Creative Image Editing in Photoshop - Black and White in Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop Lightroom - page 200

workl ow is the only workl ow with Lightroom and Camera Raw; here is a set
of guidelines for keeping your i les pristine in Photoshop.
1. Use the highest resolution and highest bit depth i le (the original) as
possible.
2. Use Smart Objects (that way anything done that threatens the original can
always reference the i rst incarnation). When using i lters, use Smart Filters.
3. Use adjustment layers whenever possible.
4. When saving, always save in a format that allows for full support of all of
your data.
Using Adjustment Layers for a Non-Destructive
Workl ow
Adjustment layers allow you to make multiple edits to your image without
degrading the original image data. This is one of the components of non-
destructive practice. Using adjustment layers in Photoshop will give you more
freedom and l exibility in your editing process, without sacrii cing valuable
image data.
Creating adjustment layers
Creating adjustment layers is now easier than ever with the New Adjustment
panel in CS4. There are now three ways to create adjustment layers:
1. Click on a specii c adjustment in the New Adjustment panel.
2. In the Layers palette, click on the adjustment layer icon and choose the
adjustment layer from the drop-down menu.
3. Go to the Layer Menu New Adjustment Layer and choose the
adjustment you would like to perform.
Benei ts of adjustment layers
1. Non-destructive
Applying image adjustments and edits directly to an image (Background)
is destructive because actual image data is being thrown away in the
process. Once that data is gone, it is no longer available to you for
re-editing or tweaking the image at any future time. Adjustment layers,
however, preserve the original image data like a negative by applying
the editing adjustments above the original image.
2. Easily edited and re-edited
Adjustment layers document, maintain and save the exact corrections
applied, so the adjustment or edit can easily be accessed and readjusted
by simply clicking on the adjustment layer icon in the Layers palette.