Photoshop
Corrections with Adjustment Layers

Open Image and Setup Screen

• Open the file “Peahen.jpg"
• Make sure the “Layers” window is open.
• Make sure the “Undo History” window (PSE) or the "History: window (PSCS) is open. 

Open the Adjustment Layers

• Create a duplicate copy of the original image (which we will not modify.)  Do this by clicking on Layer in the main menu then selecting “Duplicate Layer”.  Name the layer “Base Layer” by typing that in the “As:” box.  Click “OK”.  Note in the Layers window you have two layers, Background and Base Layer.
• Create a “Levels” adjustment layer by clicking on “Layer” in the main menu then select “New Adjustment Layer” then select “Levels”.  Click “OK” on the creation dialog box.  Then click “OK” on the levels dialog box.  We will come back later and make the layers adjustments.
• Create a “Brightness/Contrast” adjustment layer in a similar fashion.
• Create a “Hue/Saturation” adjustment layer in a similar fashion.

Making Corrections with the Adjustment Layers

• All adjustments that will be made in this step could have been made when the adjustment layers were created or even made without adjustment layers.  However with adjustment layers you can alternate between the adjustment layers to fine tune your image.  And you can save your image with the adjustment layers to come back later and make further adjustments – say after you have made a print that needs correction.
• In the “Layers” window the Levels 1 layer has two large image boxes on the right.  One has a histogram (graph) image and the other is white.  The white one is a layer mask which we will not work with in this lesson.  Double click on the left box to bring up the Levels dialog box.  Bring out the dynamic color range in the image by moving the left slider to the right until it gets to the histogram and move the right slider to the left until it gets to the histogram.  Move the center midtone slider to the left until the image is a little washed out (but not too much.)  We will bring it back by adding contrast.  Click “OK” to accept the changes.
• In the Brightness/Contrast 1 layer double click on the left box to bring up the Brightness/Contrast dialog box.  Adjust the contrast and brightness to bring out the best in the image.  Because we over-lightened in layers dialog it will take extra contrast to compensate.
• We can now go back to the levels dialog box via the Levels 1 layer to tweak the levels until we get things right.  Notice when bring up the levels dialog box you have the same settings that you ended with the first time.
• Now through the Hue/Saturation 1 layer bring up the hue/saturation dialog and adjust the hue and saturation.  Note you can now alternate among the three adjustment layers making small corrections until you get it just right. 

Brighten the Eye

• The dodge tool family (the dodge tool, the burn tool and the sponge tool) is located at the bottom of the tool bar.  Click on the dodge tool family and select the dodge tool on the right of the tool menu.
• For this exercise choose a soft brush, a size of about 65, the range will be midtones and exposure about 50%.
• Make the Base Layer active by clicking on the base layer in the Layers window.
• Move the brush (a circle) over the eye of the peahen, hold the left mouse down and move back and forth over the eye until it looks about right.

Finish the project

• You can save the project now in the PSD format or the TIFF format.  You would do this if there is any chance you might want to change your adjustment layer corrections later.  (In fact you could have saved at anytime then recalled your work to continue.)
• If you are sure you are done you could flatten your image with the command “Layer, Flatten Image”.  This will give you a single Background layer which you can now save in jpg, tiff or psd formats.  The layers are now lost (but their effects remain.)