Photoshop Support - Main Photoshop News Photoshop Tutorials Photoshop Tools Photoshop Resources Photoshop Site Map
adobe
photoshop tutorials - top logo
Removing Imperfections - Window Seat by Julieanne Kost

Window Seat: The Art of Digital Photography & Creative Thinking by Julieanne Kost
back to Window Seat: The Art of Digital Photography & Creative Thinking by Julieanne Kost - sample chapters
Try before you buy. Download any Adobe product for a free 30 day trial.

Try For Free

Window Seat: The Art of Digital Photography & Creative Thinking by Julieanne Kost
"Removing Imperfections"

(Pages 130-131 from Window Seat: The Art of Digital Photography & Creative Thinking - courtesy of O'Reilly Media.)

Removing Imperfections - Photoshop tutorial Once I've decided that an image is worth keeping, I begin by removing any dust, scratches, or other imperfections. In order to see every pixel in the image (which allows me to be as accurate as possible), I double-click the Zoom tool to zoom to 100%. I then enter full screen mode by clicking the full screen mode icon near the bottom of the Photoshop toolbar or by tapping the F key. This hides any other open images (as well as the desktop if you're working on a Macintosh). Next, I tap the Home key to navigate to the upper left corner of the document.

My tool of choice for removing imperfections is the Healing Brush. To set the source point from which to copy, I place my cursor in a 'good' area of the image and Option(Mac)/Alt(Win)-click, then release the key, move the cursor to the problem area, and click and hold as I paint over the imperfections.

To navigate through the image, I use the keyboard shortcuts Page Up and Page Down, which will move one full screen up or down. Adding the Cmd(Mac)/Ctrl(Win) key will move left or right one full screen. This ensures that I see every pixel of the document without unnecessary overlaps.

Several images that I really wanted to include in this book had reflections from the windows or lens flares from shooting into the sun. The methods I use to correct this type of problem depend on the complexity of the reflection. If the area is simple—a reflection in the sky, for example, I will remove it with the Healing brush, using the method described above.

If the reflection is over a detailed part of the image, I then use a more sophisticated technique involving dodging and burning. I'll begin by creating a new layer, filling it with 50% gray, and setting the layer's blend mode to Soft Light. The reason for adding this layer is flexibility—I don't want to work on the original image (in case I make a mistake), and I can't use the dodge and burn tools on a blank layer (thus the 50% gray fill). Changing the mode of the layer to Soft Light essentially hides the 50% gray fill.

Using the Burn tool set to midtones or highlights as needed, I select a brush the same size as the reflection. Working on the 50% gray layer and starting with very low opacity (3%), I darken the reflected area to match its surroundings. Where the values are uneven, I burn repeatedly, varying the brush size as necessary, slowly darkening the reflected area until it blends into its surroundings. If I need to lighten an area, I'll switch to the Dodge tool and repeat the process.

If I need to dramatically alter the tonal values, I will make a selection and then use an adjustment layer with a mask to blend the tonal values of the reflected areas with those elsewhere in the image that are correct (see details in the sections 'Making Tonal Changes' and 'Masking').

Unretouched image

Removing Imperfections - Window Seat by Julieanne Kost

There was some lens flare in the upper left corner of this image. After the adjustment was applied, the flare completely disappeared and the sky color and texture is now consistent across the entire image. I also used a Hue/Saturation adjustment to intensify the colors.

Retouched image

Removing Imperfections - Window Seat by Julieanne Kost


Unretouched image
This image suffered from a reflection from the window. I used a series of adjustment layers to improve the image: note how much more detail you can see in the adjusted image, particularly the underside of the cloud and the surface of the water below. A Hue/Saturation adjustment layer was added to neutralize the cyan cast of the cloud.

Removing Imperfections - Window Seat by Julieanne Kost

Retouched image

Removing Imperfections - Window Seat by Julieanne Kost


Removing Imperfections - Window Seat by Julieanne Kost


Unretouched image

Removing Imperfections - Window Seat by Julieanne Kost

Retouched image

Removing Imperfections - Window Seat by Julieanne Kost

This image was covered with dust specks in places with many different textures and tonal ranges. I used the Healing Brush to remove them.

