Teach yourself Photoshop
PLUS!
224 PAGES OF EXPERT PHOTO ADVICE
Teach yourself
12 EXPERT
VIDEO LESSONS
LEARN PHOTOSHOP
AND CREATIVE
CLOUD TODAY
Photoshop
Inside this issue...
Completely revised and updated for 2016
Covers the latest features of Photoshop CC
ϑ6WHSE\VWHSJXLGHV
ϑ(GLWSKRWRVOLNHDSUR
ϑ0DVWHUPDVNV
ϑ/HDUQDOODERXWOD\HUV
ϑ3URFHVV5DZӾOHV
ϑ&XUYHVPDGHHDV\
ϑ(YHU\WRROH[SODLQHG
WATCH
VIDEO
www.bit.ly/
pmz63video
Teach yourself
Photoshop
The photographic process starts the
moment you press the camera’s shutter
release button, but it doesn’t end there.
Sometimes the camera makes a mistake,
you compose the picture in a rush or an
unwanted object needs to be cloned out,
and you need the help of an imageediting program to put things right. The camera also captures
the world in a very literal way, so that the image you see on
your computer screen can look like a rather pale imitation of
what you saw in your mind’s eye.
This is where you need a really good image-editing
program, and Photoshop is the best there is. It has a
reputation for being difficult, but in fact it’s a supremely
well-designed application with a clean and simple interface
that’s welcoming for beginners but offers experts all the
power they need. Photoshop can fix those annoying flaws
that stand between a good photo and a great one; it can help
you restore the drama, beauty and atmosphere you’re trying
to capture, and – as well all know – it can ‘supercharge’
reality to produce images that simply take your breath away,
So we’ve put together this guide to help you get the very
best from Photoshop CC and your own photography. We
show you how to organise your images using Bridge or
Lightroom, get the best possible quality from your raw files
with Adobe Camera Raw, and unleash the full power of
Photoshop’s selections, masks and layers tools.
We’d also like to offer you 40% off our accompanying
50-part Teach yourself Photoshop DVD training course. To
claim the discount, simply use the voucher code MFMDVD
at www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/photography-dvd
See more details about this offer on page 166.
Rod Lawton, Editor
Look out for this logo
whenever a tutorial has
an accompanying video
Teach yourself Photoshop
GET THE FILES HERE: http://bit.ly/typs2016
Teach
Yourself
Photoshop
Future Publishing Limited
Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA
www.digitalcameraworld.com
Editor
Series Editor
Art Editor
Rod Lawton
Chris George
Rodney Dive
FUTURE PUBLISHING LIMITED
Editorial Director
Group Editor-in-Chief
Group Art Director
Managing Director
Matt Pierce
Chris George
Rodney Dive
Joe McEvoy
ADVERTISING
Senior Sales Executive
Sasha McGregor
Tel: +44 (0)1225 788186
[email protected]
PRINT & PRODUCTION
Production Controller
Vivienne Calvert
[email protected]
LICENSING
Senior Licensing and Syndication Manager
Matt Ellis
[email protected]
Printed in the UK by William Gibbons on behalf of Future.
Distributed in the UK by Seymour Distribution Ltd,
2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT.
Phone: + 44 (0)20 7429 4000
Future produces carefully targeted magazines,
websites and events for people with a passion.
Our portfolio includes more than 180 magazines,
websites and events, and we export or license
our publications to 90 countries around the
world. Future plc is a public company quoted on the London
Stock Exchange (symbol: FUTR).
Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne
Non-executive chairman Peter Allen
Chief financial director Penny Ladkin-Brand
Tel: +44 (0) 1225 442244 www.futureplc.com
All information contained in this magazine is for informational
purposes only and is, to the best of our knowledge, correct at
the time of going to press. Future Publishing Limited cannot
accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies that
occur. Readers are advised to contact manufacturers and
retailers direct with regard to pricing.
© Future Publishing Limited 2016. All rights reserved. No
part of this magazine may be used or reproduced without the
written permission of the publisher.
The text paper in this magazine is totally chlorine
free. The paper manufacturer and Future Publishing
have been independently certified in accordance
with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council.
