Saving your steps in CSII

KevinKal

Could someone please explain how to save each step of your editing for a particular photo in PS? My problem is this: say I have my file and I add a curves layer. Now I'm ready to sharpen my photo, but I can't simply add an USM because there is no image selected (the USM sits above all my work, including the last step which was the Curves layer). I find that I must repeatedly click on "Merge visible layers" in order to apply my effects...when I go back to my .PSD file at some point in the future, any step prior to merging the layers is lost.

Thank you,
Kevin K.

Andy

KevinKal wrote:

Could someone please explain how to save each step of your editing for a particular photo in PS? My problem is this: say I have my file and I add a curves layer. Now I'm ready to sharpen my photo, but I can't simply add an USM because there is no image selected (the USM sits above all my work, including the last step which was the Curves layer). I find that I must repeatedly click on "Merge visible layers" in order to apply my effects...when I go back to my .PSD file at some point in the future, any step prior to merging the layers is lost.

Thank you,
Kevin K.

there's a log, of everything done to an image - check your preferences file (on pc it's called properties?). Also, before I flatten any .psds, I will save it as a version.

jfriend

Create a new layer on top with a merged copy and sharpen that

KevinKal wrote:

Could someone please explain how to save each step of your editing for a particular photo in PS? My problem is this: say I have my file and I add a curves layer. Now I'm ready to sharpen my photo, but I can't simply add an USM because there is no image selected (the USM sits above all my work, including the last step which was the Curves layer). I find that I must repeatedly click on "Merge visible layers" in order to apply my effects...when I go back to my .PSD file at some point in the future, any step prior to merging the layers is lost.

Thank you,
Kevin K.

Because sharpening can't (yet) be done in an adjustment layer (like curves can) and because you generally want to sharpen last, you have to do something special in order to be able to sharpen and preserve all your layers.

What I do is to create a new merged copy of all layers at the top of the stack (keeping all the other layers) and then sharpen that. If I then need to change my image in the future, I just delete the top sharpened layer, change my image and redo the sharpening.

There's a keyboard shortcut in CS2 for creating a new merged copy of everything Ctrl-Alt-Shift-E. Just click on the top layer and hit Ctrl-Alt-Shift-E. I've made myself an action and assigned a shortcut key to it that goes to the top layer, does Ctrl-Alt-Shift-E, renames the layer to "Sharp" and then brings up the smart sharpen dialog.

Hopefully someday in the future, we'll have sharpening adjustment layers and we can just create a top-level adjustment layer for the sharpening.

pathfinder

jfriend wrote:

Because sharpening can't (yet) be done in an adjustment layer (like curves can) and because you generally want to sharpen last, you have to do something special in order to be able to sharpen and preserve all your layers.

What I do is to create a new merged copy of all layers at the top of the stack (keeping all the other layers) and then sharpen that. If I then need to change my image in the future, I just delete the top sharpened layer, change my image and redo the sharpening.

There's a keyboard shortcut in CS2 for creating a new merged copy of everything Ctrl-Alt-Shift-E. Just click on the top layer and hit Ctrl-Alt-Shift-E. I've made myself an action and assigned a shortcut key to it that goes to the top layer, does Ctrl-Alt-Shift-E, renames the layer to "Sharp" and then brings up the smart sharpen dialog.

Hopefully someday in the future, we'll have sharpening adjustment layers and we can just create a top-level adjustment layer for the sharpening.

Don't you mean command-option-shift-E?

When I us the ctrl key in this sequence I get a black image on screen in PSCS2 on a MAC. Alt is really the Option key on a Mac too.

Seems to work on my machine with command-option-shift-e - then I get a new layer over the underlying image.

jfriend

Ctrl-Alt-Shift-E on a PC

pathfinder wrote:

Don't you mean command-option-shift-E?

When I us the ctrl key in this sequence I get a black image on screen in PSCS2 on a MAC. Alt is really the Option key on a Mac too.

Seems to work on my machine with command-option-shift-e - then I get a new layer over the underlying image.

It's Ctrl-Alt-Shift-E on a PC. It sounds like you figured out the equivalent on a Mac.

KevinKal

Great...
Thank you everyone, I will use your tips to improve my workflow.

Kevin K.