| |
Digital Toolbox: Elements of Elements
Fix a face fast and separate a subject simply.
By Debbie Grossman
January 2006
|
The newest version of Adobe Photoshop Elements has two plug-in-like tools that make the program worth your while even if you use big momma Photoshop for most of your editing. One is essentially a gray dropper for skin tones—you make the skin the color you want, and the rest of the image's tones follow suit. The second is a quick way to extract a subject from the background, no lasso required. Here's how to use each simple, efficient tool.
 |
The Skin is Boss
Click to download this image
1. Looks like I forgot to adjust the white balance correctly at this dinner party. The incandescent light in the living room, combined with a camera accidentally set for daylight, makes everyone look yellow. Yuck. |
 |
2. When I use Photoshop Elements' fix that uses the gray dropper to remove color cast, I get a fix that balances the wall to white but makes the people look bluish-green. But Elements' new tool, which adjusts the color by looking at skin tone, will come to the rescue. |
 |
3. To make the skin tones the way you want them, get yourself into Elements' Standard Edit mode. If you're still in the organizer, click on the image you want to fix, and hit Ctrl + I. Then, from the Enhance menu running along the top of the screen, go to Adjust Color > Adjust Color for Skin Tone. |
 |
4. Make sure the Preview box is checked to see what you are doing, then move your mouse over the image. The cursor turns into a dropper. Click the tip on some skin. If you don't like the immediate result, try it on other skin areas. But don't worry if it's not perfect—we'll adjust that next. |
 |
5. Skin need more work? First adjust the Tan. Your friends look blue? Slide it right. Like they're wearing too much bronzer? Go left. Next up, Blush: If they're green and sickly, move it right. If they seem flushed, left. Last, use Ambient Light to warm up or cool off the entire scene. |
 |
6. To compare your work to the original, uncheck the preview box. If you like it, click OK. If not, hit Reset to try again. If you were working in Elements just to use this spiffy new feature, close the image, switch back to your Organizer, and hit Ctrl + H to jump into Photoshop. |
|
|
Digital Toolbox: Elements of Elements
|
|
|
1 | 2 Next
|
|
|  |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Click to compare prices on photo equipment: |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
