This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Featured Filters
Somewhat related to adjustment layers are the filters that can be applied to a layer. Both filters and adjustment layers can dramatically alter the look and feel of an image, helping with seamlessness or adding a nice visual effect. Filters don’t have a dedicated panel, though, and instead live within the Filter menu (see Figure 4.1). Although many of the filters by themselves end up looking too canned and obvious for most uses, there are the few described in the next sections that stand out as invaluable for composite work. Filters such as Smart Sharpen and Reduce Noise can help with quality differences and, like color adjustments, help match images from different sources. Blurs also come in handy as an effect when you need more control of the depth, mood, or motion. In Chapter 9, you’ll use them to create sunrays.
Smart Sharpen
What makes the Smart Sharpen filter smart is its superior ability to analyze the image to better determine edge width—and that it can control simultaneously the amount of sharpening, noise reduction, and compensation for various kinds of blur, from motion blurs to lens blurs (FIGURE 4.10). This combination of strengths is more versatile than other sharpening methods (like Unsharp Mask) and is very useful when you need to match one picture element to another, as illustrated in Chapter 13.
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FIGURE 4.10 Smart Sharpen enables you to compensate for multiple kinds of blur and gives you greater flexibility than other sharpening methods.
Here’s the basic rundown of the Smart Sharpen filter (Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen): this filter has three main sliders:
Amount (controls the strength of the sharpness applied)
Radius (sets the pixel width of sharpening to be applied)
Reduce Noise (controls noise reduction levels)
When using Smart Sharpen, either on ordinary layers or as a Smart Filter on Smart Objects, keep a few tips in mind:
When tinkering with the Radius and Amount sliders (and cranking them a bit high in many cases), it’s often easy to create unwanted halos. Avoid these halos whenever possible. Not only do those they tend to look bad, but they’re also a telltale sign of amateur sharpening or that you did not zoom in close enough to see what was happening. When the radius size is larger than the blurriness, you start to increase the contrast for parts that you shouldn’t be increasing, parts that don’t need it. Combine this with a sharpening amount that goes a bit overboard, and you have yourself a mighty halo on the outside of your edges. Start with a radius that matches the blur radius (how many pixels an edge is blurred across, typically 1 to 3 pixels for my own setup), then boost the Amount slider until edges pop without a dramatic light halo. For Photoshop CS6 and older versions, this usually meant under 100%, but the CC version of this feature can easily push to 300% without overly adverse effects.
Zoom in close to see what’s being sharpened and what the effects are in regards to halos and noise and then zoom out to make sure it’s actually having a good sharpening effect in a general sense. Using 100% zoom is excellent as an overall quality check as other zoom amounts (which may be helpful for catching some halos) use interpolation that is less than accurate when previewing. Playing with the sliders is always a tricky balance of possibly having too much sharpening and creating bad halos versus not having enough sharpening. Play with the zoom to check your work as you go. Along those lines, use this as a Smart Filter so you can return and adjust if you notice a halo later on.
Click and hold on the preview image to the left of the sliders to see the layer’s original state and then release to see the effect of the current Smart Sharpen settings. This is great for toggling a fast before-and-after comparison.
Use the Remove menu to specify the type of blur you’re trying to get rid of. In most cases, the Gaussian or Lens Blur setting works best. When you need to sharpen away some camera motion, choose Motion Blur and set the Rotation dial angle (to the right of the menu) using the line running through the center as a reference for the direction the motion blur is smearing (this fills in the Angle field automatically). From there, adjust the Amount slider until motion is looking a little more stationary (FIGURE 4.11). Note that this does not perform miracles on unholy amounts of motion blur—it’s smart, not omnipotent. Also, nothing ultimately replaces taking good clear images to begin with, so take a look at Chapter 5 and brush up on your photography skills if you find yourself needing this filter for every shot you have! Still, blur does happen even to pros, and now you have a tool for it.
FIGURES 4.11 A,B and C Fix mild motion blur with Motion Blur chosen from the Remove menu (C). Adjust rotation to match the direction of the smear, and work with the Amount slider until satisfied. Compare the results (B) with the original image (A), which contains a small amount of horizontal motion blur as I didn’t have a tripod with me.
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NOTE
If for some reason you liked the legacy Smart Sharpen algorithm, you can always click the Additional Options icon 
to roll back the Smart Sharpen effect.
Reduce Noise
When compositing images that vary widely in quality and other characteristics, the Reduce Noise filter is one more handy tool you’ll be happy to have in your Seamless Editing Belt. Consistency is important for overall continuity and making those puzzle pieces blend without a trace is the challenge. Digital noise is often a hidden trip wire in underexposed images. Noise is a term used for randomized bits of unwanted visual static. Noise occurs when you take pictures with the amplitude of the sensor’s signal boosted (the result of a higher camera ISO), usually in low-light situations (Chapter 5 discusses this in more detail).
There’s not a whole lot to this filter, but the Reduce Noise filter (Filter > Noise > Reduce Noise) does help by leveling out some of the bits of contrast and static generated from sharpening a grainy image and getting rid of high-ISO complications. Each camera model and brand handles noise differently, though, so keep that in mind as you evaluate your own images. I use this filter for concentrating just on color noise from my older Canon 7D images—definitely the most important part to focus on with this model. Color noise creeps in as randomized bits of color in particular and is fairly easy to get rid of without too many consequences, such as blurring the layer (FIGURES 4.12A, B, and C). With my Sony A7RII, the need to reduce color noise is less dramatic. The main idea behind noise reduction when compositing is to create a consistent look, so evaluate each image case by case to get all your sources clean and as closely matched as possible. The final results will speak for themselves.
