Using Many Multiple Layers and Blending Modes

[shannon_land]

<p>I'm not really sure how to ask this question, because I've asked so many people over the years, tried reading some books, hired a tutor and even tried Googling and no one I've asked knows the answer.<br>

I need to work with many multiple layers in PS CC for portrait retouching. Every time I duplicate the previous layer it messes everything up. (Sometimes it doubles the opacity on the new layer for something that I touched up in a previous layer.) <br>

Maybe it would be easier to explain what I need to accomplish...<br>

I need to make many multiple layers that work independently of one another. I need to be able to change the blending modes and the opacity on each layer without it affecting the previous layers. This is a list of some things I need to do on multiple layers. Clone hairs on head, clone hairs on mustache, remove redness from face, skin softening, whiten eyes, whiten teeth, sharpening, etc.<br>

I already know how to do all of the above list, I just am having trouble getting the layers working together. I've tried using clipping masks in some situations, but I end up getting to a point where I have no layers left to duplicate and I've still got more work to do. <br>

Hopefully, somebody understands what I'm trying to ask and can help me. Thanks.</p>

 

[tom_mann1]

<p>If I have an architectural image that has several buildings, each with a sunny side and a shady side, plus a foreground and one or more distant background areas, sure, I might start work by immediately generating a series of fairly sharp edged masks that will isolate the various areas so that I can work on them entirely independently, and then mix them back together at the end of the process. I might do something similar if I have an interior shot in mixed lighting and I need to set different white balances in different areas of the room. In this case, I might do two or more ACR conversions and using soft edged masks select the areas to which they will be applied.<br /><br />However, I must say that with portraits, for me, usually, a simple sequential approach using masks that I generate as I go works just fine, especially if combined with converting the occasional layer to a smart object if I think I'll need to come back and tweak an adjustment made to that layer at some time in the future (eg, I did a Gaussian blur and may want to come back and adjust the radius).<br /><br />The other PS feature that I frequently use is "merge up" ( http://frenchkisstextures.com/tutorials/photoshop/photoshop-keyboard-shortcut-copy-visible-and-paste-in-a-new-layer/ ) , ie, copy all the visible layers and merge them into a new layer (Ctrl-Alt-Shift-E on the PC). <br /><br />Hopefully, you already are familiar with this technique, but the effect is very, very different from a simple duplication of a layer, a technique that you mentioneded in your post at least twice. <br /><br />Doing a "merge up" doesn't affect the appearance on your screen, but, as you observed, duplicating a layer certainly might do so. A "merge up" layer also gives you a snapshot of where you were at a particular point in processing the image. This means that you can always revert to exactly this state, or, if you decide that changes you made after this point are a bit too much for your likeing, just make a copy of the "merged up" layer stick it on top of the layer stack and drop it's opacity to continuously adjust between the results at two points in time. Also, there is no need to do only one "merge up" -- you can change the adjustments involved in the "merge up" and save several different versions.<br /><br />After re-reading your post, I'm starting to think that the fundamental problem you are running into is because you are thinking in terms of a completely parallel approach to processing images, ie, fix a, b, and c separately, and then merge them into one nice image, versus a more serial / sequential / incremental approach to post processing.<br /><br />There's a good chance I didn't understand your problem, and, if so, just tell me, but hopefully the above paragraphs might have given you a few ideas.<br /><br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />Tom M<br /><br /><br /><br /></p>

[dave404]

<p>A lot of times you use adjustment layers and layer masks to brighten up or otherwise change a certain portion of the image. Using a soft light neutral layer is a nice way to soften wrinkles and imperfections. You can trace out what you are trying to lighten up. Using luminosity blending mode there are a lot of things you can do by first converting a channel or group to channels to a B&W image and blending it in Luminosity mode. There are plenty of books on the subject including those by Katrin Eismann which deal a great deal with portrait retouching. Regarding blending modes the books by Dan Margulus are good, especially when using LAB or CYMK. Just remember if you overdo it, back off with the layer opacity. Also learn to use the blend-if sliders. Good luck.</p>