Copyright © 2005 The llex Press Limited - All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, microfilm, xerography, or any other means, or incorporated into any information retrieval system, either electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the copyright owner.
See more Sample Chapters from Window Seat.

Photoshop CS4 & Photoshop CS4 Extended - Best Deals From Adobe

Photoshop CS4 & Photoshop CS4 ExtendedPhotoshop CS4 and Photoshop CS4 Extended feature a newly refined, tab-based interface in a single, integrated window, with self-adjusting panels arranged in docked groups. Automatically keeping tools well organized and away from your work area means you get greater efficiency, less clutter, and better results, faster than before.

Delivering all the features of Adobe Photoshop CS4 software, including the new Adjustments and Masks panels, Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended also provides breakthrough 3D editing and compositing power to paint directly on 3D models, create 3D animations, convert 2D images to 3D objects, and more; richer motion graphics editing; and more powerful and flexible image analysis and tracking. Learn more on our Photoshop CS4 Tutorials Page. To download the free trial, see details on our Photoshop CS4 Free Trial Download Page.

Find upgrade options and package deals at the Adobe USA Store. Teachers and students get special pricing at the Adobe Education Store. You can also buy in your country currency and language at the following Adobe International Stores:
Adobe United Kingdom  |  Adobe Germany  |  Adobe France  |  Adobe Eastern Europe

Window Seat: The Art of Digital Photography & Creative Thinking by Julieanne Kost

Window Seat: The Art of Digital Photography & Creative Thinking by Julieanne KostJulieanne Kost is a Photoshop evangelist for Adobe. Her teaching commitments take her virtually across the globe, as she flies from destination to destination. In this book - Window Seat: The Art of Digital Photography & Creative Thinking - she has taken a collection of photographs that she's shot through the panes of glass of her airplane window seats, and gone on to create a book that offers a blend of professional expertise and inspiration for waning creativity.

Our in-flight behavior varies greatly - many of us choose to take a nap while trying to avoid leaning too far into our seatmate's lap, while others watch the tiny drop-down screen and its offerings of archived news clips. Ms. Kost, on the other hand, uses the air travel time that we all-too-often squander in a vastly different way. She uses, to her creative advantage, the unique perspective offered from 35,000 feet as she collects a variety of photos taken through her window.

Window Seat is more than simply a collection of beautiful images, though far be it for us to undermine the often breathtaking aesthetic appeal of Ms. Kost's photography. However, she has an underlying purpose to her artistic renderings – not only does she seek to share many of the insights that she has garnered over her years of work as a creative professional, but she also offers some valuable reflections on the nature of ingenuity itself.

Window Seat: The Art of Digital Photography & Creative Thinking by Julieanne KostIndeed, the Window Seat photographs speak as a metaphor to her essential message – that all it takes is a simple change in awareness and perspective to awaken and sustain the creativity that often eludes even the most prolific among us.

It isn't meant to be an expert's instructional manual or an artist's complete portfolio, nor is it intended to be a guru's manifesto. What Ms. Kost has accomplished with Window Seat is a unique blend of all three, as she shares her talent, her insight and her work in a quest to remind us all why we create, and to help us when the flow of ideas begins to stagnate.

Take a look out of your very own window seat, open your eyes a little bit wider – as Ms. Kost intonates, and you may well be surprised by what you see.

Available At Amazon.com
Buy Window Seat: The Art of Digital Photography & Creative Thinking at Amazon.com for $26.39 (34% special offer discount).
Photoshop Blog
Photoshop CS5 & Photoshop CS5 Extended - Best Deals From Adobe
Photoshop CS5 & Photoshop CS5 Extended - Best Deals From Adobe Adobe Photoshop CS5 delivers breakthrough capabilities to help you create images with impact. Refine your images with reengineered photography tools for removing noise, adding grain, and creating high dynamic range (HDR) images. Get precise results when making complex selections. Remove any image element and see the space fill in almost magically. Paint with naturally textured brushstrokes and realistic color blends. Learn more about Photoshop CS5.

Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended software helps you create the ultimate images for print, the web, and video. Enjoy all the state-of-the-art editing, compositing, and painting capabilities in industry-standard Photoshop CS5, and experience fast performance thanks to cross-platform 64-bit support. Also create 3D extrusions for logos, artwork, and motion graphics; edit 3D objects with advanced tools; and create and enhance motion-based content. Learn more about Photoshop CS5 Extended.

Find CS5 upgrade options and Creative Suite 5 deals at the Adobe Store. See CS5 pricing in UK currency at the Adobe UK Store. Visit the Adobe Special Offers page to find the latest deals. Save 80% on Adobe Student Editions. Try before you buy — download a free Photoshop CS5 trial.

Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design PremiumAdobe Creative Suite 5 Design Premium
Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Premium software gives you fresh new creative tools, along with the ability to deliver ideas faster in print and create interactive content without writing code. Plus Design Premium integrates with Adobe CS Live online services to maximize your design time by streamlining critical nondesign tasks.

Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Premium combines Adobe InDesign CS5, Photoshop CS5 Extended, Illustrator CS5, Flash CS5 Professional, Dreamweaver CS5, Fireworks CS5, and Acrobat Pro with additional tools and services. Download a free CS5 Design Premium 30 day trial.

Photoshop CS5 Tutorials & CS5 Resources
See our Photoshop CS5 Resource Center for Free Photoshop CS5 Tutorials, and the Free Photoshop CS5 Trial Download. See our Photoshop CS4 Resource Center for Free Photoshop CS4 Tutorials.
Photoshop Blog
Exclusive 15% Discount On All Topaz Plugins - Use Coupon Code PHOTOSHOPSUPPORT - Includes Bundles And Upgrades

Exclusive 15% Discount On All Topaz PluginsEnter our exclusive discount coupon code PHOTOSHOPSUPPORT during the checkout process at Topaz Labs for an instant 15% discount on any Topaz product, including bundles and upgrades.

Topaz Labs Photoshop plug-ins are specifically designed to expand a photographer's creative toolbox by harnessing powerful image technology developments. Photographers everywhere are now taking advantage of the creative exposure effects, artistic simplification, unique edge manipulation, and top-of-the-line noise reduction offered in Topaz products. The Topaz Photoshop Plugins Bundle is a super powerful Photoshop plugins package that includes the following Topaz products:

Topaz Adjust
Deliver stunning and dynamic images with this uniquely powerful plug-in that features HDR-like abilities and enhances exposure, color and detail.
Exclusive 15% Discount On All Topaz PluginsTopaz Detail
A three-level detail adjustment plug-in that specializes in micro-contrast enhancements and sharpening with no artifacts.
Topaz ReMask
The fastest and most effective masking and extraction program with one-click mask refining.
Topaz DeNoise
Highest-quality noise reduction plug-in that removes the most noise and color noise while preserving the most image detail.
Topaz Simplify
Provides creative simplification, art effects, and line accentuation for easy one-of-a-kind art.
Topaz Clean
Take control of the detail depth of your images with extensive smoothing, texture control and edge enhancement tools.
Topaz DeJPEG
Drastically improves the quality of web images and other compressed photos.

Learn more about the Topaz Photoshop Plugins Bundle. Download a free trial version.
Photoshop Blog
Exclusive onOne Software 15% Instant Discount Coupon

Exclusive onOne Software 20% Instant Discount CouponEnter our exclusive discount coupon code - PSSPPT06 - during the checkout process at onOne Software for an instant 15% discount on any onOne product. This includes Genuine Fractals and their amazing Photoshop Plug-In Suite.

