Applying Special Color Effects To Images - Adobe PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS Manual

Using the Variations command
The Variations command lets you adjust the color
balance, contrast, and saturation of an image by
showing you thumbnails of alternatives.
This command is most useful for average-key
images that don't require precise color adjust-
ments. It does not work on indexed-color images.
To use the Variations command:
Choose Enhance > Variations.
1
The two thumbnails at the top of the dialog box
show the original selection (Original) and the
selection with its currently selected adjustments
(Current Pick). When you first open the dialog
box, these two images are the same. As you make
adjustments, the Current Pick image changes to
reflect your choices.
2 Select Show Clipping if you want to display a
neon preview of areas in the image that will be
clipped by the adjustment—that is, converted to
pure white or pure black. Clipping can result in
undesirable color shifts, as distinct colors in the
original image are mapped to the same color.
Clipping does not occur when you adjust
midtones.
Select what to adjust in the image:
3
Shadows, Midtones, or Highlights to indicate
•
whether you want to adjust the dark, middle, or
light areas.
Saturation to change the degree of hue in the
•
image. If you exceed the maximum saturation for
a color, it may be clipped.
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4 Drag the Fine/Coarse slider to determine the
amount of each adjustment. Moving the slider one
tick mark doubles the adjustment amount.
5 Adjust the color and brightness:
• To add a color to the image, click the appropriate
color thumbnail.
To subtract a color, click the thumbnail for its
•
opposite color. (See "About the color wheel" on
page 91.) For example, to subtract cyan, click the
More Red thumbnail.
• To adjust brightness, click a thumbnail on the
right side of the dialog box.
Each time you click a thumbnail, other thumbnails
change. The center thumbnail always reflects the
current choices.
6 Click OK.
Applying special color effects to
images
The Invert, Equalize, Threshold, and Posterize
commands change colors or brightness values in
an image but are typically used for enhancing
color and producing special effects, rather than for
correcting color.
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User Guide