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5 Photoshop Techniques to Make Your Photos Pop!

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Posted by Patrick on Dec 7, 2008 in Tutorials

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Everybody knows that every good photo has a certain something, a “pop” if you will, that instantly grabs the viewers attention. Sometimes your lucky enough to get that in the original capture, and sometimes the subject matter itself is all the “pop” that’s needed. For most of us though, a little trip through Photoshop is usually required to make that flat photo really leap off the page.

For most folks, curves is the weapon of choice, and for good reason. Curves is one of the easiest way to dial in just the right amount of contrast to make photograph “pop”. Today though I’m going to share 5 simple ways to make your photos pop without curves. Each provides a slightly different look to your photograph, and I present them only as potential tools in your arsenal of tricks. In general I use some combination of all them in almost all my work, in addition to curves to take my photographs to higher levels.

The reference photo above is presented as captured on the camera excepting a crop and resize and of course a jpeg conversion…

Trick One: Apply Image

Falls with "apply image"

This one I learned from Scott Kelby’s 7 Point System for Photoshop which I reviewed here (A great book by the way, which you can get here at Amazon). Straightforward to use, with your image open in Photoshop, convert it to LAB mode. To do this, go to Image > mode > Lab color. Don’t worry this conversion is totally non destructive, but you might want to duplicate your background layer before doing this. (Should generally be step one in your Photoshop workflow)

Now that you’ve converted to Lab color, go to Image > apply image.

After selecting apply image, you’ll be presented with the above dialog box. Here, I’ve chosen the Lab channel, but you’re free to pick “A” or “B” too if you prefer their results. The key here is selecting the right blend mode. I picked “soft light”, but mulitply can work too, in addition to others. Then adjust the opacity. 100% is generally too strong, so dial it down a bit, in this example I’ve used 60%. I prefer to go over what I prefer, as I can always adjust the opacity of this layer later (remember this being applied to a duplicate layer of the background.)

And that’s it. If you go back up and compare the 2 photos, “Apply Image” has given the original a much richer look all without curves.

Tip Two: Curves In Lab Mode

Falls with curves adjusted in Lab mode

I know I said no curves, but this is curves in Lab mode, and it’s a very different beast than RGB curves. Everything about it works differently, and it’s a topic worthy of it’s own post or posts even. I’m not going to get into the hows and whys now, but Lab provides some beautiful color transitions, and a distinctly unique look. For now though, as before convert your image to lab color.

Once that’s done, let’s make a curves adjustment layer. As you can see above, in Lab you have 3 channels: lightness, a, and b. The lightness channel can be manipulated like a traditional curve, to add some contrast to your image. A and B are your real playgrounds though, and here you can take your photograph in a whole new direction if desired. These can be shortened, rotated, twisted and distorted till you achieve results you like. Just pulling the midpoint up or down isn’t going to do it, this will take some experimentation. Once done, OK out of curves. What I like to do next is to take this adjusted layer and change it to the “soft light” blend mode. Dial the opacity down till your image has just the right amount of punch. The results look amazing, and the colors are lush as well as distinct. Once you try Lab, it is really hard to stop.

Tip Three: Black and White to Soft light

Black and white to softlight

The next tip starts with performing a black and white adjustment layer.

Just select black and white from the adjustment layers, then tweak to satisfaction. Next change the blend mode of that adjustment layer to soft light.

Adjust the opacity for the right amount of snap. This tip can be further modified by duplicating the black and white adjustment layer, but with a normal blend mode, placed below the soft light black and white adjustment layer. Lower the opacity of the normal black and white adjustment layer for a desaturated take on your photograph.

Tip Four: Photo Filter

Falls with color filter

Another quick and easy one. Create a photo filter adjustment layer. I’ve gone with the warm filter, but use what you like.

Then it’s just a matter of changing the blend mode to soft light, for some instant warmth and contrast to your photograph. Notice above, I’ve duplicated the photo filter layer, and have used the masks to help control the blown highlights (note: for the sake of display, I’ve exaggerated the processing more than I might normally. Soft light will blow your highlights, so use your masks accordingly)

Tip 5: Black and White Conversion with Color Balance to Soft Light

Black and white conversion with color balance adjustment layer

For this one, perform your black and white conversion as before, with an adjustment layer. Next create a color balance adjustment layer over the black and white one. I raised the red and yellow quite a bit.

Now change the blend mode of the color balance adjustment layer to soft light, adjust the opacity, and you have a great sepia conversion. I went back in and added a selective color adjustment layer for a cooler look.

Conclusion

Giving your images some pop doesn’t have to be hard. Add these techniques to your repertoire and you can get some great results, with or without curves.

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