Non-Destructive Editing
What is Non-Destructive Editing?
Nondestructive editing allows you to make changes to an image without overwriting the original image data, which remains available in case you want to revert to it. Because nondestructive editing doesn’t remove data from an image, the image quality doesn’t degrade when you make edits.
Non-destructive editing is not one single technique. You can perform it in numerous ways in Photoshop depending on the desired outcome of an image.
Why Should You Edit Non-Destructively?
The power of a non-destructive workflow can save you time and headaches. You can completely undo any edit at any time or make small adjustments to any edit without having to completely start over.
This philosophy ensures near unlimited editability that doesn't require dependency on the history panel which can save countless hours of work when a client or you decide that an edit needs to be slightly different.
How to Edit Non-Destructively
Adjustment Layers
Adjustment layers apply color and tonal adjustments to an image without permanently changing pixel values. You can think of an adjustment layer as a veil through which the underlying layers are seen.
You can find adjustment layers in multiple different locations:
1. Under the Adjustments tab above the Layers Panel.
2. The icon that looks like a circle that is half white, half black on the bottom of the layers panel.
3. Layer (Menu Bar) > New Adjustment Layer
Your adjustment layers options are:
Brightness/Contrast
Levels
Curves
Exposure
Vibrance
Hue/Saturation
Color Balance
Black & White
Photo Filter
Channel Mixer
Color Lookup
Invert
Posterize
Threshold
Gradient Map
Selective Color
Cropping Non-Destructively
After you create a cropping rectangle with the Crop tool, select Hide from the options bar to preserve the cropped area in a layer. Restore the cropped area anytime by choosing Image > Reveal All or by dragging the Crop tool beyond the edge of the image. The Hide option is unavailable for images that contain only a background layer.
Smart Objects
Smart Objects are essentially a photoshop document within a photoshop document. The contents of a Smart Object are updated when its source image file changes, if it is linked/embedded to a main working document.
To access the smart object, you will double click the layer thumbnail in the Layers Panel. This will then open a new document tab with the smart object and all the associated layers. Once you are done making your edits to the smart object, go to File > Save. Then, navigate back to your original document and you should see the changed you made to the object.
How do you know if the layer is a smart object? There should be a small icon of a page with a rectangle being removed from the center on the bottom right of the layer thumbnail.
Retouching on Separate Layers
Clone Stamp, Healing Brush, and Spot Healing Brush tools let you retouch nondestructively on a separate layer. Be sure to select Sample All Layers from the options bar (select Ignore Adjustment Layers to ensure that adjustment layers won’t affect the separate layer twice). You can discard unsatisfactory retouching, if necessary.
Masking
Layer and vector masks are nondestructive because you can re‑edit the masks without losing the pixels they hide.
Masks to hide portions of a layer and reveal portions of the layers below.
You can create two types of masks:
Layer Masks are resolution-dependent bitmap images that are edited with the painting or selection tools.
The Layer Mask Thumbnail appears to the right of the layer thumbnail. If it is white, it is revealing the entire layer. If it is black, it is blocking the entire layer. Using shades of grey will affect the opacity of the mask.
Layer Masks can be created in many different ways.
1. Make a selection using the various section tools and then, click the Add a Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the layers panel that looks like a rectangle with a circle in the middle.
2. Click the Add a Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the layers panel and use the Brush tool to paint in a mask.
Vector masks are resolution independent and are created with a pen or shape tool. Think of a vector mask like a cookie cutter.
Add a Vector Mask Using a Path
1. In the Layers panel, select the layer to which you want to add a vector mask.
2. Select a path, or use one of the shape or Pen tools to draw a work path.
*Note: To create a path with a Shape and Pen tools, click the Paths icon from the drop down menu in the Shape tool options bar.
3. Click the Mask button in the options bar, or choose Layer > Vector Mask > Current Path
Edit a vector mask
1. In the Layers panel, select the layer containing the vector mask you want to edit.
2. Click the Vector Mask button in the Properties panel or the thumbnail in the Paths panel/ tab . Then change the shape using the shape, pen, or Direct Selection tools.
Layer and vector masks are non-destructive, which means you can go back and re‑edit the masks later without losing the pixels they hide.
In the Layers panel, both the layer and vector masks appear as an additional thumbnail to the right of the layer thumbnail. For the layer mask, this thumbnail represents the grayscale channel that is created when you add the layer mask. The vector mask thumbnail represents a path that clips out the contents of the layer.
Advanced Masking with Selections
Once you’ve made a selection using one of the selection tools, then click Select and and Mask in the properties panel. This will then take you into the Select and Mask Workspace.
