Applying adjustments

There are a range of adjustments which can be applied to your design as a new layer for corrective or creative purposes.

Adjustment layer type — Curves adjustment layer (named 01) indicating it is an adjustment (A) and a Curves adjustment type (B).

Adjustments are applied from the Adjustments panel and most include customizable settings alongside general adjustment options. Once applied, they can be identified as both an adjustment and a specific adjustment type by using unique symbols.

Available adjustments:

When an item is selected, the adjustment layer is applied to just that item, i.e. it is clipped. With no selection in place, the adjustment is applied to the top of the layer stack.

Some adjustments (i.e., Curves, Levels, or Channel Mixer) can be made in any color space independently of the document color space.

Settings

The following are available from all adjustment general settings:

Opacity—how see-through the adjustment layer is.
Merge—merges the current adjustment layer with the layer immediately below it in the layer order.
Reset—reverts all adjustment settings to default.
Delete—closes the settings and deletes the adjustment layer, removing the adjustment.

To apply an adjustment:

(Optional) Select an object, layer or group if you want the adjustment applied to just that item.
On the Adjustments panel, select an adjustment.
Adjust the pop-up adjustment settings.

If there was no item selected, the adjustment is added to the top of the layer stack.

To view an applied adjustment's settings:

On the Layers panel, tap the adjustment layer's text to bring up its settings.

SEE ALSO:

Using adjustment layers