Photoshop How To

Inexperienced Photoshop users tend to take a global approach to editing their images by relying upon adjustments that affect the photo as a whole. Today's tutorial from the PHLEARN YouTube channel provides yet another reason for using a local approach instead by making selective adjustments to different elements within the frame.

We'll give you the takeaway up front: This technique is far easier than you may think and it enables you to create spectacular imagery that stands out from the crowd. Today you'll learn how easy it is to to use Photoshop's Gradient tool  for special effects and other important adjustments that simply can't be achieved with global enhancements.

Aaron Nace is an acclaimed photographer and post-processing expert whose quick tutorials are designed to inspire shooters of all skill levels and improve their skills. In this 12-minute episode he explains the concept behind Photoshop's new Gradient tool, demonstrates how it works, and provides three eye-catching examples of what it can do.

So open an image, hit "F" for a full-full-screen view, and follow along as Nace pulls up an environmental portrait of two women with a dull and uninteresting sky in the background. The subjects look great, and the goal for this photo is to add interest to the plain blue sky. The first step is making a simple selection of the top portion of the shot.

Nace then chooses the Select Sky option, which does a pretty good but imperfect job. Not to fear, because there's a better way that delivers far more precision. This trick relies upon turning to Photoshop's Color Range tool. Then you simply click on the sky for a better selection for the straightforward adjustments that follow.

The other two practical examples identify different potential problems and Nace walks you through the simple solutions made possible by the Gradient tool. We bet that once the video concludes you'll add this game-changing method to your Photoshop bag of tricks.

On a related note, be sure to watch a recent tutorial we featured with another image-editing expert who lays out a beginners guide to Photoshop's Layer Mask tool and demonstrates why you "can't live without it" if ultimate results are your goal.

We also recommend a visit to the popular PHLEAN YouTube channel where there are many more post-processing videos to be found.