Before
Every photographer should learn how to harness the power and versatility of Photoshop’s Curves Adjustment Layers
GET YOUR CURVES ADJUSTMENT ACTIONS
Turn to page 84 to find out more!
Few tools within Photoshop can be used in as many ways as Curves. From corrective techniques, F including brightness, contrast, colour correction and detail recovery to more creative colour effects and special effects, this seemingly simple tool wields a great deal of power. Curves can be used as a simple adjustment, which is a destructive method of editing, but when used as an Adjustment Layer, they’re non-destructive and their creative potential multiplies.
We’re going to focus on some simple uses of Curves to give you a taste of how they work, ending on a more complex technique that provides precise control of tonal luminosity using an unusual approach. These techniques are in no way definitive; they only scratch the surface of what Curves can be used for, but by the end of the four tutorials, you’ll have a solid understanding of their potential, alongside learning some useful and creative techniques.
1 Control brightness and contrast
Click on the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel and select Curves. Left-click on the curve to place a point and drag up and left to lighten or down and right to darken. Next, left-click on the point in the bottom left corner and drag it to the right to increase the black point, then drag the top right corner point to the left to increase the white point. This movement of the corner point increases contrast.
2 Add natural contrast in an instant
Create a Curve Adjustment Layer