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FIGURES 4.12 A, B and C The Reduce Noise filter works especially well for terrible color noise generated from lightening an underexposed or high-ISO image; here you can see the color noise in the lightened shadows of the rocks (A) the settings applied using the Reduce Noise filter to mitigate that noise (B), and the result (C).
Blurs
Ever notice a full sense of depth created from an image using a shallow depth of field? Some parts of the image blur as they get closer or further away. The tendencies to focus our attention in just the right areas and to create a sense of depth or motion are particularly helpful abilities of the various blur filters. Ever try to simulate a longer exposure with a motion blur? Photoshop CC comes with some fantastic blurs for a wide range of uses, from simulating a motion path to natural-looking lens blurs (FIGURE 14.13).
FIGURE 4.13 Five blurs living under one roof is a helpful feature for getting just the right blur to an image.
Blur Gallery
Photoshop CC is loaded with some brilliantly designed blurs. The Tilt-Shift Blur, Iris Blur, Field Blur, Path Blur, and Spin Blur are linked together within the same interface (the Blur Gallery) and offer a wide range of control and blurring effects. The first three blurs on the list use “blur pins” that you click the image wherever you want to center a blur. My two favorite powerful and useful blurs for my own workflow are the Radial Blur and Path Blur, but here’s a little information about each:
Field Blur creates an effect similar to Gaussian Blur. But unlike Gaussian Blur, which affects an entire image, Field Blur lets you define multiple points of blur. Decide where you want to blur the image and click each location to set a Field blur pin. Drag the ring-shaped blur handle to adjust the amount of blurring. Use a different blur adjustment for each pin to vary the blur across the image. This is great for those moments that you require variable blurring of a layer!
Iris Blur is similar to the Field Blur, but one-ups it with finer control and some added slick features—plus, it simulates a shallow depth of field effect! Rather than adding a generalized blur (like Field Blur) and a location to apply it, this blur affects an oval area whose shape you can adjust. Drag the various control handles to set both the iris radius (oval size) and orientation, while also indicating the area where it begins to transition from sharp to blurry (FIGURE 4.14). When working with Iris Blur you can also edit multiple features within the preview area. For example, drag the default center blur pin (ironically, the point of sharpest focus) to a new location, or add additional blur pins by clicking elsewhere in the image. Drag the outer blur area ring to expand and rotate the iris radius to fine-tune where the full amount of the blur is applied (FIGURE 4.15). The four middle points help you adjust the inside oval that stays absent of blur (called the sharp area).
FIGURE 4.14 The Iris Blur filter lets you control where blur starts and how dramatic the transition is from sharpness to the full blur amount (set by the Blur slider).
FIGURE 4.15 Iris Blur is wonderfully versatile as you can control the location of the blur, the severity of the blur, and several other customized options, as well as have multiple blur locations all on one layer.
Tilt-Shift Blur provides a nice double-gradient blur transition, much like the shallow depth of field you get when shooting something small, such as a miniature model set (or just shooting with a tilt-shift lens for that matter!). This can be a nice effect for those images with great depth and clear line of sight (FIGURE 4.16).
FIGURE 4.16 Tilt-Shift provides an interesting miniature look to an image making even the largest vistas feel more like a macro shot.
Path Blur is one of my new favorites because it has a ton of creative potential, especially for creating realistic or customized motion blurs. For this blur effect, you can designate an actual path (or paths) of blur, drag sliders for Speed (to adjust the amount of the blur for your path or paths) and Taper, toggle on (or off) Centered Blur, choose Rear Sync Flash to replicate a flash, and more. I’ve been finding lots of neat uses Path Blur. It’s especially perfect for adding perspective blurs (blurring towards a vanishing point), or adding unique twist or curve blur to a moving object, pet, or person, as in FIGURE 4.17.
FIGURE 4.17 Before the Path Blur was added here, things were simply too static. Add a Path Blur to add life, interest, and motion to whatever subjects you can imagine.
Spin Blur is the perfect go-to for adding motion to wheels or anything that rotates around a pivot point. You can designate multiple points for this blur, as well, making it your one-stop tool for creating realistic spinning effects from your carefully staged (and all too static) shot!
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Use Camera Raw as a Filter
Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) is a plug-in that enables you to make a plethora of nondestructive adjustments primarily on raw image files (described in Chapter 1). For instance, you can adjust color temperature, lights and shadow, and clarity, as well as use specialized curves and other color control elements. Chapter 5 will highlight some of the key features of editing raw files (and others), but no discussion of useful filters would be complete without mentioning that you can use most of the functionality of Adobe Camera Raw as a Smart Filter (FIGURE 4.18)! Choose Filter > Camera Raw Filter, then check out the ACR’s main interface features, which I’ll cover in more detail in Chapter 5. As a filter (especially a Smart Filter), this has great potential for composites and matching material.
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FIGURE 4.18 Camera Raw is unparalleled as an excellent Smart Filter; you get most of the same sliders and editing interface combined with the potential of working in Photoshop’s layer environment—just brilliant.
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