It seems that Photoshop offers a never-ending reservoir of techniques to incorporate into your work. In a little under ten minutes, Blake Rudis calls your attention to five more gems hidden in the Adobe app courtesy of Creative Live. While it’s not quite an Infinity Quest, it’s definitely worth your time. So pull up a seat, get that icon bouncing in your dock, and add some Photoshop magic to your bag of tricks.

• Snapshots and Adobe Camera Raw
• Gradient Map Adjust Layers – (1:36)
• Layers styles – (4:02)
• Highlights and Shadows Adjustments – (6:11)
• Actions (7:27)

[REWIND: Camera Raw & Lightroom Tips | The Underrated & Underutilized ‘Snapshots’ Feature]

1. Snapshots

Snapshots allow you to edit your image in multiple ways as a point of reference for your final image.

Access the Snapshot feature here.

2. Gradient Map Adjustment Layer

Go to Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map.

It allows you to edit your image based on the tones associated with the colors in your image. But if you a add a Hue/Saturation Layer which grants you more control but using the targeted adjustment tool to change the lightness, Saturation and the Hue in your image.

3. Layer Styles

This tip shows you how useful they can be with adjustment layers. It enables you to selectively allow certain aspects of your edit, such as your in your highlights or shadows, come through you layer.

Doubleclick the Color Fill

The bar where it says “Underlying Layer” protects anything underneath that layer which is in either the highlights or the shadows.

4. Highlights & Shadows Adjustments

Image > Adjustments > Shadows & Highlights

You’ll see two sliders; one for shadows and one for highlights. You can give yourself more options by clicking “Show More Options”. It will give you more flexibility in adjusting the mid-tones and shadows of your layer.

[REWIND: Things You Should Know If You Want To Be A Test Photographer]

5. Actions

You may have heard of these but never bothered to look more deeply into them. In short, Actions allow you record portions of your workflow that you hope to repeat in the future and automate them so you can save time as you edit.

Window > Actions and click that little sheet icon that Photoshop uses to indicate you are creating something “New”.