Local Control With A
Graphics Tablet
Can Rescue Your
Poorly Exposed Image

One of the really great things about a graphics tablet is that you have complete local control over your images.

This means that you can choose one part of the image and make changes there without affecting the whole image. Sure, you have local control with a mouse but it is far more difficult and problematic than it is with a Graphics Tablet.

With pen pressure set for either size or opacity (or both, for that matter) you can zoom in and work an area without constantly changing the opacity or the size on the screen or with keyboard shortcuts.

The most efficient way to make local control changes is on a layer. Yikes - did I say ...

Layers

Of all the features in Photoshop, using layers seems to cause the most confusion.

A layer is just like a clear piece of plastic over your image. You can do all sorts of creative things to the layer and it looks just like the original image has changed - but it hasn't. The original background image is still intact and that is a good thing because you can throw out the layer and start again.

Layers can be clear or they can react according to pre-set parameters (like Contrast and Brightness or Hue and Saturation).

This is not a tutorial on layers but the Graphic Tablet tips on Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro will use layers so a brief introduction is a good idea if you tend to avoid using them, don't you think?

A Basic Soft Light Layer

Have you ever taken a picture that was either over or under exposed in one area and it kind of messes up what you were trying to achieve? If you have ever tried to correct that poor exposure without a pen and tablet then you know it can be a very frustrating experience.

You can use a global command like Levels to get the exposure correct in one area but then the rest of the image becomes too dark or too light. Frustrating for sure and here is how to get around it and avoid the frustration by taking advantage of your Graphire and a layer to make local control.

A Soft Light Layer makes the underlying image either darker or lighter depending on the foreground color you have set. The Photoshop default foreground and background colors are black and white and that is what we will use with a Soft Light Layer.

Once you get the hang of it (and that will happen very quickly) you will no doubt use this technique regularly.

Having said that - there are noise reduction filters that can help reduce the amount of noise.

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