OnOne’s new Plug-In Suite solves six of the most frequent problems photographers will encounter in Photoshop. This suite has been granted American Photos Magazine’s Editor’s Choice award for Top Image Editing Software. The Plugin Suite includes:

Genuine Fractals Pro is renowned by both photographers and printers for its finesse at increasing images to more than ten times their original size while maintaining the sharpness and detail you started with. Think of this as the industry standard for image resizing.

Mask Pro is used to remove the tough stuff — such as hair, smoke and glass — while retaining the fine detail. You choose what colors to keep, then paint away what you don’t need.

Genuine Fractals ProPhotoTools Pro packs hundreds of high-calibre photographic effects into one user-friendly plug-in. It’s fast and easy to use. Gives your photos that pro quality look.

PhotoFrame Pro lets you enhance your pictures with hundreds of such design effects, or simply drop your image into a pre-fab layout in Photoshop, Lightroom or Aperture.

FocalPoint helps to control focus and minimize visual noise. Draw the eye to specific points in your images by using selective focus, depth-of-field and vignette effects.

PhotoTune lets you can compare images side-by-side and easily color correct and enhance them. PhotoTune optimizes the dynamic range, color and sharpness of your image without the need to know all the complicated controls in Photoshop like levels and curves.

Simply enter our exclusive discount coupon code - PSSPPT06 - during the checkout process at onOne Software for an instant 15% discount on any onOne product.
Photoshop Blog
Nik Software 15% Instant Discount - Exclusive 15% Coupon

Enter our exclusive discount coupon code - NIKPSS - during the checkout process at Nik Software for an instant 15% discount on any Nik Software product. This exclusive discount coupon code can be applied to all the latest Nik Software Photoshop plugins, including Silver Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, Viveza, Sharpener Pro, and Dfine.

Color Efex Pro
Nik Software Color Efex Pro 3.0 filters52 photographic filters with over 250 effects for professional quality images. Completely Original. Completely Indispensable.

Nik Software Color Efex Pro filters are the leading photographic filters for digital photography. The award-winning Color Efex Pro filters are widely used by many of today's professional photographers around the world to save time and get professional level results. Whether you choose the Complete Edition, Select Edition, or Standard Edition, you’ll get traditional and stylizing filters that offer virtually endless possibilities to enhance and transform images quickly and easily.

Patented U Point technology provides the ultimate control to selectively apply enhancements without the need for any complicated masks, layers or selections. Control color, light and tonality in your images and create unique enhancements with professional results. With 52 filters and over 250 effects found in Color Efex Pro, you can perform high quality retouching, color correction, and endless creative enhancements to your photographs. Download a free Trial version.

Viveza
Viveza - The most powerful tool to selectively control color and light in photographic images without the need for complicated selections or layer masksThe most powerful tool to selectively control color and light in photographic images without the need for complicated selections or layer masks.

Two of the most important factors in creating great photography are color and light. Mastering the art of selectively correcting or enhancing each of these is now possible for every photographer without the need for complicated masks or selections, or expert-level knowledge of Photoshop. Integrating award-winning U Point technology, Viveza is the most powerful and precise tool available to control light and color in photographic images.

U Point powered Color Control Points, placed directly on colors or objects in an image (such as sky, skin, grass, etc.), reveal easy-to-use controls that photographers can use to quickly adjust brightness, contrast or color in a fraction of the time needed by other tools. With Viveza you’ll spend more time shooting photographs and save hours of image editing. Download a free Trial version.

Silver Efex Pro
Silver Efex Pro from Nik SoftwareComplete power and control to create professional quality black and white images in one convenient tool.


Silver Efex Pro from Nik Software is the most powerful tool for creating professional quality black and white images from your photographs. For the first time, all the advanced power and control required for professional results have been brought together in one convenient tool.

Featuring Nik Software’s patented U Point technology to selectively control the tonality and contrast of the image, Silver Efex Pro includes advanced imaging algorithms to protect against unwanted artifacts, a comprehensive collection of emulated black and white film types, a variable toning selector for adding traditional toning techniques, over 20 one-click preset styles, and a state-of-the-art grain reproduction engine that help produce the highest quality black and white images possible from your color images while providing more freedom to experiment. Download a free Trial version to use Silver Efex Pro.

