How do I adjust my photo in Adobe® Photoshop®?

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Though Photoshop is a complex program with numerous features, you only need to understand how to use a few basic functions in order to submit your pages. These instructions do not cover all of the ways you can manipulate images with Photoshop. Refer to your Photoshop manual for more information.

Adjusting images in Photoshop
After you have designed your layouts and determined your photo sizes, you can make adjustments to your images in Photoshop. Follow these steps to open and adjust each black and white image that will appear on your layout.

Open and save your file

  • Start Photoshop and select File > Open.
  • Select the image and click OK.
  • Choose File > Save As.
  • Save the image using the page number the photo will be used on in the yearbook, the position the photo will appear in on the page and your school job number.
    • You can also add a brief description of the photo to the end of the file name.
    • If your school has a job number of 12345, a photo that would be used on page 16 in position 4 should be named “016-04-12345.”
  • In the File format field, scroll to select TIFF.
  • Under Byte order:
    • Choose Macintosh if you are working on a Mac or
    • Choose IBM PC if you are using a Windows computer.
  • Do not select LZW compression.
  • Click OK.
  • Always keep your original image file.
    • This is the file you opened in Photoshop the first time, prior to saving the image with your school job number.
    • You always have a copy of the original image if you need to redo the process.
  • Save your photo into a Photos folder.
    • This folder should be on your hard disk along with the layout file in your Yearbook > Working Pages folder until you are ready to send your deadline to the plant.

Change the Mode

  • Go to the Mode menu.
  • If you scanned the image in color, but it will be printed in black and white, select Grayscale.
    • After selecting Grayscale, click Yes to Discard color information.
    • Remember, if you later decide to print this image in color, you can open the copy of the original image you just saved.
  • If the image is to print in color, be sure that it is saved as RGB.
    • If your image has a good tonal range, it may not be necessary to make Levels adjustments.
    • If you are interested in seeing how your image will change when it is converted to CMYK, use the CMYK Preview command.
      • Choose View > New View, then press Ctrl + Y on Windows or Command + Y on the Macintosh.
      • Now you will see your RGB image side-by-side with a preview of how the image will appear after it has been changed to CMYK.
      • Close the Preview image and you can return to editing the RGB version.
    • For more information on working with color images, read the Color Images in Photoshop note at the end.

Adjust the Levels

  • Choose Image > Adjust > Levels.
    • This tool allows you to adjust a photo’s tonal range.
    • Use Levels to adjust highlights, midtones and shadow areas in images.

Histogram

  • Set the White (highlight) setting.
    • Double click on the eyedropper at the right in the set of three eyedroppers.
    • Set the C, M, Y, settings to 0% and the K setting to 2%.

White point colorpicker

  • Set the Black (shadow) setting.
    • Double click on the eyedropper on the left in the set.
    • Change the C, M, and Y settings to 0% and the K setting to 98%.

Black point colorpicker

NOTE:

  • These will remain as default settings and you will not need to change them again on this computer.
  • If you are using more than one computer, you will need to adjust these settings the first time you use Photoshop on each computer.

Using the histogram

  • You can sometimes improve the composition of a photograph by manipulating the amount of highlight, shadow and midtone values that are in the photo.
  • The graph in the Levels dialog box is called a histogram.
  • A histogram is a visual representation of how tones are distributed across your image.
  • The three triangles at the base of the histogram represent shadows, midtones and highlights.

Histogram triangles

  • Peaks in the histogram indicate a large number of tones in one area.
    • Dark or underexposed photos have a peak on the left side of the histogram.
    • Light or overexposed photos have a peak on the right side of the histogram.

Adjust the contrast

  • To improve the contrast in a photo, drag the highlight and shadow triangles to match the first left and right edges or peaks of the histogram.
    • This will darken the shadows and intensify the highlights in the photo.

Bring out details

  • To bring out more detail in the photo, adjust the midtones of the photo.
  • Drag the midtone slider to the left until the number above it reads 1.3 or until you see improvements in your image.
  • Adjust your image until it is pleasing to the eye, then adjust it until it is a little lighter.
  • Adjust the midtone to the left and add an additional .02.
  • You want the image to appear a little lighter on the screen than you want it to appear in print.
    • The image will print darker than it appears on the screen in Photoshop.

Check results

  • You can drag the Levels window to the left or right to see how these changes impact your photo.
  • When you are pleased with your results, click OK.
  • To toggle back and forth to see the effect of your changes, choose Undo Levels from the Edit menu. (Control + Z - Windows, Command + Z - Mac)

Photo without adjusting levels Original photo

Photo with levels adjusted Adjusted photo

NOTE: Color Images in Photoshop

Before you begin working with your color images, you should understand there are differences in the way the computer monitor and the printing press create color. It is important that your monitor be calibrated before you work with color. Please refer to the documentation that came with your monitor for instructions on the best calibration method.

Monitor Color - RGB Color

  • Color monitors create color by sending three electron beams to strike phosphors on the front of a coated glass. An LCD monitor uses a backlit liquid crystal which redirects and scatters the light evenly. The monitor emits red, green and blue light.

Printed Color - CMYK Color

  • Combinations of cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) dots have the potential to simulate thousands of colors, but not every color the human eye can see.
  • Submit RGB images and your plant will convert them to CMYK for printing.
  • Digital color can be difficult to master.
  • You should submit a test spread of color images to your plant before you begin submitting color images for your yearbook.
  • When working with digital color images, scan all photos as Color RGB images.
    • Remember, you will NOT convert these to CMYK. This will be handled in the plant.

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