This discussion of tonal range, contrast, and brightness continues with an explanation of the Photoshop CS Shadow/Highlight command. Some photographers are reluctant to use the Shadow/Highlight command. It does take some practice and you need to understand how the various settings affect your photo. If you have photos that are underexposed because of backlighting or or overexposed because of fill flash, the Shadow/Highlight command can be the quickest way to restore them.

Each time Photoshop CS has upgraded from CS to CS2 then to CS3 and now to CS4, the scripting interface has changed. Javascript support in Photoshop includes some user interface widgets. Even how and where those are displayed has changed in subtle ways, requiring changes to the code.

Actions use Photoshop's user interface. So the only chages to the code -- usually -- is to revise the scripts to leverage new functionality, like the Smart Filters feature of Photoshop CS3.

The TLR Professional Sharpening Toolkit is a set of JavaScripts for automating Photoshop CS and later that makes it easy to obtain professional sharpening of your digital images. The scripts in the TLR Professional Sharpening Toolkit can be used for sharpening RGB, CMYK, L*a*b, and grayscale images.

Feel free to download my tutorial and visit my learning gallery for useful information about sharpening generally. The toolkit includes a 24 page, full color PDF manual that is ready for printing.

Looking for some inspiration? This site is less about photography and more about digital art with Photoshop. But there sure is some excellent Photoshop artistry here. As Dave Cross notes in his recent blog (thanks, Dave, for calling this site ot my attention), you can expect to spe nd some time here, as ylou click on images and go deeper and deeper into the artwork of individual artists.

Mark Galer is th author of Photoshop CS4: Essential Skills. He has written a tutorial to explain the basics of working with Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).

This is the original sharpening action set from The Light's Right Studio: a Photoshop action set that make it easy to obtain professional sharpening of your digital images. TLR Sharpening Toolkit is a Photoshop CS action set for sharpening RGB, CMYK, L*a*b, and monochrome images.

Part 3 continues the discussion of the concepts of tonal range, contrast, and brightness by explaining how to use the Photoshop Levels and Curves dialogs. The discussion goes beyond the basics of Levels and Curves to explain how layer masks can help you refine your tonality adjustments.

If you prefer the HTML version, you can view it on Uwe's site. His version also includes Uwe's sidebar comments.

"How do I add an embossed copyright info to an image?" I've seen that question many times on Photoshop forums around the Web. Everyone likes the look of an embossed copyright. Some people like a big copyright symbol and their studio name and maybe something like "Proof" right in the middle of the image. Others prefer something a little more subtle, like a copyright and their name down near the corner of the image.

The actions in TLR Color Temperature Filters replicate the CT correction filters used by photographers for many years. CT filters are used to compensate for lighting, for example the bluish coloration associated with daylight films. They are also used to remove excessive blue casts from electronic flash.

The white balance controls in Camera Raw are superior for adjusting the white balance of a RAW image. The CT filter effects in this action set are excellent for adding a warming or cooling effect to an image.