Photoshop Gradient Map Tutorials for Beginners

One of the most useful Photoshop adjustment layer is the Gradient Map that you can use to enhance your photos. You can use a gradient map as a non invasive method in which you can change the color map of your image, adding multiple color effects. Using Photoshop gradients(GRD files) you can create virtually unlimited number of color effects.
I will start this tutorial by saying that I am not a Photoshop master so I get a little confused sometimes; for example in this tutorial I will explain for all the Photoshop beginners a quick way to enhance a photo by using a Gradient Map. As you will see if you open the fill or adjustment layer tab we have to gradient options: the Gradient (Fill) and the Gradient Map; so the question is which one to choose and use? And of course what is the difference between the two of them. For the first question I will choose the first option, the Gradient (Fill) instead of the Gradient Map. For the second question I have no answer.

Gradient Map and Gradient Fill Adjustment Layers

A Gradient Map is in fact an adjustment layer that can be applied to a layer/multiple layers and to enhance the image result. Learn more about adjustment layers from this tutorial.

So let's start with a beautiful premade background. Add a Gradient adjustment like shown in the image.

Click on the gradient to open the Gradient Editor; there you can change the existing gradient, create one yourself or you can load and use one of the many Photoshop gradients available for free on the internet.

Now set the Blend Mode of the gradient map to Overlay and the opacity 45%

You can play with different gradients and you can obtain beautiful results in just a few minutes using Photoshop gradient map adjustments. In the same way you can use the Gradient Map instead of the Gradient (Fill) and see which of the results suits you best.

Sin City Style Photoshop Tutorial

Beautifull Sin City Art photoshop effect video tutorial .
Sin City Style Photoshop Tutorial - The best free videos are right here

How to Make a Timeless WEDDING Photo from a snapshot

Photoshop CS6 tutorial showing how to quickly transform any ordinary snapshot into a golden-hued, timeless image that will last forever. These techniques work especially well for wedding photos.

Choose An Entry Level DSLR

People who own a point and shoot camera eventually want to move to having a DSLR. Other reasons could be you want clearer images, you want more control over your camera or you want to become a professional photographer.
Whatever your reason, you can start with having an entry level DSLR. This is lighter than the real DSLR and is more affordable as well.
So first things first. Consider the brand and you have many to choose from - Canon, Fujifilm, Kodak, Nikon, Pentax, Panasonic, Olympus and Sony. Most share the same features but if you often travel and take photos during special occasions, you need to pick a model that's easy to operate but at the same time one that can ensure image quality.

• The brand

For those who are serious in getting into photography, the two famous brand names you should consider are Nikon and Canon. Most, if not all, professional photographers use these brands.

• The sensor

As for the digital camera components, the camera sensor is an important consideration if quality images are your priority. Basically, there are two types of sensors - the CCD and the CMOS. The CMOS is present in the latest cameras today owing to its lower production cost while the older models utilized the CCD which provides better quality photos.

• The body

Consider as well the camera body. This is essential particularly if you have plans of purchasing high-end accessories in the future and because you will need to get accessories such as the lens that match the body.
Most entry level DSLR cameras today have quality plastic bodies. Weather sealing, however, is what gives the higher type or the professional DSLR the edge. Hopefully, this will be made available for the entry level models in the future.

• The material

When it comes to material, you have a choice between getting a metal and a plastic body. There's no doubt that the metal body is more durable and allows for better heat conduction notably while shooting videos. Nikon and Canon manufactures both metal and plastic bodied digital cameras.

• The resolution

Some people often prefer cameras that have bigger megapixels thinking that it will give them better quality images. But this is a misconception.
Do understand that you need a higher megapixel camera only if you would like to print large photos. This is because printing a large size image requires more megapixels to produce clearer and crisper photos. A higher resolution is also ideal if you do extensive post processing of your images such as cropping without affecting the quality.
But if you just want to snap and store photos on your computer and share them online, then a 3.5 to 5 megapixel camera will do.

• The price

The camera's affordability should be an important consideration. Know that you will not only be spending for the camera body alone but for other necessary accessories as well so make sure that you get only what you can afford. Calculating your expenses will help you choose the right entry DSLR camera that fits your lifestyle.

Boost Color Contrast With A Black & White Adjustment

I'll be using Photoshop CS5 for this tutorial. Since the Black & White adjustment was first added in Photoshop CS3, you'll need CS3 or higher to follow along.

Here's the photo I'll be working with:

 Let's get started!

Step 1: Add A Black & White Adjustment Layer

Before we can do anything with a Black & White adjustment layer, we first need to add one. There's a couple of ways we can do that. One is by clicking on the New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel:

Then choosing Black & White from the list of adjustment layers that appears:

Or, if you're using Photoshop CS4 or higher, an easier way to add a Black & White adjustment layer is by simply clicking on the Black & White icon in the Adjustments panel:

Either way adds a new Black & White adjustment layer above the image in the Layers panel:

The adjustment layer will go ahead and do what it was originally designed for and convert your photo to black and white. We'll bring the color back in the next step:

Step 2: Change The Blend Mode To Soft Light

To bring color back to the image, change the blend mode of the adjustment layer from Normal to Soft Light. The Blend Mode option is found in the top left corner of the Layers panel:

The color returns to the photo. You may already notice a change in the overall contrast of the image, but we'll make our own adjustments in the next step:

Step 3: Drag The Color Sliders To Adjust The Contrast

If you're using Photoshop CS3, the controls and options for the Black & White adjustment layer will appear in a dialog box. In Photoshop CS4 and higher, they appear in the Adjustments panel. In either case, you'll see six sliders, each controlling a different color in the image (from top to bottom - Reds, Yellows, Greens, Cyans, Blues, and Magentas):

We can use these sliders to adjust the brightness of different areas of the image based on their color. Dragging a slider towards the left will darken all areas in the image that contain that color, while dragging the slider towards the right will brighten those same areas.

