# Topic #3, Layers & Post Processing



## Dominantly (Feb 7, 2010)

Alright so I thought I would do something focused on post processing. Now, there are quite a few different ways to do what I'm about to demonstrate, I just happen to prefer this method and find it goes pretty quickly.

The software I will be using for this is:

Topaz ReMask - Masking Made Easy
Topaz Adjust - Redefining Creative Exposure
Topaz Detail - Halo-free Detail Enhancement, Sharpening, and Toning
*Free 30day trial of the bundle is highly recommended 

PS Elements 6
Adobe Photoshop Elements - PC - CD-ROM ( mini-box ) - Universal English

So lets get started, here is the original photo I will be tweaking (random choice):






This was a RAW file, just to be clear.


So with this photo, you'll notice the sky is blown, most likely a result of trying to properly expose the foreground, or brickwork that had it's back to the setting sun.
The bricks/foundation are dull and the green middle ground is also lifeless and boring, so we'll try and break it all up and add some life back to it.

First thing we do is open the original in PSE. It will open in Camera raw 4.6, once open you will be able to adjust the photo like you normally would, but we're going to do something different this time. 
-Go ahead and select Camera Neutral under the Camera profile tab.
-Go back to basic and adjust your settings to enhance the sky. I was something like -1.45 exposure, +38 brightness, +56 contrast, +100 clarity, +49 Vibrance, +44 saturation.. Basically just adjust it until the sky looks good to you.


--Once that is done you are going to Save Image (bottom left) as a .dng file onto your desktop. This will save your sky that you can open later.
Sky image:




-Next you will reset what you did by hitting "default".
-After that you will adjust the photo for the brick and mountains, disregarding the sky. Don't go to crazy here, just get it decent looking.
-Now open the the image into PSE editor.

-Once you have the the image opened into PSE, hit CTRL+J twice to create two copies (make sure your layers tab is open on the right).
-With the top copy selected, open REmask 2.
-Now use the Remask tool to separate the sky from the mountains. You'll simply trace the mountain line and chimney with the BLUE pen and then use the red paint can on the sky side and hit process. If you get stuck, just ask about it later and I'll go in greater depth.
-Now you'll end up with this in your layers

Blank background:





-Now you'll have one layer with no sky and two full photo layers. Take the other layer and do the same thing except outline the bricks and then open it.





-Next you'll need to bring back that sky we created earlier, so just hit "create new layer" and a blank layer will pop up.
-Now select your layer, then go to file "place", and place your sky file onto that layer.

-At this point your Layers should look like this:




(You'll want the sky on the bottom)

-Now is when I will go in and adjust each layer individually using Adjust 3. I will also adjust the levels (Ctrl+L) and Saturation of individual colors; green most notably in this one (Ctrl+U).

-I used the "clone" tool to get rid of that random branch in the sky. I use a fairly small brush when doing it, and zoom in pretty far to get a good idea of what texture I am adding. You'll have to play/blend it a bit depending on your photo.

-Then I used Topaz Detail on the sky, and the stone layers to give them some pop. 
-Then I used Denoise on the sky and the mountain layer.

-After all the layers looked acceptable to me, and I had done all the editing, I simply flattened the image resulting in this:





vs Original








--This can be done with almost anything. You'll find some photos are more labor intensive when it comes to masking them (tree's that show sky through them are notorious for being difficult). But in the end it just takes a tad bit more time, but it all can be done.
-You can use this technique for "Selective coloring" as well.

Hope this helps, makes sense, and adds some new techniques to someones skill box. Let me know if you have any questions or get stuck...

:mrgreen:


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## kangta13 (Feb 7, 2010)

Omg do you need a roommate or something?? awesome tutorial !! Thanks!!


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## indeedies (Feb 7, 2010)

kangta13 said:


> Omg do you need a roommate or something?? awesome tutorial !! Thanks!!


 
:lmao: You can't figure out layers either huh?

Thanks for this post.  So much has been done on the actual camera work but little has been posted about the PP.  This makes it easier to understand rather than just watching Youtube videos.  :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


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## kangta13 (Feb 7, 2010)

indeedies said:


> kangta13 said:
> 
> 
> > Omg do you need a roommate or something?? awesome tutorial !! Thanks!!
> ...



i understood layers having used cs3/photoshop a while back when making logos.. never knew the extent in photography with saturating/exposure separation..  it really is sweet what can be done.. almost like you don't need to take a good picture anymore HOW SAD.. ..


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## Dominantly (Feb 7, 2010)

No problem.... Give it a try sometime and let me know if you have any issues, I might be able to address.


This setup I am using is probably less then $60 out the door (if you're ont he free trial of Topaz). So it isn't very expensive to PP.


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## IgsEMT (Feb 7, 2010)

dude, i was away for two hours and you put this up... AWESOME,
KEEP IT UP


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## Dominantly (Feb 7, 2010)

Had to do something while watching TV


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## Dominantly (Feb 7, 2010)

I would also like to put it out there that if someone wants help with a photo and shot it in raw, they can upload it and link it here and I'll try and break it up in layers and give it back. NOW don't go putting up a forest shot  and expect the professional touch, just sayin (that s#it is labor intensive).


