1 | P a g e

Lab 6: Non-Destructive Editing in Photoshop

Prepared by Sarah Layton, Spring 2011

Prepared for Geog 467 “Applied Cartographic Design” with C. Brewer, Penn

State Geography

Introduction:

Non-destructive editing in Photoshop emphasizes basing maps on adjustment layers rather than

making edits to elevation data. It also utilizes the use of smart objects and smart filters to

preserve the original data of terrain data.

Outline:

Open Hillshade& DEM in Photoshop compatible format

Achieve realistic colors by blending in elevation through the use of masking into

adjustment layers

Modify airphotos using content-aware spot healing and other tools

Using smart objects and smart filters to edit non-destructively

Procedure:

A. Open DEM and Shaded Relief

Open your DEM and Shaded Relief in Photoshop CS5

The easiest option will likely be opening your TIFF files from Lab 1

Alex Tait example file: Katahdin.psd

B. Add color into the grayscale DEM (Hypso):

Under the Adjustments tab, apply a Gradiant Map above

the DEM (Hypso).

Click directly on the spectrum to open the Gradiant Editor

In the Presets window, choose a spectrum with any three

Non-Destructive Editing: Working with Terrain based on color adjustment layers

This technique for non-destructive editing uses color adjustment layers as the base of the

map to then blend the elevation into those solid color layers using them primarily as

masks. The elevation hillshade and DEM are left unchanged while the use of blended

color layers produces more realistic coloring.

2 | P a g e

colors. Click directly on sliders at the bottom to adjust the colors. Set the Color to a

green, tan and light gray.

You can name and save a spectrum for later use by naming it and clicking New.

Back under the Layers tab, keep the blending mode at normal

C. Create Shadows:

Create a Solid Color Adjustment Layer with Dark blue

Now, apply the hillshade as a mask.

Activate the hillshade layer.

Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool on the left side to

select and Copy (Ctrl+C) the hillshade layer.

Use ALT +

Click to select the

mask (the white

square) on the dark blue

color layer. You should

see an empty white box.

You are now in the mask

channel. Paste in the

hillshade and Deselect (Ctrl + D).

How does a mask work?

Masks have the ability to only allow certain

elements of the layer to be visible. We will use

masks when we only want to apply a shade

to certain elevation values (using the DEM as

a mask) or to color shadows vs. illuminated

areas (using the hillshade as a mask).

IMPORTANT: Wherever the mask is black, none

of the image will be portrayed. Wherever the

image is white will be fully visible. The

grayscale values in between determine the

level of transparency.

3 | P a g e

Now click on the MasksTab and click Invert. You should

notice that the dark and light values have been inverted.

You should now see the hillshade appears in the mask. The dark

blue is restricted to the shaded slopes. This is because the

grayscale mask values determine the opacity of the adjustment

layer throughout the image. The inverted black slopes do not let

any color through on the

illuminated side of the

terrain.

Now, choke the mask by

going to Image

Adjustments

Levels

Push the black slider to

the middle, and the

white slider in. This

brightens the whites and darkens the rest by restricting the range of dark values.

Back under the Layers tab, change the blending mode to Multiply for a more realistic

appearance

Set the Opacity of the layer to 40%

D. Create Highlights:

Create a Solid Color Adjustment Layer with Bright Yellow

Now, apply the hillshade as a mask.

Copy (Ctrl+C) the hillshade layer.

Use ALT + Click to select the mask (the white square) and Paste in the hillshade

and Deselect (Ctrl + D).

The bright yellow is now restricted to the illuminated slopes.

Now, choke the mask by going to Image Adjustments Levels

Back under the Layers tab, change the blending mode to Screen for a more realistic

appearance.

Important Tips:

Editing a mask is destructive. If you want to undo changes you have to “Undo” or start

over with

the mask. For complicating masks, make them as their own image and then copy and

paste them into the mask layers.

