20 min read

Adjustment Layers

Change brightness, contrast, colour and mood without harming the original — and limit an adjustment to one layer.

What Is an Adjustment Layer?

Add one with Layer \to New Adjustment Layer, the Adjustments panel, or the half-black circle icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. Its settings appear in the Properties panel, and you can double-click it to change them later. Each adjustment layer has its own mask, so you can limit it to part of the image.

By default an adjustment layer affects every layer below it — including the background and shapes. To affect only the photo directly below: Alt-click the line between the adjustment layer and the photo in the Layers panel, or click the clip button at the bottom of the Properties panel, or choose Layer \to Create Clipping Mask . A small bent arrow shows that the adjustment is clipped to the layer below.

Practice

Why use an adjustment layer instead of Image \to Adjustments?

What Is an Adjustment Layer?

Add one with Layer \to New Adjustment Layer, the Adjustments panel, or the half-black circle icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. Its settings appear in the Properties panel, and you can double-click it to change them later. Each adjustment layer has its own mask, so you can limit it to part of the image.

Affecting Only One Layer

By default an adjustment layer affects every layer below it — including the background and shapes. To affect only the photo directly below: Alt-click the line between the adjustment layer and the photo in the Layers panel, or click the clip button at the bottom of the Properties panel, or choose Layer \to Create Clipping Mask . A small bent arrow shows that the adjustment is clipped to the layer below.

Practice

Why use an adjustment layer instead of Image \to Adjustments?