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## mrmacedonian (Feb 7, 2010)

wow, very informative! thank you very much Dominantly. I'm going to have to try this soon


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## kangta13 (Feb 8, 2010)

Dominantly said:


> I would also like to put it out there that if someone wants help with a photo and shot it in raw, they can upload it and link it here and I'll try and break it up in layers and give it back. NOW don't go putting up a forest shot  and expect the professional touch, just sayin (that s#it is labor intensive).



btw nice photo blog dominant, very interesting captures.. haha do you have an editing service?? omg you would make my life so much easier.:badangel:.!


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## IgsEMT (Feb 8, 2010)

> NOW don't go putting up a forest shot  and expect the professional touch, just sayin (that s#it is labor intensive).


dont offer if ya'll can't hack it LOL
:lmao:


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## Dominantly (Feb 8, 2010)

kangta13 said:


> Dominantly said:
> 
> 
> > I would also like to put it out there that if someone wants help with a photo and shot it in raw, they can upload it and link it here and I'll try and break it up in layers and give it back. NOW don't go putting up a forest shot  and expect the professional touch, just sayin (that s#it is labor intensive).
> ...


Thanks I appreciate it! It's a PIA in progress 

Nope no editing service here, I've done something similar though.


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## Dominantly (Feb 8, 2010)

IgsEMT said:


> > NOW don't go putting up a forest shot  and expect the professional touch, just sayin (that s#it is labor intensive).
> 
> 
> dont offer if ya'll can't hack it LOL
> :lmao:


:lmao:
I thought I would put it out there just in case....


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## fokker (Feb 8, 2010)

Thanks for that, really useful. Couple of queestions:
- When you said " simply flattened the image resulting in this" can you explain what you meant by flattening?
-What exactly is a .dng and why do you need to save it as that type rather than a .jpg? Can you not place a .jpg into a layer? (I would just try this but I'm at work at the moment so I can't).

Cheers!


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## mrmacedonian (Feb 8, 2010)

fokker said:


> - When you said " simply flattened the image resulting in this" can you explain what you meant by flattening?



I believe that is referring to combining the layers into one; it is an option in Photoshop (Layers -> Flatten Image).



fokker said:


> -What exactly is a .dng and why do you need to save it as that type rather than a .jpg?



.dng stands for Digital Negative; Adobe's answer to Canon's RAW. 



fokker said:


> Can you not place a .jpg into a layer?



I'll let Dominantly field that one, though I imagine for the same reason RAW is preferred over JPEG in other situations?


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## Felix0890 (Feb 8, 2010)

fokker said:


> Thanks for that, really useful. Couple of queestions:
> - When you said " simply flattened the image resulting in this" can you explain what you meant by flattening?
> -What exactly is a .dng and why do you need to save it as that type rather than a .jpg? Can you not place a .jpg into a layer? (I would just try this but I'm at work at the moment so I can't).
> 
> Cheers!



When you have multiple layers, you go into the layers menu and select flatten image.  It'll flatten all the layers into one single one.  Yes, you can save a layered image as a jpg but I believe .dng saves the layers themselves whereas jpg saves it as a flattened image.  Not too experienced with dng so I'll let him get more into that.


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## shmne (Feb 8, 2010)

A .dng file saves all of your layers, however it does not usually save layer styles such as difference. Don't quote me on the layer styles however, because I do believe .dng may be capable of it, its just that programs outside of Adobe may not recognize the Adobe specific layer style.


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## mom2eight (Feb 8, 2010)

Dom, Your the best.  I'm gonna give this a try later, I'll post it up for you to have a look it.  
Thanks


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## Dominantly (Feb 8, 2010)

fokker said:


> Thanks for that, really useful. Couple of queestions:
> - When you said " simply flattened the image resulting in this" can you explain what you meant by flattening?
> -What exactly is a .dng and why do you need to save it as that type rather than a .jpg? Can you not place a .jpg into a layer? (I would just try this but I'm at work at the moment so I can't).
> 
> Cheers!



1. When you have all your layers the way you want them, and the image looks acceptable, you need to combine all of your layers into a single image. It is Important you have all your layers stacked correctly, which should be obvious in your preview window. What I mean by this is you don't want a background on top, hiding all the others; for example if I had the sky on top of my edited stone and hill layer, it would hide them.
After your all set up you will right click, then select "flatten image" to take all those layers and create a single file.

So with nikon you'll have a .nef (raw) file type. When you open the file into camera raw, you have the ability to save the file as a digital negative/.dng, which will retain all your raw file data, but will also save your edits you have done. You can do this to create multiple exposure profiles of the same photo (single capture HDR's). 
Yes you can import a JPEG into a layer, but when you can, you want to avoid doing any heavy processing on them. The .nef, .dng, .tiff files are all lossless, you'll retain image quality and be able to do more manipulating without degrading your file.
You can also save your work as a .psd file. This will save all your layers exactly how you see it, all separated, so you can go back and tweak it later.


