Prof. Mary Brown | COMD 1162 - E058 | Spring 2023

10 Discussion

Each week you will need to respond to two questions posted. Your response should be a minimum of 300 words for both questions. You should also include at least one response to your fellow students. The responses are a requirement for participation part of your grade. These discussions are not optional.

Question 01 –

Describe how to create an adjustment layer.

Question 02 –

How do you make that adjustment only apply to the layer beneath it and what is that know as?

12 Comments

  1. jasmin M

    The adjustment layer is a type of layer that you can control the color and tone of the layer that are under them.To create an adjustment layer, you must first go to the bottom of the layer panel then you choose the adjustment layer type that you want. Next you choose the layer then name the layer. You are able to try different settings and edits whenever you may like. you can do many things to what you would like to change. You able to adjust the opacity and blending. Adjustment layers contain more than pixel they increase file size.

    When you click on adjustment layer, you then select the create clipping mask that is placed at the bottom of the panel.

    • Jamil

      Jasmin,

      I don’t know why, but I was so confused at first about where to find the adjustment layer icon at the bottom lol. It seems easy enough, but I couldn’t find it for the life of me. I think it was because I didn’t have my windows organized the right way. I had them all bunched up on the right-hand side of my workspace. Once I moved the panels around a little more, It was much easier for me to find where those small little icons at the bottom were.

      Thanks for sharing.

      -Jamil

      • britney

        Hey, same the adjustment layer was wasn’t hard for me to find i did have a little bit of trouble trying to work with it but then realizing that it actually helps when editing in photoshop same the picture more of a better lighting. I learned how to work with it more.

    • Prof. Mary Brown

      Jasmin, a real simple way to have the adjustment layer only affect the layer directly underneath it is to select both layer and click your mouse directly between the two layers.

  2. Jamil

    Adjustment layers basically allow you to apply changes/adjustments to the layer below it like saturation and/or brightness for example. Adjustment layers are unique in that they don’t actually make any physical changes to anything in the original image. This is immensely useful as you’re not destroying the source image and can adjust design elements as needed. One way to create an adjustment layer to a set image in the layer order is to scroll down to the bottom of the Layers panel and locate the small half moon looking image which is the adjustment layer icon. Once you click it, select an adjustment layer type. Another way would be to navigate up to the toolbar at the top. Select Layer > New Adjustment Layer, and choose an option. You should then name the layer, set its options, and then click OK.

    There are a few ways to do this, but a much quicker way to have an adjustment layer only affect the layer below it is by holding down alt, then clicking the space between the two layers. This is what we would call creating a ‘clipping mask’. Clipping masks allow you to link two layers together. You can also use a clipping mask to make selective adjustments to a single layer of your document. In our case, it would be to the image directly below it. Another way to create a clipping mask would be to make sure that the specified layer is selected, then navigate up to the tool bar and clicking ‘Layer.’ Then scroll down to where it says ‘Clipping Mask.’ Alternatively, we could use a keyboard shortcut: Command + Option + G (macOS) or Control + Alt + G (Windows).

  3. Prof. Mary Brown

    Great answer Jamil. I’m glad you explored a little deeper.

    • Jamil

      Thanks. 🙂

  4. Greg Wallace

    You can create an adjustment layer by going to the Layers panel, usually located on the right hand side of your workspace. At the bottom of this panel, you can find a number of options that will affect your layers or add new ones. There is a circle that is half white and half grey. That is where you find the adjustment layers. Click that and there will be several options to choose from. You just need to choose the one you need and you will be able to make your adjustments from there without destroying the base image.

    If you want this adjustment to only apply to the layer below it, you can hold Alt. You will notice if you put your cursor between the two layers, that you will see a box with an arrow pointing down. Click here and you will link the adjustment layer with the layer below, applying its effect only to that layer.

  5. Mark James Laurel

    1. Click on the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. It looks like a circle split into two halves, one white and one black. Choose the type of adjustment layer you want to create from the dropdown menu. Some common options include Levels, Curves, Hue/Saturation, and Color Balance. After selecting the type of adjustment layer you want to create, a dialog box will appear where you can adjust the settings for that adjustment layer. Make the adjustments you want, then click OK to apply them. The adjustment layer will be added to the Layers panel, and you can edit it at any time by double-clicking on its thumbnail. The adjustments you make with the adjustment layer will affect all layers below it in the Layers panel.
    2. To make an adjustment layer only apply to the layer beneath it in Photoshop, you need to clip the adjustment layer to the layer below it. Clipping an adjustment layer to a specific layer means that the adjustment layer will only affect the layer directly below it, rather than affecting all layers below it.

