Using a Photo Filter layer to fix casts

There are lots of ways to fix colour casts using Photoshop.  Filters are only one.  If you have another method which works for you (eg Curves, Color Balance, Selective Color), this tutorial doesn't intend to sway your opinion.  Stick with what you know.

But this works for me, so it's time I shared it.

At the outset, I must remind you NOT to attempt to fix casts by adjusting white balance.  Raw edits such as white balance are for the whole photo ... the "greater good", if you like.  Try to turn a blind eye to areas of cast while you're choosing the correct white balance for the overall photo.  (I know, I know, it can be hard.)  The truth is, sometimes choosing the correct white balance will make casts look even worse, and this will scare you.  Stay strong, friend.  Photoshop is the place to worry about casts, not your raw program.

This tutorial is demonstrated in Photoshop CS2, but the method works just the same in all recent versions of Photoshop and Elements.  It assumes a basic knowledge of adjustment layers and masks, which are the beating heart of Photoshop - if you can not easily follow these instructions, I urge you to consider my little Layers and Masks Class.

The other thing you need is familiarity with "colour pairs".  Every colour has its opposite colour on the colour wheel:

Resizing photos in templates (PS & PSE)

If you've ever had trouble resizing a photo in a template without stretching it out of shape and making it look all wonky; don't worry, you're not alone. It's easy to get confused, because for some reason Photoshop and Elements have opposite default settings. So if you have Elements and have been trying to follow Photoshop instructions, or vice versa, it might have gone badly for you.

So I've created two videos - one for Elements, and one for Photoshop.  I hope they help clarify things.

These videos specifically discuss the resizing step of the template workflow. They don't explain setting up the clipping masks, or placing the images, or anything like that. If you need assistance with those broader issues, I've written tutorials here and here (plus some more here, here and here).

Here's the Elements video:

Here's the Photoshop video: