and white in Photoshop. We will use two techniques that will give you a lot of control and allow you to work non-destructively.

The first technique we will work with the Black and White Adjustment layer (introduced in Photoshop CS3). The Black and White Adjustment Layer allows you to control how dark or how bright specific colors will display after the black and white conversion has been made.

The second technique is very similar, but it instead uses the Camera RAW filter’s HSL sliders. They work the same way as the Black and White adjustment Layer but it offers two additional sliders. The “Oranges” slider, and the “Purple” slider.

The post How To Make BLACK and WHITE Photos In PHOTOSHOP- Two Easy Conversion Techniques appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to create sun flares in Photoshop.

The effect that we’re going to create in this video is the sun glow effect that is really popular in portrait photography. It’s a stylized effect that warms up an image and makes it more interesting.

Like everything else in Photoshop, there is a lot of ways of achieving this sun flare overlay effect. One of the best methods is to use the Gradient Fill Layer alongside the Hard Light Blending Mode, which allows you to work none destructively, and it gives you a lot of control as to how the glow effect looks.

Using Adjustment Layers or Fill Layers, do not add too much to the file size of the final photoshop file. So use them instead of pixel layers whenever you can.

Best of all, if you create a sun glow effect using a Gradient Fill, you can save it as a preset, and use it again on any other image that you like.

By learning to create these artificial light bursts, you’ll be able to quickly add sunlight to photos, and make sunset or sunrise glows.

For this tutorial, we will be using an Adobe Stock image. You can download the free watermarked preview if you like, or use your own image to follow along.

Adobe Stock Image: http://bit.ly/2ptNI8B

If you have any comments or questions regarding this tutorial, leave them down in the comments section below!

The post How To Create a SUN GLOW Effect in Photoshop – SUN FLARE Tutorial appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, you will learn to use a Selective Color Adjustment Layer to create a Saturation Map. A Saturation Map will allow you to “see” how much saturation there is in an image.

The post Compositing With Saturation Maps in Photoshop – Match Saturation appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create seamless textures. We will use the Clouds Filter to generate the texture, but you can use this technique with any image that you like to create tileable patterns.

You will also learn a little-known trick that takes advantage of the Clouds Filter’s algorithm to quickly generate seamless repeatable patterns by using the right document sizes.

The post How to Create Seamless Textures in Photoshop – Repeatable Patterns appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this Photoshop tutorial, we’re going to learn how to use Layer Styles to easily create the Spider-Man text effect. The the same text effect that you will see in the Spider-Man Homecoming movie poster.

Photoshop Layer Styles are non-destructive effects, such as shadows, glows, and bevels, that change the appearance of a layer’s contents. The effects are added by using an easy-to-use interface of mostly sliders, and checkboxes.

Layer Styles were introduced in Photoshop 6, which means that almost everything taught in this tutorial should work in older versions of Photoshop. The one exception will be the final part with Smart Objects and Camera RAW. But that is just a refinement to the final effect.

Layer Styles are often used to create text effects, but they have limitations. You cannot control the stacking order of the Layer Styles, and you are limited to a certain number of layer styles per layer.

This tutorial will focus on a technique that allows you to create intricate text effects by stacking multiple text layers with Layer Styles on top of each other. This method gives you full control. You can add as many Layer Styles as you want, in whatever order you want.

If you enjoy this Spider-Man text effect tutorial, then you might also like my tutorial on recreating the text effect from the show Stranger Things.

Spider-Man Text Effect Font

The font used in this tutorial is Good Times from Adobe Typekit. You can download it for free if you subscribe to the full version of the Creative Cloud. The “Photoshop” text in white uses Market, also from Adobe Typekit.

If you don’t have the Creative Cloud, then you can use any other font that you like. The font is not really that important. The point of this tutorial is for you to learn how to stack Layer Styles to create more complex text effects.

The post Spider-Man Text Effect in Photoshop – Layer Styles Tutorial appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, we’re going to talk about how to use the Puppet Warp in Photoshop.

Puppet Warp can be very useful for many distortions, such as shaping hair and repositioning body parts. The distortions that you make are by dragging pins on a mesh that is overlayed on top of your image.

In this video, you’re going to learn how the Puppet Warp works in Photoshop, and how you can take advantage of all the options available in this tool.

Puppet Warp Options

These are the different settings that you can adjust for the Puppet Warp in the Options Bar.

• Mode: Determines the stretchiness of the mesh.
• Density: Determines the spacing of mesh points. Having fewer points gives you less precise control. While having more points increases precision but requires more processing time.
• Expansion: Expands or contracts the edge of the mesh.
• Show Mesh: Deselect to show only adjustment pins, making your adjustments easier to see.

Puppet Warp in Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts

These are the Photoshop keyboard shortcuts that are available to you while in the Puppet Warp.

Ctrl A (Mac: Command A) – Select all pins.

Ctrl D (Mac: Command D) – Deselect all pins.

Shift-Click on pins to select multiple pins.

Hold down the H key to hide pins. Release to bring back the pins.

Alt-Click (Mac: Option-Click) on Pin to Delete it.

Hold Alt (Mac: Option) near to, but not over a pin to reveal a circle that allows you to rotate the pin.

Press the Esc key to cancel distortions.

The post How To Use Puppet Warp in Photoshop – Puppet Warp Guide appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, you will learn three time-saving tips to work faster in Photoshop.

Let me know in the comments if you have any time-saving tips!

The post 3 Time-Saving TIPS to Work FASTER in Photoshop appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, you will learn to supercharge the Clone Source tool in Photoshop by using keyboard shortcuts.

Clone Source Panel Keyboard Shortcuts

When using the Clone Stamp Tool, you can use keyboard shortcuts to nudge, scale, or rotate the sample source to better match the size and orientation of the cloning destination.

First, set the sample point by holding Alt (Mac: Option) and clicking on an area to sample from. You will then see an overlay of your sample source.

• Hold Alt (Mac: Option) Shift and tap on the Arrow keys (left, right, up and down) to nudge the Clone Source.
• Hold Alt (Mac: Option) Shift < or > to rotate the Clone Source.
• Hold Alt (Mac: Option) Shift { or } to scale the Clone Source.

You can also use the Clone Source panel (Window > Clone Source) to make these changes to the sample source in case you forget the Photoshop keyboard shortcuts.

The post SUPERCHARGE The Clone Stamp Tool in Photoshop – Clone Source Panel Keyboard Shortcuts appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, you will learn to use Content-Aware Fill in Photoshop to remove distracting objects from your photos. You will also learn a technique that will allow you to use Content-Aware Fill in an Advanced way.

The post How To Use Content-Aware Fill in Photoshop – Advance Method appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

In this tutorial, you will learn to use the Content-Aware Move Tool to expand and move objects in a photo.

The post How To Use The Content-Aware Move Tool in Photoshop appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.

Photoshop tutorial showing you how to use Layer Comps alongside Smart Objects.

The post How To Use LAYER COMPS in Photoshop – ADVANCE Method With SMART OBJECTS appeared first on Photoshop Training Channel.