    Here’s how to clip an adjustment layer to the layer below it:

    • Select the adjustment layer you want to clip to the layer below it in the Layers panel.
    • Right-click on the adjustment layer and choose “Create Clipping Mask” from the dropdown menu.
    • Alternatively, you can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+G (Windows) or Command+Option+G (Mac) to create a clipping mask.

    Once you’ve clipped the adjustment layer to the layer below it, you’ll see a small arrow pointing downwards in the Layers panel next to the adjustment layer’s thumbnail. This indicates that the adjustment layer is clipped to the layer below it.

  6. Parth Patel

    In Photoshop, open your image before adding an adjustment layer. then click the “Layers” window’s bottom “Create new fill or adjustment layer” icon. Choose the kind of adjustment layer you want from the drop-down menu, such as “Brightness/Contrast” or “Curves.” In the Layers panel, above your image layer, the adjustment layer will be visible. Edit the adjustment layer’s settings, such as brightness or contrast, using the properties panel or the adjustment layer’s mask to only apply the alterations to specific areas of the image.

    You must create a clipping mask in order to limit the application of an adjustment layer to the layer directly beneath it. Simply place your cursor between the adjustment layer and the layer beneath it in the Layers panel while holding down the Alt key (Option on a Mac). Click to create the clipping mask when you see the pointer change to two overlapping circles. This makes sure that the adjustment layer only impacts the base layer, which is the layer directly beneath it. The adjustment layer will be clipped to the layer below if its thumbnail in the Layers panel is depressed. You can target some layers with modifications while leaving other layers unchanged by utilizing clipping masks.

  7. Sarah

    Question 01 – Describe how to create an adjustment layer.

    In both Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, you can create an adjustment layer using the following steps:

    1. Adobe Photoshop:
    • Open your image in Photoshop.
    • In the Layers panel, click on the Adjustment Layer button (half-filled circle icon) at the bottom of the panel.
    • From the dropdown menu, select the type of adjustment you want to apply, such as “Brightness/Contrast,” “Levels,” “Curves,” etc. A new adjustment layer will be added above your image layer.
    • The adjustment properties will appear in the Properties panel, where you can make adjustments to the specific parameters of the selected adjustment.
    • Modify the settings according to your desired changes. The adjustments will affect all the layers beneath the adjustment layer.
    1. Adobe Illustrator:
    • Open your document or artwork in Illustrator.
    • Go to the “Window” menu and choose “Appearance” to open the Appearance panel if it’s not already visible.
    • In the Appearance panel, click on the “Add New Effect” button (fx icon) at the bottom and choose the type of adjustment you want to apply, such as “Color Balance,” “Opacity,” “Gaussian Blur,” etc.
    • The adjustment properties will appear in the Appearance panel, where you can adjust the specific parameters of the selected adjustment.
    • Modify the settings according to your desired changes. The adjustments will affect the appearance of the selected object or layer.

    Question 02 – How do you make that adjustment only apply to the layer beneath it, and what is that known as?

    To make an adjustment only apply to the layer beneath it, you can use clipping masks in both Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. This technique is known as “clipping” or “clipping mask.”

    1. Adobe Photoshop:
    • Create an adjustment layer as described in Question 01, above the layer you want to apply the adjustment to.
    • In the Layers panel, click and hold the Alt/Option key and position your cursor between the adjustment layer and the layer below it.
    • When the cursor changes to two overlapping circles, click to create a clipping mask. The adjustment layer will now be clipped to the layer below it, and its effects will only affect that specific layer.
    1. Adobe Illustrator:
    • Create an adjustment layer as described in Question 01, above the layer you want to apply the adjustment to.
    • Select both the adjustment layer and the layer below it by clicking on the adjustment layer and then Shift-clicking on the layer below it.
    • Go to the “Object” menu, choose “Clipping Mask,” and select “Make” or use the shortcut Ctrl/Cmd + 7. The adjustment layer will now be clipped to the layer below it, and its effects will only apply to that specific layer.

    By using a clipping mask, you can restrict the adjustment’s visibility and impact to only the layer or object beneath it, allowing for targeted adjustments and non-destructive editing.

  8. britney

    The way you would create an adjustment layer is go into your panel and you will select the layer that you want that will be used. You will make the selection and then you will click onto create adjustment layer which is the button on layer panels. Then from there you are able to switch up the hue , brightens color add photo filter and all. 

    The way you will be able to only work on the layer beneath it is by clicking on the layering being able to see that the layer below it is clipped onto so you are able to work on it. 

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