Adobe Photoshop CS6 Top 100 Simplified Tips and Tricks by Lynette Kent

Increase saturation subtly using a VIBRANCE ADJUSTMENT
LAYER
When you increase the saturation in an image using a
Hue Saturation adjustment, all the colors become
more intense, even posterized, and some details can
get lost. By applying a Vibrance adjustment layer
instead, you can increase the color saturation more
selectively. The Vibrance slider affects only the less
saturated areas and minimizes any effect on the more
saturated areas in the image, thus increasing the
intensity of the colors while maintaining a more
natural appearance. The Vibrance adjustment also
improves skin tones more naturally than the
Saturation adjustment, which affects all the colors in
the image equally.
By using a Vibrance adjustment layer, rather than
just a Vibrance adjustment, you can increase the
intensity of the colors in an image without altering the
original pixels. In addition, the Vibrance Properties
panel includes a more controlled Saturation slider
than the one in the Hue Saturation panel. You can use
the Vibrance panel’s Saturation slider to intensify
overall colors without losing as much detail or
posterizing colors.
The Vibrance adjustment in Photoshop offers the
same color control as the Vibrance in Adobe
Lightroom and Camera Raw.
1
2
1 Open an image.
2 Click the Vibrance button in the
Adjustments panel.
Note: You can also click the
Adjustment Layer button ( ) in
the Layers panel and click Vibrance.
4
3
A
A A Vibrance adjustment layer and
mask appear in the Layers panel.
3 Click and drag the Vibrance slider
to the right to increase the
intensity of the colors.
4 Click and drag the Saturation
slider only slightly to the right to
increase all the colors if necessary.
The colors in the image intensify.
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