Correction Layers can be a SUPER useful way to change your art, or even just to add more flair and optimize your colors and overall feel!

 

I've created a short, concise, well edited video about how to use correction layers and specific effects and uses that I've found! I really recommend watching the video, but if you can't due to language, I've also typed everything out below (:

 

 

HOW TO ADD CORRECTION LAYERS

1. Right click in your layers pallette. Slect "New Correction Layer"

 

2. Pick any option you want from the menu that pops up to the left.

 

Then a new layer is created above your artwork that effects layers underneath it.

That's it! Pretty simple!

WHY USE CORRECTION LAYERS?

1. It's NON-destructive to your art. Your original is still preserved. There's just layers above it affecting it.

 

2. Correction Layers STACK. For example, if one correction layers makes your art look great, but it's just a little TOO saturated. You can add a Hue/Saturation/Luminosity layer above it and turn the saturation down.

 

3. You can edit the settings to a correction layer anytime! Even after it's been made! To do so just double click on the layer. The image below shows where I mean.

USE COLOR BALANCE TO EMULATE CERTAIN LIGHTS

Often times my art looks like normal daytime (like this image below) when I need morning or night. But that's easy to fix with color balance!

Let's make it look night time!

 

1. Add a Color Balance Correction Layer

 

The menu that pops up should look like this. image below ( I added the colors to help visualize what the settings do.)

You can use this effect to change the colors for certain values in your art. it's seperated into darks (shadows) midtone (halftones) and light values (highlights).

It's automatically selected on halftone. There's cirlces to select to switch between the sections.

 

Each of the three sections will have it's own sliders.

 

To make my art look more like night time, I just move the slider towards the blue. For all three sections, shadow, halftone, and highlight.

 

Don't be afraid to make it TOO BLUE. Because after you can adjust the layers opacity to lessen the effect.

 

You can also try making it TOO blue, and then add a hue/saturation/luminosity correction layer on top and bring the saturation back down.

 

Here's what my comic art looks like afterwards.

If you want to make an image look more like morning, it's the same process, but just boost the YELLOW to the picture!

 

HOW TO FIND EFFECTS YOURSELF WITH CORRECTION LAYERS

With correction layers, you can apply extreme effects, and then turn down it's effect with the layers opacity.

 

You can also try changing the layers blend mode to get some cool effects too!

This just takes experimentation more than anything.

 

I've found that the blend modes that tend to create the most intersting effects are

Multiple ♦ Overlay ♦ Soft Light ♦ Hue ♦ Color

TIPS FOR OTHER CORRECTION LAYER TYPES

Posterization - this restricts the amount of differnt colors in your image. Try bringing layer opacity down to around 50% and changing blend modes!

 

Here's a before and after applying a posterization correction layer that I then put on "Soft Light" blend mode.

 

BINARIZATION

Binarization - this turns your image to two colors, black and white. It can be useful for getting your lineart out of an image! (also for making coloring pages)

GRADIENT MAP

Gradient Map - this applies a gradient over your art, based on values! Here it's turning my dark values to purple, and the light values to pink red.

Try using this effect with "Overlay" blend mode! It overlays the gradient onto your art, and makes your arts colors just look more harmonious.

OTHER CORRECTION LAYER TYPES

Reverse Gradient - this inverts your art. It can be useful for scary effects or magic. This effect changes durastically with blend modes so experiement with that!

 

Brightness/Contrast ♦ Tone Curve ♦ Level Correction - these ones all do kind of similiar things, but Tone Curve and Level Correction give you more oprtions to adjust things by red green or blue!

LAST TIP FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

If you want to post more art on social media, just start adding some correction layers to your old art, and post a new altered version of it!!

 

Then you get two art posts out of one art, and nobody will probably even notice that it's not new!