Final part of the manipulation: color grading and the finishing touches that turn a composite into a poster-grade image.
2026 note: This lesson was recorded on Photoshop CS6 in 2014. Adobe no longer sells the CS line — Photoshop now ships via Creative Cloud subscription. About 95% of the menus and shortcuts shown in the video still match the modern version; only the iconography is a bit fresher.
Finishing Pass
- Color grade: top a Color Lookup or Gradient Map, set Soft Light, 40–60% opacity.
- Boost contrast with a Curves adjustment layer + a gentle S-curve.
- Vignette: new layer, black radial gradient, 30% opacity.
- Soft glow on highlights: new layer, white brush, Screen mode, Gaussian Blur.
- Final sharpening with High Pass: Filter > Other > High Pass (2 px), blend mode Overlay.
- Export Save for Web at 16:9 or 4:5.
Things to Keep in Mind
- Reduce the palette to 2–3 dominant tones.
- One main light source = all shadows pointing the same way.
- More detail is not always better; negative space is part of the composition.