Select and Mask Workspace
Interface
Tool Options Panel: Located on the top of the workspace.
Toolbar: Located down the left side of the workspace.
Adjustable Properties Panel: Located down the right side of the workspace.
Tools
Quick Selection Tool: Make quick selections based on color and texture similarity when you click or click-drag the area you want to select. The mark you make doesn’t need to be precise, because the Quick Selection tool automatically and intuitively creates a border.
Refine Edge Brush Tool: Precisely adjust the border area in which edge refinement occurs. For example, brush over soft areas such as hair or fur to add fine details to the selection. To change the brush size, press the bracket keys.
Brush Tool: Begin with making a rough selection using the Quick Selection tool (or another selection tool) and then refine it using the Refine Edge Brush tool. Now, use the Brush tool to finalize or clean up details. Use the Brush tool to fine-tune selections in two simple ways: paint over the area you want to select in the Add mode, or paint over areas you don’t want to select in the Subtract mode. The Brush tool in the Select And Mask workspace works much like the corresponding tool in classic Photoshop workspace.
Object Selection Tool: Draw a rectangular region or a lasso around an object. The Object Selection tool finds and automatically selects the object inside the defined region.
Lasso Tool: Draw freehand selection borders. Using this tool, you can make precise selections. The Lasso tool in the Select And Mask workspace works just like the corresponding tool in classic Photoshop.
Polygonal Lasso Tool: Draw straight-edged segments of a selection border. Using this tool, you can make straight or freehand selections. The Lasso tool in the Select and Mask workspace works just like the corresponding tool in classic Photoshop workspace.
Hand Tool: Navigate around an image document quickly. Select this tool and drag around the image canvas. You can also switch to the Hand tool quickly by pressing H while using any other tool.
Zoom Tool: Magnify and navigate around the photo; works just like the Zoom tool in classic Photoshop and in many other apps.
Options Bar
Add or Subtract: Add or subtract from the refinement area. Adjust the brush size if necessary.
Sample All Layers: Creates a selection based on all layers instead of just the currently selected layer
Properties Panel (Refine the Selection)
View Mode Settings
View Mode: From the View pop-up menu, choose one of the following view modes for your selection:
Onion Skin (O): Visualizes the selection as an animation style onion skin scheme.
Marching Ants (M): Visualizes the selection borders as marching ants .
Overlay (V): Visualizes the selection as a transparent color overlay. Unselected areas are displayed in that color. The default color is red.
On Black (A): Places the selection over a black background.
On White (T): Places the selection over a white background.
Black & White (K): Visualizes the selection as a black and white mask.
On Layers (Y): Surrounds the selection with areas of transparency.
Show Edge: Shows the area of refinement.
Show Original: Shows the original selection.
High Quality Preview: Renders an accurate preview of the changes. This option may affect performance. When this option is selected, while working on the image, hold down the left mouse button (mouse down) to view a higher-resolution preview. When this option is deselected, a lower-resolution preview is displayed even on mouse down.
Transparency/Opacity: Sets transparency/ opacity for the View Mode. This setting applies beyond the Select And Mask workspace to the Overlay view mode in classic Photoshop workspace.
Edge Detection Settings
Radius: Determines the size of the selection border in which edge refinement occurs. Use a small radius for sharp edges, and a large one for softer edges.
Smart Radius: Allows for a variable width refinement area around the edge of your selection. Among other use cases, this option is helpful if your selection is a portrait that includes both hair and shoulders. In such portraits, the hair might require a larger refinement area than the shoulders, where the edge is more consistent.
Global Refinement Settings
Smooth: Reduces irregular areas (“hills and valleys”) in the selection border to create a smoother outline.
Feather: Blurs the transition between the selection and the surrounding pixels
Contrast: When increased, soft-edged transitions along the selection border become more abrupt. Typically, the Smart Radius option and refinement tools are more effective.
Shift Edge: Moves soft-edged borders inward with negative values or outward with positive ones. Shifting these borders inward can help remove unwanted background colors from selection edges.
Output Settings
Decontaminate Colors: Replaces color fringes with the color of fully selected pixels nearby. The strength of color replacement is proportionate to the softness of selection edges. Adjust the slider to change the decontamination amount. 100% (maximum strength) is the default value.
Important: Because this option changes pixel color, it requires output to a new layer or document. Retain the original layer so you can revert to it if needed.
Output To: Determines whether the refined selection becomes a selection or mask on the current layer, or produces a new layer or document.