PSD Files

[PWilson]

The PSD files that Damien provides to us to see how he edited a specific photo- how do I "read" or "interpret" those. When I am looking at them in photoshop sometimes I can't tell how a certain layer was done. I hope this even makes sense lol

I will use an example: on this PSD file that Damien provided,  "Layer 1" was created to make those highlighted spots go away in the background, but how was that layer created and what made the spots go away? How do I tell what steps were taken on the other layers?

[Damien Symonds]

It's simply a blank layer, on which I used the Clone Tool.

The "Levels 2" layer doesn't do anything, it's just there to provide the mask for the rest of the layers (so the painting didn't encroach on the child).

The four Color Fill layers are just there to paint colours onto the photo (you'll notice the top one has a different blend mode).

When you're examining the Levels 3 layer, make sure you look at all the channels.