4
Teach yourself Photoshop
CHAPTER 1
Organise your images
6
Introducing the Lightroom workspace ..................................... 8
How Lightroom and Photoshop work together .................... 10
Introducing the Bridge workspace............................................12
Import your photos into Bridge..................................................14
Add metadata and keywords to your images.........................16
Organise your images in Bridge................................................20
CHAPTER 2
Raw file processing
22
Introducing the Camera Raw editor.........................................24
Improve contrast and colour in your raw files........................26
Do even more with Camera Raw ..............................................28
Make selective raw adjustments ..............................................30
How to remove atmospheric haze ...........................................34
Create analog effects with the Grain and Vignette tools .....36
Apply lens and perspective corrections .................................38
Select colour space, file format and export options ............40
Photoshop filters
CHAPTER 3
Essential tools
42
Introducing the Photoshop workspace ..................................44
Introducing the Photoshop Tools panel ..................................46
Recompose and trim photos with the Crop tool ...................48
Learn to use Image Size and Canvas Size settings ..............52
Harness the power of adjustment layers................................54
Master Levels adjustments........................................................56
Master Curves in Photoshop .....................................................58
Adjust colours selectively with Hue/Saturation .................. 60
Create black and white images from colour photos ............62
Control adjustments with layer masks ...................................64
CHAPTER 4
Get creative with layers
66
Introducing the Layers panel .....................................................68
Resize and scale layers with the Transform tools .................70
Be creative with Blend modes................................................... 74
Organise your layers efficiently .................................................78
Add special effects using Layer Styles ....................................80
CHAPTER 5
Making selections
82
Introducing Photoshop's selection tools ................................84
Using the Eraser tools to remove backgrounds....................88
Learn to use the basic marquee selection tools....................92
How to use the Lasso tools.........................................................94
Photoshop’s intelligent selection tools ....................................96
Create precise, editable selections with the Pen tool...........98
Editing selections in Quick Mask mode.................................102
Perfect your selections using Refine Edge ...........................104
CHAPTER 6
Masks and montages
CHAPTER 7
108
Introducing Photoshop layer masks.......................................110
Make better masks with the Mask Properties panel ..........112
Make a surreal portrait ...............................................................114
Paint with filters and masks ......................................................118
120
Apply editable filter effects.......................................................122
Add creative effects to your photos with filters ...................124
Edit images with the Camera Raw filter.................................130
Improve images with controlled blur .....................................132
CHAPTER 8
Common photo fixes
136
Sharpen up your images ..........................................................138
Keep the (high ISO) noise down!.............................................140
Correct distortion with the Adaptive Wide Angle tool........ 142
Remove flaws from your photos.............................................146
Explore the healing tools and their capabilities ...................150
Recompose photos with the content-aware tools..............154
Retouch portraits .......................................................................158
Introducing the Dodge and Burn tools ..................................160
Improve a landscape with dodging and burning.................164
CHAPTER 9
Creative effects
168
Make a panoramic landscape in Photoshop .......................170
Combine raw files into a panorama in Camera Raw .......... 172
Merge HDR exposures in Camera Raw..................................174
Learn how to use the HDR Toning tools ................................ 176
Create a motoring toy montage.............................................. 178
Make a smoking dancer............................................................182
Create stunning spirals .............................................................186
CHAPTER 10
Advanced features
190
Introducing Photoshop’s automated Actions .....................192
Create an Action to enhance a landscape ............................196
Explore Photoshop's creative brush tips ..............................198
Create elaborate titles and captions .....................................202
Make a 3D chess set .................................................................206
Introducing the Motion workspace ........................................210
Enhance a video clip...................................................................212
Introducing Photoshop's animation tools ............................214
Prepare your photos for print ..................................................218
Prepare your photos for web and on-screen use............... 222
5
Teach yourself Photoshop
ORGANISE YOUR IMAGES
6
GET THE FILES HERE: http://bit.ly/typs2016
Teach yourself Photoshop
ORGANISE YOUR IMAGES
Organising images
Get started in Photoshop fast by learning the
best ways to import and organise your images
08
Introducing the
Lightroom layout
If you subscribe to Adobe’s Photography
Plan, you get Photoshop Lightroom as well as
Photoshop itself. Here’s an introduction to Lightroom
10
Using Lightroom
with Photoshop
12
Introducing the
Bridge workspace
Adobe Lightroom combines the power of
Adobe Camera Raw with advanced cataloguing tools.
