The new Photoshop CS4 and a Luminance Tute to Pop

It’s time again and I’ve upgraded to Photoshop CS4, one of the best pixel bending programs on the market. You might ask was it worth it, well to me Yes. I know it has these all new fandangled 3D features, motion based content and analyst tools for scientist and engineers alike; but that’s not what I’m after at this point in time.

The things that really impress me are the smaller enhancements, just to list a few; improved GUI (coding to make PS run smoother and faster), aligning and blending of layers enhanced, the adjustments panel made more accessible. So everything that saves a click or two will ultimately save time and every time you use a tool in PS it degrades the image (only a small amount remember we’re after a better finished result), these are definitely rocking the boat to perfection. Of course this is why the upgrade is worth it.

To lead on I’ve included a tutorial that’ll make 90% of your images jump off the page, I call it Luminance. Make sure you give it a try, an action I created in PS is available for download at the bottom of the post.

*update: you can use most PS versions with this tut.

Step 1. Duplicate the background layer.

Step 2. Invert the new layer you just duplicated, the image should look like a negative.

Step 3. Desaturate the same layer, as you can see so far all effects are applied to the new layer. Lets call it non destructive.

Step 4. Apply a Gaussian Blur.

Step 5. I find somewhere between 120-150, this will soften the effect of the luminance-contrast (I made that word up but it sounds professional).

Step 6. Change the Blending Mode to ‘Overlay’

Step 7. Adjust the Opacity to suit, I find 40% for portraits and 100% for landscapes. Play with this over time and I’m sure you’ll have your own theory.

Step 8. Here we do Dodge & Burning, don’t let the name confuse you we’ll actually use the ‘Brush Tool’. Ok select the ‘Brush Tool’, adjust the hardness and opacity to suit. Now start brushing away the blemishes, using a white brush will lighten/hide the blemish and black the opposite.

Step 9. The last and final step is to flatten the image and save. Of course don’t forget to sharpen and all that other stuff.

Step 10. This isn’t actually a step, just a before and after.

I use this action (assigned the F4 key) on most of my images, it’s great for defining detail and adjusting the middle shadows making much smoother tones in the image. Thanks for making it this far if you’re still pondering send me an comment.

Download muzzas-luminance.atn then double click to load into PS.