Blending modes for shading layers should be set multiply, while the highlight layers should

blend with Screen

4 | P a g e

E. Create a Second Highlight Layer:

Create a Solid Color Adjustment Layer with White

Now, apply the hillshade as a mask.

Copy (Ctrl+C) the hillshade layer.

Use ALT + Click to select the mask (the white

square) and Paste in the hillshade and Deselect (Ctrl +

D).

The white is now restricted to the illuminated slopes.

Now, choke the mask even more than the yellow layer by

going to Image Adjustments Levels

Back under the Layers tab, change the blending mode to

Screen for a more realistic appearance

A. Pick-out the Forest: Add Color and Texture from a Land Cover Image

With the previous example, use a Solid Color Adjustment Layer in tan as the base

of the map

Open the practice: Katahdin_NLCD_Start.psd

On the land cover image, use the

Magic Wand (W) to click and select the

green pixels. Ctrl + C and copy the

selection.

Tolerance: 8 (or 16), Contiguous: off

Go back to the original image. Click CTRL + V

and it will paste the trees selection into a new layer

Note: For the sake of this example, the NLCD file

will not match up in size with your own Photoshop

workspace. If you want to download your own land

use file, you would need to go to the National Map.

ALT + CTRL + Click the layer to select all the

non-transparent pixels in the image, or copy the layer

using Ctrl + C.

Create a Solid Color Adjustment Layer with bright green

Paste the trees into the Mask, Deselect and Invert the selection under the Masks

Tab. Your mask should look all black with the white areas where the trees will go. Refer

back to part 1 for a more detailed masking process.

The Magic Wand Tool

The Magic Wand is a great tool

for quick selections. It allows you

to quickly find a particular color

anywhere within the image

based on the pixel value you

select. The tolerance determines

how small/large the range of

pixels values is that the tool will

select. When you select a pixel,

it will find the rest of the pixels

surrounding it (contiguous) or

from within the entire image

(non-contiguous)

Final Layers

5 | P a g e

Double click on the adjustment layer so that the Layer Style dialogue box opens.

On the left side Check the box beside Bevel & Emboss.

Click on the name Bevel & Emboss to edit the properties. Adjust the angle to be

from the northwest to simulate realistic lighting. The greater the angle, the greater the

shadows.

Set the Blend to Multiply and Opacity at 20%

A. Making masks in a Remotely-Sensed Image

Open airphoto file: Chincoteague_start.psd

Using the Quick-Select tool (tolerance around 30), click and drag over the area of

water you want to select. Note: The Quick-select tool uses an edge matching algorithm

to find the layers of the image.

Add a Solid Color Adjustment Layer by clicking on the Adjustment Layer

icon at the bottom of the Layers Tab

When prompted to choose the color, click on the cube icon beside the color viewer.

When you move your cursor onto the screen you should see the eyedropper tool. Use

your eyedropper to select a water color from the image that you feel is characteristic of

most of it. When you add the color it should create an automatic mask of the selected

area, filled in with your chosen color

Non-Destructive Editing: Working with Airphotos

Note: Work at 100% Zoom so that you are seeing the actual pixels. When working at a

lower zoom, the pixel values are being averaged with other pixels close to it.

6 | P a g e

Blend the layer with Multiply with the Opacity at 40%

Under the Masks Tab, choose Mask Edge. This will open the Refine Edge

dialogue box. In here you can refine the mask non-destructively to better smooth the

mask in.

Feather – softens the mask edge

Push out the edge – using shift edge

Note: For a good tutorial showing advanced masking techniques go to:

http://tv.adobe.com/watch/the-russell-brown-show/advanced-masking-with-

photoshop-cs5/

A quick mask

was created

when you

chose the solid

color layer.

Make sure your

mask is

selected in

order to choose

“Mask Edge”

7 | P a g e

A. Smart Filters

Open: Roatan.psd

Right-click on the first layer and choose Convert To Smart Object.

