You’re very welcome! Yeah. I like to mix it up (just eyeballing it,) but also enjoy the scientific method. If you haven’t already check out my video on skin tone and using the vectorscope. It get a little more scientific with that one. 🧑🏻🔬
Great tutorial. I had the same question about the merge layer as another viewer. Thank you for explaining as it wasn’t clear that you had made prior edits or perhaps I missed it. Either way thank you for explaining and the great video.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! And thank you for the comment and input. Sometime I get a little ahead of myself, but I’ll definitely be more careful with future videos! Thanks again! I really appreciate your comment!
Hello again, Thanks for making another great video. Everything you explained was quite clear except I do not understand why you used the “merge visible” feature. Can you explain what it does and why you used it? Thanks in advance.
Hi Doug. You’ve very welcome, and am glad you found the video helpful. As for the merged visible, what this does is it takes all of the layers you have below and merges them into a new layer. Most filters need to work on a pixel layer, ideally with your whole image on it. So for example if you have you base background layer, then a layer where you did some clean up, then a dodge and burn layer, then a curves layer, and if you were go to filter->blur->average, the filter won’t do anything, or it will only affect the top layer. But we want it to affect our whole image, including all the edits we have done. Some we do a “merge visible” to create a new layer that has all of our edits in it. Then we can use a filter effect on that layer and it will affect the whole image. This is also true with the liquify tool. It only works on the top selected layer. So you’ll see I’ll always make a merge visible layer before doing a liquify effect. This was a really good question and perhaps I’ll make a video explaining the different situations you would need to make a merge visible layer. Hope this helped!
@@brgphotography Thank you for responding. Let me try to state why you used it in this example and feel free to correct me. I think you had done some edits whereas you ended up with the original photo and a touch up layer. Then, you Merged Visible so that you could take samples from that one layer to create your Curves, HSL, or other corrections. Is that correct? Also, is a Merge destructive? In other words, after the merge, can you go back to the original layers and make changes such that the Merge layer will update or is it more of a snapshot in time? If you do make such a video, can you explain the pros cons of the different merge types and also cover Flatten? I’m a beginner and have not yet used any of them. Kind regards
@@dougdina Yup. You have it right. I made the merge layer (that contains all my layers below it) so I could add the filter effect to it. Merge visible, isn't destructive. It creates a brand new layer above all the other layers. So you always have the option to go back and make changes to your previous layer. But of course if you do, you will have to make a new merge visible layer to update the changes. Flatten image is destructive. It will "flatten" all of your layers into one layer. So if you have 6 layers of edits, after you flatten, you will only have one. Merge visible creates a new layer, with all your edits, but keeps all the original layers. I hope this makes sense. Perhaps I'll make an in depth video about it one day. Thank you for the idea!
Hi. Yeah, it’s probably hard to see in the video. With your layer selected, you go to Filter->blur->Average. That will then take your layer and change it to the average color of all the colors in that layer. Hope this answers your question!
DUDE!!!! This is great!!! I enjoy the more scientific approach as it works with my process, and then from there tweak it to taste. Thank you.
You’re very welcome! Yeah. I like to mix it up (just eyeballing it,) but also enjoy the scientific method. If you haven’t already check out my video on skin tone and using the vectorscope. It get a little more scientific with that one. 🧑🏻🔬
Great tutorial. I had the same question about the merge layer as another viewer. Thank you for explaining as it wasn’t clear that you had made prior edits or perhaps I missed it. Either way thank you for explaining and the great video.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! And thank you for the comment and input. Sometime I get a little ahead of myself, but I’ll definitely be more careful with future videos!
Thanks again! I really appreciate your comment!
Thank you! This was so helpful!
Glad it helped!
Brilliant tutorial, thank you! 🙏
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Hello again,
Thanks for making another great video. Everything you explained was quite clear except I do not understand why you used the “merge visible” feature. Can you explain what it does and why you used it?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Doug. You’ve very welcome, and am glad you found the video helpful.
As for the merged visible, what this does is it takes all of the layers you have below and merges them into a new layer.
Most filters need to work on a pixel layer, ideally with your whole image on it. So for example if you have you base background layer, then a layer where you did some clean up, then a dodge and burn layer, then a curves layer, and if you were go to filter->blur->average, the filter won’t do anything, or it will only affect the top layer. But we want it to affect our whole image, including all the edits we have done.
Some we do a “merge visible” to create a new layer that has all of our edits in it. Then we can use a filter effect on that layer and it will affect the whole image.
This is also true with the liquify tool. It only works on the top selected layer. So you’ll see I’ll always make a merge visible layer before doing a liquify effect.
This was a really good question and perhaps I’ll make a video explaining the different situations you would need to make a merge visible layer.
Hope this helped!
@@brgphotography Thank you for responding. Let me try to state why you used it in this example and feel free to correct me.
I think you had done some edits whereas you ended up with the original photo and a touch up layer. Then, you Merged Visible so that you could take samples from that one layer to create your Curves, HSL, or other corrections. Is that correct?
Also, is a Merge destructive? In other words, after the merge, can you go back to the original layers and make changes such that the Merge layer will update or is it more of a snapshot in time?
If you do make such a video, can you explain the pros cons of the different merge types and also cover Flatten? I’m a beginner and have not yet used any of them.
Kind regards
@@dougdina Yup. You have it right. I made the merge layer (that contains all my layers below it) so I could add the filter effect to it.
Merge visible, isn't destructive. It creates a brand new layer above all the other layers. So you always have the option to go back and make changes to your previous layer. But of course if you do, you will have to make a new merge visible layer to update the changes.
Flatten image is destructive. It will "flatten" all of your layers into one layer. So if you have 6 layers of edits, after you flatten, you will only have one. Merge visible creates a new layer, with all your edits, but keeps all the original layers.
I hope this makes sense. Perhaps I'll make an in depth video about it one day. Thank you for the idea!
Hi ! I didn't understand how you made the rectangle that includes the middle color (minute 3.28 of the video) after applying the blur filter. THX.
Hi.
Yeah, it’s probably hard to see in the video. With your layer selected, you go to Filter->blur->Average. That will then take your layer and change it to the average color of all the colors in that layer.
Hope this answers your question!