Teach_Yourself_Photoshop_Elements_2

ESSENTIAL TRICKS

I

n the previous chapter we looked at how selection

tools enable you to isolate parts of a picture so

you can adjust colours and tones in the selected

areas. Some tools (such as the Magic Wand tool)

select similar pixels throughout the image. Others, such as

the Quick Selection tool, enable you to select a subject as you

paint over it. The Quick Selection tool is smart enough to

recognise the difference between an object and its

background, which makes it more effective for certain

selection challenges (such as removing a person from a

scene). In the Enhance section of the Toolbox you’ll find

a tool that can speed up your image retouching by

combining the intelligence of the Quick Selection tool

with the power of layers and blend modes – the Smart Brush.

Apply edits quickly

using the Smart Brush

Work fast with a tool that combines intelligent selection

features with useful preset image adjustments

4

Whites of the eyes

There are dozens of useful Smart Brush presets. Open

ty_elements14.jpg. Click the Smart Brush preset

picker. Set the Preset to Portrait. Click Brighten Eyes. Paint

on the eye whites to lighten them. Reduce the Opacity to

25

 for a more subtle enhancement.

3

Fine-tune the effect

This Smart Brush preset automatically reduces the

opacity of the sky layer to 75%. You can fine-tune

the enhancement by setting it to 79%. This produces a more

subtle result. The Smart Brush may not select the sky behind

the tree, so paint to add that to the selected and adjusted area.

2

Paint the sky

Set the Size option to 40 pixels. Paint the sky. The

Smart Brush tool selects the sky pixels and then

creates a new layer with a gradient in it. The gradient’s layer’s

blend mode is set to Color Burn so that it enhances the

colours, tones and detail of the original sky.

1

Pick a preset

Open ty_elements20.jpg. The sky is a little drab and

desaturated. To quickly enhance it, choose the Smart

Brush from the Enhance section of the Toolbox. Click the

preview picker in the Tool Options. Choose the Make dull

skies blue preset from the All Purpose collection.

GET THE START FILES HERE: http://bit.ly/type-files