ADOBE PHOTOSHOP FOR UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHERS- P6: In a matter of a few short years, the underwater digital camera went from a novelty item to the predominant method for taking underwater pictures. Never before has a technology advanced so rapidly. Thanks to digital, though, underwater photography has evolved into a shootto- edit process. | Selectively Sharpen. If you want to selectively control the sharpening effects you can add a mask from the Layers palette and use the black brush to remove or reduce sharpening in particular areas. This is often handy if the overall image needs no sharpening but an animal s eye could use a bit. Going Back. If you sharpen the background image after you have made several adjustments to the image using Adjustment Layers the result is virtually permanent. It can be reversed but you will find it very difficult to remove the sharpening effect and still maintain the adjustment. If you find yourself in this bind load the original file copy it to the clipboard and then paste it into the layer version just above where the background was sharpened. This layer will cover up the sharpened background and still allow the effects of the Adjustment Layer above it. The previously mentioned method of duplicating the Background layer and then sharpening the duplicate is still the best choice. O Burning and Dodging Techniques If you want to burn and dodge areas of an image and would like to be able to go back and edit the photo later then you should copy the Background layer using the Ctrl Cmd J shortcut and use the Burn and Dodge tools on that duplicate layer. If you want to remove or reduce the effect on the layer you can add a Layer Mask and then use the black brush to create the desired effect. 60 ADOBE PHOTOSHOP FOR UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHERS The burning and dodging was done by adding a new layer and mask and setting the blending mode to Soft Light. The black brush was then used to burn in several areas around the fish. A Levels Adjustment Layer was also added to correct the exposure of the fish and a Clone Healing Brush layer was added to remove some bright spots. Top Left The tones in the background make it difficult to see the fish. Top Right The Levels Adjustment Layer was added to tweak the color and brightness of the fish. Bottom Left The Clone tool was then used to remove hot
