histogram

Did you ever use a Photoshop feature on a regular basis---perhaps with the guidance of Deke in a book exercise or video? And although you get the results you want, you have no earthy idea why they're working the way their working? Or maybe a slightly earthly idea, but much remains a mystery. Possibly this has happened to me with regard to the Levels command. So this week, comfy in the lounge, I dared to reveal my almost complete ignorance and asked Deke to introduce me personally to Photoshop Top 40, Feature #9, aka: the Levels command.

What are "levels" exactly? You find it under the Image > Adjustments menu in Photoshop, so you know it's one of those global tonal adjustments. But what is it controlling? Well, luminance, yes. But luminance on a channel-by-channel basis. And what does that mean? And how can we harness that control to fix an image? Even those of you who already know what you want to do with levels will have a better idea of why you want do it after this conversation.

Here's what you'll learn from this week's show: Read more » 

This week's dekePod, Stealth 'Shop, The Virgin Histogram, features a photograph of one of San Francisco's most infamous (and I think wonderful) pieces of private artwork, a great towering anatomically enhanced robot by Nemo Gould.

In the Conclusion to my video, I say, "Or go to my personal site, deke.com, which also contains the uncensored robot photo. And yes, that whole phallus thing, I was not making it up. It's quite evident." That's my way of saying, be forewarned before proceeding. Read more »