CONDITIONAL MODE CHANGE
File>Automate>Conditional Mode Change is used with
actions and automation to change the color mode of a set
of files. A great application of this feature is when convert-
ing screenshots from sRGB to CMYK for print output. The
dialog lets you choose which color spaces are to be included
to help prevent duplicating conversions, which will return an
error if the source file is the same as the target space. Using
this feature on a single file isn’t really useful, so save it for
when you need to batch-convert or run a suite of actions at
the end of editing.KNOCKOUT
(ADVANCED BLENDING)
Found in the Advanced Blending Options in the Layer Style
dialog (Layer>Layer Style>Blending Options, or double-c li ck
to the right of the layer’s name), Knockout behaves like a
clipping mask, but in the opposite direction. A knockout
layer exists at the top of a stack or group of layers and acts
to cut out (knock out) a hole through to reveal content
from lower layers or the Background layer. There are three
options under the Knockout menu and they are: None,
Shallow, and Deep.
Let’s say you have a shape layer at the top of a stack
of layers. Once you change the Fill Opacity or Blending
Mode, setting the shape layer to Knockout: Deep will
“punch through” all of the layers to your Background
layer (you must have a Background layer for this to work
properly). In this way, you can stack up lots of layer con-
tent and still have your background show through nice
and clean.
Shallow is used with grouped layers. If your shape layer
is now at the top of a group, Deep will still punch all the
way through, but Shallow stops at the first layer below the
group. Interestingly, that first layer can be an adjustment
or fill layer, so you can modify the Background layer for the
Knockout. You can also use multiple knockout layers for var-
ious effects.
In both cases, your knockout layer will need to have Fill
Opacity reduced or the Blending Mode set to something
other than Normal. Opacity will reduce the knockout effect,
and believe it or not, you can use layer styles on the knock-
out layer.
This example shows the quote layer set to Subtract
blending mode, with a Leaves stock photo set to Soft Light.
The Shallow layer is the same gradient as the Background
layer, but rotated 180°.FILE INFO
You say you have metadata for your image, but it’s not
attached. Well, here’s your solution! File>File Info (Com-
mand-Option-Shift-I [PC: Ctrl-Alt-Shift-I]) is where you can
put everything related to your image. If you work with agen-
cies or teams, it’s likely this information is being used in some
way, whether it’s automatically populated by another appli-
cation such as Lightroom or from a camera. Many images
found on stock agency sites, including Adobe Stock, have
this metadata available.> PHOTOSHOP USER>^ APRIL 2020[ 62 ]