Enter our exclusive discount coupon code - NIKPSS - during the checkout process at Nik Software for an instant 15% discount. This exclusive discount coupon code can be applied to all the latest Nik Software Photoshop plugins, including Silver Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, Viveza, Sharpener Pro, and Dfine.
Photoshop Blog
Photoshop Masking Plugin Fluid Mask - Exclusive Instant Discount

Photoshop Masking Plugin Fluid Mask 3 - Price Drop And Exclusive $20 Instant Discount - Now Only $129The 4 1/2 out of 5 star review of Fluid Mask at MacWorld begins by saying that this "Photoshop plug-in takes the pain out of extracting backgrounds," and goes on to recommend the latest version, stating that "Fluid Mask is a very effective tool for separating objects from their backgrounds. It offers a variety of useful features for tackling almost any difficult image, from wispy hair to complex foliage. Online video tutorials and live training sessions help ease the learning curve."

Our friends at Vertus, the makers of Fluid Mask Photoshop Plugin, have set up a special exclusive discount for PhotoshopSupport.com. Go to our Fluid Mask page for a special, exclusive discount link.

Fluid Mask is designed for photographers, image editors, graphic designers and all those who take digital image editing seriously. In a streamlined interface and workflow, Fluid Mask instantly shows key edges in the image and provides comprehensive easy to use tools that work with difficult-to-see edges and tricky areas like trees & lattices. Fluid Mask will also preserve all-important edge information for a professional quality cut out. Go to our Fluid Mask page for more info.
Photoshop Blog
lynda.com Online Training Library - View Free Video Clips

lynda.com Online Training Library Subscriptions Start At $25 A MonthSubscriptions to the lynda.com Online Training Library provide anytime access to tens of thousands of video tutorials covering Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, web design, digital imaging, 3D, digital video, animation, and many other topics. View free video clips.

For less than a dollar a day, members have the opportunity to stay current and keep skills sharp, learn innovative and productive techniques, and gain confidence and marketability - all at their own pace.
Premium subscriptions include instructors’ exercise files so that members can follow along with the exact examples onscreen. Customers learn at their own pace and may stop, rewind, and replay segments as often as necessary. View some free video clips (high resolution).
Photoshop Blog
Did You Know You Could Create An Entire Website In Photoshop?
SiteGrinder Photoshop Plugin - Create Websites Instantly


SiteGrinder Photoshop Plugin - Create Websites InstantlyThere often seems to be a strict division of labor within the world of web design and development. Creative professionals tend to stick to the Photoshop domain, while those well-versed in scripting are left to the task of implementing their work. Indeed, the two realms are quite different from each other, to which any of us even vaguely familiar with either can easily attest.

Essentially, Photoshop is a no-holds-barred design studio, offering the artist a seemingly endless array of creative options. On the other hand, HTML, CSS, Java and the like follow strict rules of engagement, requiring the developer to take any number of esoteric concerns into consideration in order to ensure that designs are properly displayed on the web.

Turn Photoshop Into A Complete Web Design Tool
SiteGrinder seeks to bridge this gap between design and development. Basically, SiteGrinder turns Photoshop into an easy-to-use and fully functional web design tool. With SiteGrinder, designers will now have the freedom to totally let their creativity loose and then, without skipping a beat, transfer their designs to the web. Bringing esthetic concerns together with more practical considerations, SiteGrinder is an amazingly powerful tool that would make a fantastic addition to any web designer's bag of tricks. Mac OS X and Windows versions of the SiteGrinder unlockable demo are available now via download.
Photoshop Blog
Photoshop CS4 Essential Skills - By Mark Galer And Philip Andrews


Photoshop CS4 Essential Skills - Adobe Photoshop CS4 BookBrimming with beautiful pictures, Photoshop CS4 Essential Skills guides you through a project-based, progressive curriculum so that you can build all the essential skills to enhance photographs creatively and professionally with Photoshop CS4. If you are an aspiring professional or a student learning photography, digital imaging, or design graphics, you'll be amazed at the stunning results you can achieve. A DVD is included free.