For example, let's say I want to darken the sky in my photo. The sky is blue, so all I need to do is click on the Blues slider and drag it to the left:

And just like that, the sky now appears darker, changing the overall contrast of the image:

If I want to brighten the grass and the trees, it's as easy as dragging a different slider in the opposite direction. There's actually more yellow than green in the grass and trees, so I'll click on the Yellows slider and drag it towards the right. Photoshop gives us a live preview of the results as we're dragging the sliders, so keep an eye on your image in the document window to judge the results:

After dragging the Yellows slider, the grass and trees in my image are now lighter, again changing the overall contrast:

Clicking And Dragging On The Image Itself

If you're using Photoshop CS4 or higher, it's even easier to make changes to the image. In fact, there's no need to use the sliders at all! Just click on the slider icon (the hand with the left and right-pointing arrows) in the top left of the Adjustments panel:

With this slider option enabled, you can click directly on whatever area of your image you want to adjust, then just keep your mouse button held down and drag left or right to darken or lighten that area (along with any other areas of the image that share the same color).

For example, to make the horses in my photo appear brighter, with the slider option enabled, I'll move my mouse cursor over one of the horses (I'll use the one on the right). Since both horses are the same color, brightening one of them will brighten the other at the same time. As soon as you move your mouse cursor over the image, it will turn into an eyedropper icon, ready to sample whatever color you click on:

I'll click on the horse and, with my mouse button held down, I'll drag towards the right to lighten the horse, as well as any other areas of the image that share the same color (the other horse on the left, plus the red barn in the background). If you watch the sliders in the Adjustments panel, you'll see the corresponding color slider moving as you drag your mouse (in my case here, the Reds slider would be moving to the right):

Since we're using an adjustment layer, all of the changes we're making here are non-destructive, which means we can safely experiment with the color sliders, or by clicking and dragging directly on the image itself, until we're happy with the results. Earlier I lightened the grass and trees, but if I want to see how the image would look with the grass and trees darker instead of lighter, I can just click anywhere on the grass or trees in the image and drag my mouse towards the left:

Before And After

If, at any time, you want to compare the original and edited versions of the image, simply click on the adjustment layer's visibility icon (the eyeball icon). This will temporarily turn the Black & White layer off:

With the adjustment layer turned off, the original image re-appears in the document window:

Click on the visibility icon again (the empty box) to turn the Black & White adjustment layer back on:

The edited version re-appears:

For Photoshop CS3 users, click OK in the top right corner of the Black & White dialog box when you're done to close out of it and accept your changes. Photoshop CS4 (and higher) users can leave the Adjustments panel open.

Step 4: Lower The Layer Opacity (Optional)

As a final step, if you think the image contrast is now a bit too strong, you can reduce it and fine-tune the results simply by lowering the opacity of the Black & White adjustment layer. You'll find the Opacity option directly across from the Blend Mode option at the top of the Layers panel. The further you lower the opacity value, the more the original image below the adjustment layer will show through. I'm going to lower my opacity value down to 75% or so:

Here's my final result:

 And there we have it! That's how to quickly and easily make specific brightness and contrast changes to a full color image using a Black & White adjustment layer!

Pure White Portrait Retouch

Learn how to whiten skin and hair in this quick Photoshop tutorial.

The original photo is a little bit warm, so first we’ll add a Photo Filter adjustment layer set to Cooling filter (80) with a Density of 60%.

Next we”ll bring the saturation way down. Add a Hue/Saturation layer and bring the saturation down to -90%.

The last Adjustment Layer we’ll add is a Curves layer.

Add two points to the chart, one at the dark side, one at the light side. Arrange them as shown above.

Next we’ll slowly start to bring back some colour.

Click on the Hue/Saturation layer’s layer mask.

Take a large black brush with it’s Hardness at 10% and it’s Opacity at 5%. Paint over the whole model in one stroke.

Then paint over the model again, but this time leaving out the hair.

Next paint over the area around each eye.

Now reduce the size of the brush and paint inside each eye and around the edges.

And then paint over the lips, not quite up to the edge.

Decrease the size of the brush again, and bring the Opacity up to 30%. Now paint over the iris of each eye.

Finally using a brush only a few pixelas wide and set to 10% Opacity, paint over the darkest parts of the eyes and lips.

With the brush set to 50% Opacity, paint over the necklace.

Now go back to the Curves layer and click on it’s layer mask.

Take a small black brush set to Overlay.

Paint over the eyebrows to darken them.

And use a smaller brush to darken the eyelashes.

And here’s the final result.