> PHOTOSHOP USER>^ OCTOBER 2020[ 62 ]
Want to know the secret to perfect-looking images? Check Layers!
Check layers are used as a visual aid to reveal information on our
images that can easily be missed by the naked eye. When creating
check layers, make sure to keep them on top of the layer stack and turn
them on and off throughout your retouching process. Here are several
tips for various check layers.- LUMINOSITY CHECK LAYER
A luminosity check layer will help you see the amount of light in an
image without being distracted by its colors. This serves as a visual
aid to see the luminosity values in an image for easier-and-better
dodging and burning. You can also use a luminosity check layer to
match the light and shadow values between images in a composite.
Create a luminosity check layer by adding a Color Fill layer
(Layer>New Fill Layer>Solid Color), then pick any neutral color (white,
gray, or black), as long as the Hue (H) and Saturation (S) levels are set
to zero (0) in the Color Picker. Then change the blending mode to Color
in the Layers panel. Make sure this layer is at the top of the layer stack,
and rename it “Luminosity.” Your image will turn black-and-white.
As you can clearly see in the example shown here, the luminosity
check layer reveals that the luminosity values between the background
image and the subject, who has been composited into the image, are
entirely different. The subject is way too bright compared to the back-
ground. To fix this, you could simply add a clipped Levels adjustment
layer (Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Levels) to match the subject’s
luminosity values to the background. Then, when you’re done, you can
either hide the Luminosity layer or trash it.
62. COLOR CHECK LAYER
Working with colors can be challenging; sometimes even the environ-
ment we work in can affect the way we perceive color. A color check layer
can help you see the color differences between layers in a composite.
Add a new layer at the top of the layer stack and press Shift-Delete
(PC: Shift-Backspace) to bring up the Fill dialog. Pick 50% Gray from
the Contents drop-down menu, and click OK. In the Layers panel, set
this layer’s blending mode to Luminosity and rename it “Color.”
Now, add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer (Layer>New
Adjustment Layer>Hue/Saturation) above the gray layer, and
bring the Saturation slider up to 100% in the Properties panel
(Window>Properties). Using the same image from the previous tip,
Lockers: ©Adobe Stock/alswartyou’ll see that we need to match the
subject better with the background.
To do so, start by adding a clipped
Color Balance adjustment layer
(Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Color
Balance) above the subject layer.
Then, in the Properties panel, go
through the Highlights, Midtones,
and Shadows sections in the Tone
drop-down menu, and adjust the
various color sliders until the colors
look more cohesive between the
layers. Hide or trash both the Color
(gray) and Hue/Saturation adjust-
ment layers when done.- SATURATION CHECK LAYER
A saturation check layer can help you spot areas that are oversaturated,
and it also works great when creating composites as a visual aid to
match saturation levels between layers. To create a saturation check
layer, add a Selective Color adjustment layer (Layer>New Adjustment
Layer>Selective Color) at the top of the layer stack, and rename it
“Saturation.” Make sure to change it from Relative to Absolute in the
Properties panel (Window>Properties). Now drag the Black slider
to –100% on the following colors in the Colors drop-down menu:
Reds, Yellows, Greens, Cyans, Blues, and Magentas. Then drag the
Black slider of the Whites, Neutrals, and Blacks to +100%.