The Essential Skills Photography Series from Focal Press uniquely offers a structured learning experience for photographers of all ages, with both the underlying theory and loads of invaluable 'how to' and real-life practice projects - all from the most talented photography practitioners/educators in the world.

Read 2 free sample chapters:
Skin Retouching Tips In Photoshop CS4
Transforming Smart Objects In Photoshop CS4
Find more Photoshop CS4 tutorials on our Photoshop CS4 Tutorials Page.

Read 2 free sample chapters from the Adobe Photoshop CS3 version:

Adjusting Exposure in Adobe Camera Raw CS3
Photoshop CS3 Tutorial High Dynamic Range

Find More Adobe Photoshop Books at Amazon.com
Find all the latest bestselling Photoshop books at discount prices at Amazon.com.


photoshop tutorials - sidebar logo
search the Photoshop Support site
Adobe Photoshop Blog - Photoshop news and comments
Photoshop Blog
News, links and tips.
Adobe Photoshop Blog - Receive Updates via our XML/RSS feed
Inspiring Photoshop Music...
Inspiring Photoshop Music...
Inspiring Photoshop Music...
join our Photoshop Newsletter and win free prizes
Free Newsletter
Free monthly prizes.
Fluid Mask Photoshop Plugin
Fluid Mask Photoshop Plugin
Fluid Mask Photoshop Plugin
Fluid Mask - $10 Off
Fluid Mask Tour
Adobe Store
Adobe Store
Adobe Store
See Special Offers
Adobe USA Store
Adobe UK Store
Students 80% Off
Education Store
Free Dreamweaver Tutorials and Dreamweaver Templates - Resource Center - Main Page
DW Center - Main
DW Free Tutorials
DW Video Clips
DW Templates
Free Flash Tutorials and Flash Templates - Resource Center
Flash - Main
Flash Tutorials
Flash Templates
Photoshop software & gear at special prices
Photoshop Deals
Photoshop specials.
Turn your Photoshop designs into CSS websites with SiteGrinder - Photoshop plugin.
Turn your Photoshop designs into CSS websites with SiteGrinder - Photoshop plugin.
Turn your Photoshop designs into CSS websites with SiteGrinder - Photoshop plugin.
Turn your Photoshop
designs into websites
with SiteGrinder
Photoshop CS3 Resources - Photoshop 10 news
Photoshop CS3
PS CS3 Tutorials
Adobe Photoshop Elements - resource center
PSE Main Page
PSE Free Tutorials
PSE Free Clips
Lightroom Resource Center - Adobe Lightroom tutorials and news
Lightroom - Main
LR Free Tutorials
LR Resources
Apple Aperture resource center - Aperture tutorials and news
Aperture - Main
Aperture Tutorials
Aperture Reviews
Photoshop Resources
Photoshop Tutorials
Free Tutorials
Photoshop 9 - CS2
Free CS2 Tutorials
Photoshop Brushes
Free Brushes
Photoshop Plugins
Free Plugins
Photoshop Actions
Free Actions
Photoshop Training
Free Video Clips
Free Stock Photos
Free Photos
Free Fonts Directory
Free Fonts
Free Textures
Free Textures
Digital Cameras
Resource Center
Inspiration
Websites & Artists
Photoshop News
Latest News
Photoshop Books
Latest Releases
Color Resources
Color Management
Just For Kids
Photoshop for Kids
How-To Articles
Photoshop Articles
GoLive Site
GoLive Tutorials
Quick Answers
Photoshop FAQ
Get In Touch
Feedback Form
© 1999-2012 PHOTOSHOPSUPPORT.COM
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION
Some material reproduced by permission of copyright owners
All trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners
[this website is intended as a public service]
• navigation bar inspired by Griffin Technology
• website design and development by Futura Studios
web hosting provided by Hostway •