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## R6_Dude (Feb 11, 2010)

Is there a process we have to go by to stack them correctly?  Or should it just be flattened and then once its all in one layer we can move them around? 

Also, I don't have PSE but I do have PS CS2 and it is somewhat similar (although I don't have the red and blue pen,whats the subsitute?).  I do use Canon's EOS software to make my adjustments.  What I just figured out is that I can transfer my pictures from the EOS software directly into my PS and work from there!  However, once it transfers, it goes into TiFF, is that ok?


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## fokker (Mar 9, 2010)

Ok so sorry for dragging up a slightly old thread, but since it's a useful one I figure no-one will mind 

So here is the result of my using this tutorial where I couldn't get a nice exposure for both the interesting sky and the mountain/foreground. Really like the outcome, however the Topaz remask isn't perfect. It's a bit hard to see it in this version (I don't have a higher res version as I'm posting off my flickr while at work) but you can kind of see it doesn't look right around the tree lines. I guess this is just my noob-ness at using Topaz, but even after a few goes I couldn't get much improvement. Maybe it's because I didn't follow the exact steps in your tutorial, just kinda the basic ones and made up the rest in between? I think what I did was create 2 exposures from the RAW file and save them as .tiff. I opened the lightened one with blown out sky in the background layer, then added a second layer with the sky looking good and the foreground dark in it. From there I topaz-ed the dark foreground out of the second layer, just leaving the sky overlaid over the background layer. Any issues doing it this way?







Thanks!


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## Dominantly (Mar 9, 2010)

R6_Dude said:


> Is there a process we have to go by to stack them correctly?  Or should it just be flattened and then once its all in one layer we can move them around?
> 
> Also, I don't have PSE but I do have PS CS2 and it is somewhat similar (although I don't have the red and blue pen,whats the subsitute?).  I do use Canon's EOS software to make my adjustments.  What I just figured out is that I can transfer my pictures from the EOS software directly into my PS and work from there!  However, once it transfers, it goes into TiFF, is that ok?


You stack them based on which layer you want on top. For example, I wouldn't have put the sky layer over the chimney in my above photo, the sky had to be the very last layer, everything else piled on it. Usually the further away the subject, the closer to the bottom. Once you flatten, it's done, no more moving.

The red and blue pens come from Topaz Remask 2, it is a plug in for Photoshop and can be tried for free for 30 days. I linked it in my first post. You can do it without it, it's just more time consuming. Tiff is fine to work with. I do alot of work with tiff files. Either way, you will be doing the major alterations with the initial raw file in your EOS software, everything after will be blending.


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## Dominantly (Mar 9, 2010)

fokker said:


> Ok so sorry for dragging up a slightly old thread, but since it's a useful one I figure no-one will mind
> 
> So here is the result of my using this tutorial where I couldn't get a nice exposure for both the interesting sky and the mountain/foreground. Really like the outcome, however the Topaz remask isn't perfect. It's a bit hard to see it in this version (I don't have a higher res version as I'm posting off my flickr while at work) but you can kind of see it doesn't look right around the tree lines. I guess this is just my noob-ness at using Topaz, but even after a few goes I couldn't get much improvement. Maybe it's because I didn't follow the exact steps in your tutorial, just kinda the basic ones and made up the rest in between? I think what I did was create 2 exposures from the RAW file and save them as .tiff. I opened the lightened one with blown out sky in the background layer, then added a second layer with the sky looking good and the foreground dark in it. From there I topaz-ed the dark foreground out of the second layer, just leaving the sky overlaid over the background layer. Any issues doing it this way?
> 
> ...


Nice photo!
You've discovered the only part of this whole thing that can be a real PIA. That would be getting easy/quick results when masking off a photo with a tree line, or bushes.
The greater the difference between the two areas you are masking, or dragging the blue pen, the better. You can review the mask, and then zoom in to adjust it with the green/red pens, but you might not be able to get it 100% with this kind of tree line.
What I usually do (and did in that first one I posted), is use the clone tool on the tree line. The foreground should be the layer on top, so I would just select it, turn off the others and clone the tree line so it isn't ghosting and is solid. You can also get a different color (lighter) in between the branches the mask will miss, cloning will remove this as well. Just make sure when you clone you are zoomed in pretty good.


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## fokker (Mar 9, 2010)

Okay thanks I'll give that a shot. I'm wondering if it has something to do with the chromatic abberation from my lens making the treeline not a clean line between dark and light, which causes so much ghosting.


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## Heretotherephoto (Mar 9, 2010)

Hikin Mike put something like this up awhile back and it was also very helpful.  Thanks for this tutorial.  My question is if there is a way to feather this in photoshop.  At least I think that is the term.  A way to make the area where the two layers meet blend smoothly.  I have bben trying this with a photo and am having a difficult time getting the result to look natural.


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## Dominantly (Mar 9, 2010)

In PS Elements you go to Enhance, Adjust Color, Defringe Layer.


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