Find out how it can work alongside Photoshop
If you prefer to use Adobe Bridge, learn the
key areas of Bridge’s photo-organising workspace and
discover how to customise it to suit your needs
14
Import your photos
into Bridge
16
Add metadata and
keywords to your images
Import images from your camera into
Bridge, and organise and convert them in preparation
for editing in Photoshop
Discover how to protect your photos
and make them easier to find in the future using
embedded image metadata
20
Organise your
images in Bridge
Use Bridge’s asset management tools
to help you find particular pictures quickly and
easily using Collections
7
Teach yourself Photoshop
ORGANISE YOUR IMAGES
GET THE FILES HERE: http://bit.ly/typs2016
Introducing the
Lightroom layout
You can use Lightroom as your photo organisational tool instead
of Adobe Bridge, and here’s a guide to how it works
hotoshop users now have a choice
of image organisational tools.
Traditionally, Photoshop has been
twinned with Adobe Bridge –
Bridge does the organising and Photoshop
does the editing. But the introduction of
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom has widened the
choice. At the time of writing, Lightroom is
available both as a standalone program with a
P
including raw files, before passing them over
to Photoshop for more detailed work.
So does this make Bridge obsolete? Not at
all. Many photographers prefer the simplicity
of Bridge and don’t need Lightroom’s more
powerful – and more complex – organisational tools. However, if you start to find
Bridge too restrictive and inflexible, swapping
to Lightroom could make a big difference.
regular ‘perpetual’ licence (Lightroom 6)’ or as
part of Adobe’s subscription-based
Photography Plan. The fact is, if you are using
Photoshop CC then you almost certainly have
access to Lightroom CC as part of your
subscription package at no extra cost, and it
can prove an extremely useful tool both for
managing a large collection of photographs,
editing them directly or ‘pre-editing’ images,
Lightroom’s workflow modules
From import to output, Adobe Lightroom can take care of your entire workflow
4 BOOK
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
It’s possible to design and order printed
photo books entirely within Lightroom,
which could prove a very useful feature
for commercial photographers who
want to offer their clients a range of
photographic products and services.
5 SLIDESHOW
This is a great way to package up a
set of photographs into a multimedia
presentation for clients, friends or
family. Slideshows can be as simple or
as complicated as you want.
6 PRINT
Lightroom offers extensive print layout
options for single or multiple images,
with built-in templates for common
output settings and the ability to create
and save your own.
1 LIBRARY
2 DEVELOP
3 MAP
7 WEB
This is where you import your photos
into the Lightroom catalogue, organise
them into Folders and Collections, add
ratings, labels, keywords and more.
This is where you’ll find Lightroom’s
editing tools. They’re the same as
those in Adobe Camera Raw, but
arranged in a smart new interface.
Lightroom can automatically place
geotagged images on a map, and you
can add location information manually
to images that don’t have it.
You can also create and publish web
galleries directly within Lightroom,
which has built-in FTP transfer for
uploading straight to your web host.
Teach yourself Photoshop
ORGANISE YOUR IMAGES
The Lightroom Library in detail
Lightroom’s photo organising tools go far beyond those in Adobe Bridge
4
1
5
3
2
6
1 FOLDERS
4 FILTER BAR
Lightroom does not need to move your photos when it imports
them – it can simply add them to the library in their existing
location. You can see the folders they’re stored in using this
Folders panel and you can also rename and move photos.
Whether you’re looking at photos in a folder a collection or
your entire library, you can use this bar to filter them based on
ratings, labels, the shooting information saved by the camera,
file type (JPEG or raw) and a whole lot more.
2 COLLECTIONS
5 GRID VIEW
These are ‘virtual’ collections of images, just like the ‘albums’
in other photo organising programs. When you add a photo to
a collection, you’re not moving it physically, and a single photo
can be in more than one collection.
By default you’ll view images as thumbnails in this ‘grid’ view,
but you can double-click any photo to view it at full size in
‘loupe’ view. Click once more and the view zooms in to 100
percent magnification. It’s a really quick way to check photos.
