› › COLUMN> PHOTOSHOP USER>^ FEBRUARY 2020[ 90 ]
CREATIVE EFFECTS
So much for theory, let’s have some fun. It turns out that Levels lets you
address color channels directly from its drop-down menu in the Properties
panel. At first glance, that means we can control per-channel contrast, but
there are lots of easier ways to correct color. We can instead use this for
some creative effects. This image across San Diego Bay is really hazy and
low contrast, and could use some Levels magic.Another option is to create a color mask
by using a Levels adjustment layer set to
Color blend mode. In this case, start with
a Levels adjustment layer set to Normal and
adjust for contrast, then add another Levels
adjustment layer set to Color. For more con-
trast, change the Normal layer to Soft Light
or Overlay blending mode.
You aren’t limited, however, to just
stacking up Levels adjustment layers. You
can also use Stamp Merge Visible (Com-
mand-Option-Shift-E [PC: Ctrl-Alt-Shift-E])
to create copies of adjustments and blend
them selectively. This is a great way for
working on individual image elements and
compositing them together—kind of like
making multiple exposures.TIPS & TRICKS
Okay, are you ready for some cool tips and
tricks? It turns out that Levels is also avail-
able as a “destructive” adjustment from
the Image>Adjustments menu. There may
not be much need for this particular feature
these days, but there are some neat things
you can do.
For a cool duotone effect, you can choose
two channels from the Channels panel and
then go to Image>Adjust ments>Levels,
and work on just those two channels.
(Note: Don’t just turn off a channel in the
Channels panel by clicking its Eye icon;
you need to actually click on the first
channel you want, and then Shift-click
the other channel to select them both.)
The drop-down menu in the Properties
panel now lets you work on the composite
of those channels, as well as each
one individually. When you get a look
you like, click OK to commit. But there’s
a problem: the third channel comes back
when you choose the RGB composite in
the Channels panel! To solve this problem,
select the channel you didn’t adjust in the
Channels panel and fill it with black. This
trick is destructive, so make a flat copy of
your image first.Original photoWarm imageInstead of using the RGB sliders, I’m going to give this a warm tone by
individually adjusting each of the channel values. It turns out that the mid-
point slider behaves like a color balance slider for each channel. Moving it
left increases the color associated with that channel, but moving it right
increases the opposite color. So on the Red channel, moving the midpoint
slider left makes the image red, and moving it right makes it cyan, just like
the Color Balance adjustment sliders.
After working each channel individually by bringing in the end point
sliders and manipulating the midpoint, here’s one stylized result.