You’ll notice the Smart Object

Icon now appears at the corner of the

layer icon.

Filter Artistic Fresco. This opens the filter dialogue. You can

now choose different filters, and add new filters. When you close the dialogue you will

see that the filter is on the layer and you can non-destructively edit and change the

visibility of each filter.

Non-Destructive Editing: Working with Smart Objects, Smart Filters and Other fun tools

Why as a smart object?

Photoshop deals with pixel-based images.

Typically, any edits applied to an image alter

the pixels themselves, thus losing the original

values. This is particularly problematic when it

comes to issues of scaling and transformations.

Smart objects embed a copy of the original

pixel values within the layer. By doing this,

every edit is made off of the original values

thus preserving the quality of the original

image. This allows for non-destructive editing,

and easier changes to filters and other layers.

Adjust which ones are

visible

Double-click on the filter on

the layer to open and

continue editing

Add new artistic filter

Why Smart Filters?

The ease of editing and turning filters

on/off makes smart filters preferable.

This is an alternative to creating a

separate layer like we did in Lab 4

Adjust which ones are

visible

Double-click on the filter on

the layer to open and

continue editing

Add new artistic filter

8 | P a g e

B. Spot-Healing Tool

Create a new layer (since this is a destructive editing tool)

Open the Spot Healing Brush (Size: 20; Sample all layers – this will

base the selection on the pixels below it) – the healing happens on the new

layer and the base layer is untouched.

Click and drag to cover the area you want to remove. Best method is quick, short

strokes

C. Rubbersheeting with Liquify

Reload Roatan.psd

Duplicate the layer (because liquefy is destructive)

Filter Liquify – choose Show Mesh and put the Size to 100

Move coastline around. Why? You can use this to push rivers into position on old hand

rendered shaded relief where there is no actual projection attached to the image and you

want to rectify it with a georeferenced image. Need a big brush with a soft touch

9 | P a g e

D. Rubbersheeting with Puppet Warp – non-destructive

Reload Roatan.psd

Duplicate layer

Convert to Smart Object

Edit Puppet Warp Creates a TIN

Apply pins to where you want to anchor your image (apply 6 along the

coastline)

Move Coast around

Editable! And this is good for old, hand shaded relief where there’s no projection to put

into it

E. Content-aware tools (new in CS 5)

Spot-Healing Brush with Content-Aware: get rid of Docks, boat wakes, etc.

Open: CLOUDS.psd again and zoom in on the dock

Add a new layer.

Select the Spot-Healing Brush. Make sure that Content Aware is on,

with a brush size of about 20. Choose sample all layers and paint on a new

layer so that it is non-destructive

Content-Aware Fill: use for clouds, lakes, etc.

With the Magic Wand or Quick-Select tool, choose the clouds

Click Edit Fill with content-aware ON

The history tab

allows you to

see what you’ve

done, and go

back to a

previous state

in the project

10 | P a g e

Deliverables:

Two PDF files

One PDF of your Shaded Relief/DEM combination from Part 1, and another PDF using Alex

Tait’s Roatan.psd file that shows the use of smart objects, smart filters, and the removal of the

clouds and dock via content-aware tools. Place them in the dropbox named “Project 5: Sarah’s

Presentation” by March 30.

Sources:

Patterson, Tom, and Mike Hermann. “Value-enhanced Relief.” Shaded Relief. Web. 01 Mar.

2011. <http://www.shadedrelief.com/value/value.html>.

Patterson, Tom. “See the Light: How to Make Illuminated Shaded Relief in Photoshop 6.0.”

Shaded Relief. Web. 01 Mar. 2011.

<http://www.shadedrelief.com/illumination/index.html>.

“Photoshop Tutorials, How to Edit Pictures : Photoshop.com.” Photo Editing, Photo Sharing:

Photoshop.com. 2011. Web. 01 Mar. 2011 <http://www.photoshop.com/tutorials>.