ImagesMagUK_Digital-Edition_Nov17

TIPS & TECHNIQUES

Go back to the Adjustment Layer drop down and it currently shows the A Channel. Click on the drop down and select the B Channel. Repeat the above steps for the B Channel, with -90 and 90 as the new input numbers for black and white respectively. Abracadabra: your ninja Photoshop magic has struck! Now check out your results by simply toggling your Adjustment Layer on and off. Your image should look dramatically better, similar to the right side of the photo of the tiger (Figure 1). What happened is that you’ve globally increased the colour range of the image. I always use -90/90 to start, but if your image still needs some tweaking go back and adjust your Histogram with more or less depending on the results you want and the image you have. Once you get good at this step, you’ll find it is a great starting point for any Photoshop file you are working with. For images that already have rich colours, you won’t see much change, but if your file is muddy it will make an incredible difference. This works great with any image sourced from a camera phone, especially if the overall image looks grey and flat. Unsharp Mask zing While you are still in LAB mode, click on the ‘Lightness Channel’ to select it. Then go to Filter and click ‘Sharpen’, then choose ‘Unsharp Mask’. Because you are working in the L Channel, everything you do only affects the luminosity of the image, not the colour. Making adjustments to this layer, independently of the colour, greatly affects the ‘pop’ of the image. For screen or digital printers, this will become your new secret weapon. The reason this matters so much is that T-shirts are essentially printed billboards.

Viewers only have a few moments to get the full impact of what they are seeing. Adding a little zing to the image can boost its appeal to the viewer. This effect works wonders with textures, tiny details and patterns. Check out the tiger again. What gives the fur and whiskers the extra dimension is this Unsharp Mask step. Compare the left and right side of the tiger photo. That’s about thirty seconds of effort, maybe less. I probably did it a little too much, but I was trying to make a point. In the Unsharp Mask filter, there are three sliders you can adjust. ‘Amount’, ‘Radius’ and ‘Threshold’. For ‘Amount’, the more you slide the selection the right, the more intense you will alter your file. The ‘Radius’ selection simply grabs and combines the pixels in an area, so the more you slide the selection to the right, the bigger image grab you’ll get. ‘Threshold’ works a little differently, as the more you slide to the right, the more greyscale levels you are selecting at one time, so the effect is minimised as you slide. The only way to learn what happens is to just play with each until you are satisfied with the cumulative effect of your choices. What will happen is that the bright white and deep black parts of the image will increase in intensity

[Above] A camera phone shot of a motorcycle engine. The Unsharp Mask brings out the detail in the engine parts and gives the metal some better dimension. Notice how the red paint, which was bright to start with, looks even more vibrant the more you use the sliders. Textures such as hair, woodgrain, feathers, corrosion, crinkles and crevices, and any highlighted or deep shadowed areas, will suddenly bounce in the image. Remember, this doesn’t affect the colour. Be careful though, like adding salt to a recipe, you can go too far and ruin the result. Unless, that’s the craziness you want. Once you are satisfied with the results, click ‘Ok’. This Unsharp Mask step can save you hours of time by not having to use the Dodge and Burn tools at all in your image. Just be sure to revert back to RGB mode and continue your separations or work for production. When you get the hang of these two steps, you can easily adjust any image in two minutes or less and tremendously improve how they will perform for printing. Another great thing with this process is that the file has been changed on a macro level, but with details intensified on a micro scale. All without selecting any area, using any other tools, or any wasted time.

Marshall Atkinson is the professional services director for InkSoft, and program owner for the new InkSoft Production Manager software. In his professional services capacity, Marshall provides coaching to shops on operational efficiency, continuous improvement and workflow strategy, business planning and strategy, employee motivation and management and sustainability. w marshall@inksoft.com

NOVEMBER 2017 images 57

www.images-magazine.com