3 SMART COLLECTIONS
6 METADATA
Smart collections are like ‘saved searches’. You don’t add
photos to a smart collection manually; instead, you set up the
smart collection with properties you want to search for, such as
photos with specific keywords, ratings or shooting information.
This sidebar has panels for adding keywords and editing
your keyword list, adding copyright information, checking the
camera’s shooting (EXIF) information and more. You can also
carry out quick enhancements with the Quick Develop panel.
Teach yourself Photoshop
ORGANISE YOUR IMAGES
GET THE FILES HERE: http://bit.ly/typs2016
Using Lightroom
with Photoshop
You can send images to Photoshop for in-depth editing
and the new versions are added to your library
ightroom and Photoshop make a great team. You
can use Lightroom to organise all your images and
make basic enhancements before handing off your
photos to Photoshop for more advanced work. In
fact, though, as you start exploring Lightroom’s sophisticated
editing tools, you might discover you don’t need Photoshop
as much as you thought.
You might imagine that having two sets of editing tools
in two different programs would make things confusing,
but it doesn’t. The thing to remember about Lightroom’s
adjustments is that they are ‘non-destructive’, just like those
in Adobe Camera Raw. Whatever changes you make to your
L
10
photos in Lightroom you can undo at any time. And you soon
get to realise that Lightroom is especially good at some jobs,
like basic tone and colour corrections, graduated filter effects
and cropping, while Photoshop is best for others, such as
multi-layer montages and more advanced special effects.
So let’s see what sort of jobs you might do on a photo
in Lightroom, how to hand it off to Photoshop for more
advanced image-editing tasks, and how the edited version
is automatically passed back to the Lightroom catalogue
alongside the original. Best of all, the edited version is saved
as a fully-layered Photoshop file, so that when you re-open it
you can pick up where you left off.
Teach yourself Photoshop
ORGANISE YOUR IMAGES
1
Camera Calibration in Lightroom
If you’re using Lightroom to organise your images, it
takes over from Adobe Camera Raw – you make the
same adjustments in the Develop module as you would in
ACR. For example, here we’ve used the Camera Calibration
tab to replicate our camera’s ‘Landscape’ colour rendition.
3
External editor preferences
5
Edit and save
Before you send photos to an external editor, check
the Lightroom Preferences and the External Editing
tab. Photoshop CC should already be listed as the main
choice, but make sure the file format is set to Photoshop PSD
and set the bit depth to 16-bit for best quality.
So here we’ve made a few changes to our picture in
Photoshop, adding a tilt-shift blur effect which isn’t
possible in Lightroom – and then we close the image to save
it. It doesn’t need to be converted in any way or saved to a
specific location because that’s already been chosen.
2
Lens Corrections in Lightroom
4
Open in Photoshop
6
Back in Lightroom
Lightroom can also apply lens correction profiles
for most common lenses. You’ll find these options in
the Lens Correction panel. Make sure you check the ‘Remove
Chromatic Aberration’ and ‘Constrain Crop’ boxes too. This
will get rid of colour fringing and lens distortion.
From now on, all you need to do to send an image
from Lightroom to Photoshop is to right-click the
photo and choose ‘Edit in > Edit in Adobe Photoshop CC 2015
from the context menu. Lightroom will send a converted 16bit PSD format file to Photoshop, where it will open.
Now, if we head back to Lightroom we see that the new
Photoshop-edited image has been added to the library
alongside the existing one. If we need to, we can re-edit the
original raw file in Lightroom and choose some different
settings, or we can re-open the saved Photoshop file.
11
Teach yourself Photoshop
ORGANISE YOUR IMAGES
GET THE FILES HERE: http://bit.ly/typs2016
Introducing the
Bridge workspace
Get to know the key areas of Bridge’s photo-organising workspace
and discover how to customise it to suit your needs
ne of the biggest problems we face
as digital photographers is our
ever-growing collections of images.
We may have thousands of photos
scattered across hundreds of folders on our
computers. These folders tend to display
images according to when they were captured,
so we have to rely on our memory of what was
shot when as we search for a particular photo.
O
load via the Creative Cloud service, you’ll
need to download Bridge separately.
