- Change the blend settings for the Shadows/Highlights ef-
fect. The Shadows/Highlights command has a habit of dimming
the colors in an image, regardless of the Color Balance value. To
compensate, double-click the icon for Shadows/Highlights in
the Layers panel. Then change the Mode to Luminosity and the
Opacity to 65 percent, which restores the original colors and
backs off the effect, respectively. Click OK to accept.
The first two examples in Figure 7-39 compare the original image
to the finished smart object. The changes are both subtle and pre-
cise. Even so, it may occur to you that you could have achieved the
same goal with less chicanery using static filters. Very likely, but as
with any parametric modification, the advantage of smart filters is
changeability. If I wanted, say, a higher contrast effect with more
brilliant colors, I’d simply double-click the icon for the Shadows/
Highlights filter, change Mode to Overlay, and reduce the Opacity
to 35 percent, and I’d be rewarded with the last example in the figure
below. Smart filters may be a bit overwrought, but it’s hard to object
to anything that so willingly adapts to your every creative whim.
Original imageResult of smart filtersLast-minute adjustmentsFigure 7-39.250 Lesson 7: Sharpening and Smart Objects