Gain a deeper understanding of Photoshop tools and techniques with this tutorial, focusing on curve adjustments, blending modes, and a unique trick to adjust contrast without changing color.
This exercise is excerpted from Noble Desktop’s past Photoshop training materials and is compatible with Photoshop updates through 2020. To learn current skills in Photoshop, check out our Photoshop Bootcamp and graphic design classes in NYC and live online.
Topics Covered in This Photoshop Tutorial:
Curve Adjustments & Blending Modes, Preventing Contrast Adjustments from Changing Saturation
Exercise Preview
Exercise Overview
In this exercise, you will learn an easy trick for adjusting contrast without shifting color. This technique is killer for when a client has signed off on the color, but you still need to make further contrast adjustments.
Adjusting Contrast in Skin Tones Without Changing Color
If it’s not still open, re-open yourname-lifestyle.psd.
Now that all the skin tones are balanced, let’s adjust the contrast of the skin. Go to the Channels panel.
Hold Cmd (Mac) or CTRL (Windows) and click on the skin channel to load it as a selection.
Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves.
In the dialog that appears, change the name to increase contrast.
Under Mode, choose Luminosity.
Click OK.
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In the Properties panel, make the curve a slight S-curve type adjustment (similar to the one shown below) to increase the contrast.
Seeing the Difference
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Notice how even though the contrast has been increased, the colors have NOT been shifted. If we had left it as the default Normal blending mode, the colors would have been shifted. Let’s see how the color would have changed. Go to the Layers panel and change the blending mode to Normal (as shown below).
Change the blending mode back to Luminosity to see the difference. Pretty amazing isn’t it? When in the Normal blend mode, increasing contrast also increases color saturation, but Luminosity does not!
Save the file.