Bridge is a powerful image browser that
enables you to take control over your digital
assets before exporting them to Photoshop
for editing. On this spread we’ll introduce you
to the key features of Bridge, and demonstrate
how to customise the workspace to display
images in a more useful way.
All versions of Photoshop attempt to deal
with this asset management problem
using similar tools. The Photoshop Elements
Organizer allows you to add star ratings and
keywords. Lightroom’s Library module does a
similar job. Photoshop CC and CS use a
companion application called Bridge to help
you sort the wheat from the chaff. If you access the full version of Photoshop as a down-
Photoshop Anatomy The Bridge workspace
Get to know the key features of Adobe Bridge
4 METADATA
3
This panel emulates the display on your
digital SLR. It reads the metadata stored
in the currently active thumbnail so that
you can discover what shutter speed,
ISO and aperture settings where used
to capture the image. It also shows the
metering modes.
1
6
5
4
5 FILTERS
This panel enables you to present files
that meet specific criteria, such as
those with a specific star rating. You
can also filter the files’ metadata and
discover images that were captured
with a particular shutter speed setting,
for example.
6 KEYWORDS
2
12
1 FOLDERS
2 THUMBNAILS
3 WORKSPACES
Click the Folders tab to browse to
any folder of images stored on your
PC. Drag your most commonly used
folders into the Favorites panel.
Bridge displays your images as
thumbnails. You can use the slider
at the bottom of the workspace to
increase the thumbnail size.
These links enable you to change the
way panels and images are displayed
in Bridge. For example, the Filmstrip
option gives you larger previews.
This panel enables you to quickly assign
descriptive keywords to a photo. You
can then use the Filter panel to display
photos that contain a specific keyword.
We’ll demonstrate how to add and
search for keywords later in this chapter.
Teach yourself Photoshop
ORGANISE YOUR IMAGES
Overview Customising Adobe Bridge
Take a closer look at your pictures using the Filmstrip view
1
5
6
2
4
3
1 FILMSTRIP
4 EDITED IMAGES
By clicking the Filmstrip workspace icon you display the
selected thumbnail at a much larger size in the Preview window.
Shift-click to select and compare multiple images, as we’re
doing in this image.
If the colours, sharpness or tones of a raw format photo have
already been adjusted in Photoshop, you’ll see this icon. You
may also spot more specific icons that indicate that an image
has been cropped, for example.
2 LOUPE VIEW
5 THUMBNAIL QUALITY
The easiest way to see if an image is in focus is by looking at it
at 100% magnification. To do so, click the image to activate the
Loupe view. Drag the loupe to examine the image. We can see
that the image on the right is blurred.
By default you browse a raw file’s content by displaying the
low-resolution thumbnail that was embedded with the file
when it was captured. For a more accurate preview of colours
and tones, click here and choose High Quality display. This will
demand more processing power, however.
3 STACKING
6 SORT BY
To stop similar-looking images from cluttering up the
workspace, Shift-click to select them and then choose
Stacks>Group As Stack. Click the play icon to see each
thumbnail contained in a stack (or drag the scroll bar).
To see your files in chronological order (with the oldest ones
appearing on the left of the Filmstrip), set this Sort By dropdown menu to Date Created. You can also use this option in the
Essential workspace to display the oldest files at the top.
13
Teach yourself Photoshop
ORGANISE YOUR IMAGES
GET THE FILES HERE: http://bit.ly/typs2016
Import your
photos into Bridge
Import images from your camera into Bridge, then organise
and convert them in preparation for editing in Photoshop
ridge is an application that comes
included with all versions of
Photoshop. If you’re not using
Lightroom to import, organise and
catalogue your images then Bridge is the
perfect tool that fully integrates with
Photoshop. You can launch it separately
or use the File > Browse in Bridge
menu command in Photoshop.
(There was also a MiniBridge panel in Photoshop,
B
1
but this was discontinued in 2014.) With
Bridge, you can easily browse your images and
incorporate them into your workflow.
However, Bridge is so much more than a
browser; you can also use it to add metadata,
create image collections, group photos into
stacks, apply star ratings, filter images and
more besides. It also offers a host of
other useful features too, such as
the option to select multiple
images and merge them.
Attach your camera
On the previous pages we pointed out how to use Bridge to browse
images that are already stored on your computer, courtesy of the
Folders panel. This panel acts like any browser or finder window. You
can also use Bridge to import and store images directly from an
attached camera or memory card into folders on your PC. Kick off by
attaching your camera via a USB cable, and then click the Import
Photos from Camera icon in Bridge.
14
2
CONVERT TO DNG
If you choose the Convert to DNG option, the
Photo Downloader will convert third-party raw
format files (such as Canon’s CR2 or Nikon’s
NEF) into the Adobe Digital Negative format as
it imports them. It will preserve the original raw
format files and create a DNG copy in a
separate folder. We recommend you keep the
original raw files somewhere very safe.
Launch Photo Downloader
A dialog will appear, inviting you to make the Photo
Downloader launch automatically whenever a camera or card
reader is attached. Click Yes or No as desired. You can always change
this option later by choosing Adobe Bridge>Preferences>General and
then tick or clear When Camera is Connected, Launch Adobe Photo
Downloader. Whether you click Yes or No, the Photo Downloader
window will appear.
Teach yourself Photoshop
ORGANISE YOUR IMAGES
3
Choose a location and label
5
Advanced options
Click the Advanced Dialog button. Clear any thumbnails that
you don’t want to import. In the Save Options section, click
Choose and browse to where you want to store the files, or leave it set
to the default Pictures folder. Set the Create Subfolders drop-down
menu to choose your preferred folder labelling format, such as Shot
Date (ddmmyy). You can also rename the source files to include the
Shot Date. They will then be numbered sequentially.
By default Adobe Bridge is set to open once you’ve imported
the files. You can set the Photo Downloader to delete the
original files on the memory card after they’ve been imported,
so you can capture new images with the card without having to
reformat it. You can also save copies of the imported files onto an
external drive to create a backup of your photos. Click Choose to
select your backup location.
4
Convert to DNG
6
Apply metadata
In the Advanced Options panel you can decide to convert
raw files to the DNG format as they are imported. This
can be useful if you’re planning to share your raw files with other
Photoshop users. Different camera manufacturers use different
formats to create a raw version of an image and some of these
can’t be opened in older versions of Photoshop. Adobe’s DNG
format is also more compatible with third-party applications.
If you plan to share your images electronically, it makes
sense to attach your details and the copyright status,
such as Creative Commons or Royalty Free, to each photo as it’s
imported. This will save you the hassle of adding this information
to individual files at a later date. We’ll look at ways to add more
information to metadata on the following pages. Click Get Media
to import the selected files.
15
Teach yourself Photoshop
ORGANISE YOUR IMAGES
GET THE FILES HERE: http://bit.ly/typs2016
Add metadata
and keywords
to your images
Discover how to protect your photos and
make them easier to find in the future
t the end of the workflow on the previous spread we
demonstrated how to quickly add your name and the
copyright status to each file as it was imported to your
computer by the Photo Downloader. This useful
information is stored inside each file’s metadata, so when the image is
shared online or emailed to a client they will know who it belongs to.
The Photo Downloader only enables you to add a limited amount
of information to a batch of images, but once you’re browsing your
imported images in Bridge you can add much more useful data to
them, such as your contact details and website address. This helps
people contact you if they need to use the image, or at least credit you
as its creator. In this walkthrough we’ll demonstrate how to edit fields
in the IPTC Core panel to assign your contact and copyright details to
a file’s metadata.
You can add other useful details to metadata in Bridge, such as
keywords that describe the contents of an image. This enables you to
find a file according to its subject, instead of having to scroll through
a chronological list of images trying to remember when you shot a
particular picture. Keywords remain embedded in a file’s metadata,
so they can be used by others to locate an image, which is handy if
you want to sell your work as stock photography, for example. We’ll
demonstrate quick ways to add keywords and then search for them
using the filter tools in Bridge.
A
16
Teach yourself Photoshop
ORGANISE YOUR IMAGES
17
Teach yourself Photoshop
ORGANISE YOUR IMAGES
1
Examine the metadata
When importing images into Lightroom you can type your
name into the Photo Downloader’s Creator field. If you’ve
chosen this option, you can check that your name is attached to
the file. Click the thumbnail of an image and then toggle open
the IPTC Core section of the Metadata panel. Next to the Creator
label you’ll see your name. If you didn’t add your name while
importing, you can still do so by typing in the adjacent text field.
3
Apply the changes
If your image contains a person or a place, then you can add
the appropriate details in Bridge’s IPTC Extension panel. This
panel also enables you to inform viewers of the image if there’s
a model or property release form available, which is useful for
purchasers of stock photography. Once you’ve finished editing the
metadata, click anywhere outside the Metadata panel. You’ll then be
asked if you want to apply the changes. Click Apply.
18
GET THE FILES HERE: http://bit.ly/typs2016
2
Assign your copyright
You can also add your contact and website details to the
file’s metadata by typing in the appropriate fields. Scroll
down in the IPTC Core panel to find the Copyright Status popup menu. Choose an option such as Copyrighted. When the
photograph is opened in Photoshop the image tab will display a
© symbol, indicating that the image is copyrighted. Viewers of the
image can go to File>Info and read the info that you’ve added.
4
Create a metadata template
To speed up your workflow you can use Bridge to create a
metadata template that contains useful generic information,
such as your contact and copyright details. To do so, go to
Tools>Create Metadata Template. Give the template a name, such
as ‘My contact details’. Type in the information. Any properties
you add will automatically be checked. Click Save. You can create
as many custom metadata templates as you like.
Teach yourself Photoshop
ORGANISE YOUR IMAGES
5
Batch process the metadata
Once you’ve created a custom metadata template you can
apply it to multiple images. Shift-click to select a range of
thumbnails in Bridge. Go to Tools and choose Append Metadata.
You can then choose your custom metadata template. Your contact
details will then be added to all the selected files in an instant.
Click a thumbnail and check the Metadata panel’s IPTC Core
section to see the added information.
7
Create new keywords
To assign existing keywords to a selected image, tick the box
next to a keyword category, such as People, or a subcategory,
such as a person’s name. If a keyword isn’t available, click the flyout icon at the top right of the Keywords panel and choose New
Keyword. Type the keyword into the text field. Hit Enter. Drag the
new keyword into a particular category. Tick the new keyword to
assign it to the selected thumbnails.
6
Add keywords
8
Filter via keywords
The IPTC Core panel also has a keyword field, so you can
add a series of descriptive keywords to a particular file,
such as macro, butterfly, leaf etc. You could also add common
keywords, such as your name, to a metadata template. To help
you add keywords quickly, Bridge has a Keywords panel adjacent
to the Metadata tab. Here you’ll find a collection of useful preset
keywords, plus any that you’ve manually added to any images.
To find images that contain a particular keyword, go to
the Filter panel on the left of the Essentials workspace,
then simply click a keyword in the list to display the appropriate
thumbnails in the Preview window. You’ll see a number next to
each keyword that indicates the number of files that contain that
particular keyword in their metadata. You can also type keywords
into the Search field at the top right of Bridge’s workspace.
19
Teach yourself Photoshop
ORGANISE YOUR IMAGES
GET THE FILES HERE: http://bit.ly/typs2016
Organise your
images in Bridge
Use Bridge’s asset management tools to help you find
particular pictures quickly and easily using Collections
s we revealed on the previous pages, Bridge
enables you to create and assign keywords to
single images or batches of images so that you
can find them with ease using filters. Keywords
provide one of the most powerful and useful ways of
helping you to locate specific photographs, although
Bridge has other tools that will help you to organise
your ever-growing library of images.
In pre-digital days we’d place our favourite prints into
photo albums. These tended to gather and present images
using particular themes, such as weddings or holidays, for
example. In these digital days we have many more images
A
20
to manage, so we can end up scrolling through hundreds
of thumbnails in search of a particular image. In this
walkthrough we’ll demonstrate how to use the old photo
album model to collect themed images together so that they
are easier to access, courtesy of Bridge’s Collections panel.
You’ll also learn how to use the powerful Smart Collections
feature to find photos according to specific metadata
information, such as the shutter speed or camera model
used to capture the images.
We’ll kick off by demonstrating how to quickly separate
the wheat from the chaff by assigning labels and star ratings
to particular pictures.