Merging Adjust layers in Photoshop

[EmerginT]

I am making a punk logo and need a really hi contrast photo which i am going to import into Illustrator to add the type - I made it hi contrast through adjustment layers - mainly threshhold and curves. But when i merge the layers all the high contrast stuff disappears and it turns back into a gradient. As if no adjustment layers had ever been added.
Anyone want to educate me?

[SpugNothuson]

The adjustment layers are like an invisible filter if I'm thinking rightly about it, they assit you to find specific point of the image easily, like the Dmax and Dmin for example.

The actual image is being unchanged.

You need to alter the Background layer. Mess with the contrast on that layer till you have the desired effect and for the love of all things fruity save it under a different file name (not telling you how to suck eggs, just it's a bad habit of mine). Then import the new file to Illustrator.

Hope that helps.

Of course I could be talking out of my behind and you might just need to flatten it first. I'm in Plate mode at the moment, design mode somes after 2pm. :)

[EmerginT]

I think the whole point of adjustment layers is so that you don't have to alter the background image. I don't think that's the answer - What is Dmax and Dmin?
Anybody else?

[digizan]

How about moving all the existing layers to a folder, then select all, copy merged, paste into a new layer, and turn off the visibility of the folder holding the other layers?

Digi

[SpugNothuson]

Sorry, Dmax and Dmin are throw backs to my old training. Really must become more up to date with my terminology.

They stand for the density maximum and minimum. Max being the darkest are and min being the lightest. Once you have these two areas you can then adjust the image to use a full range of colour. There is a very nice tutorial here (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/articles/color_correction.htm)that explains the usage of threshold layers just for that exact purpose.

I'm pretty sure that you have to alter the original image, you just need to keep a backup. I've often found it safer that way as well. As a pre-pressmen if I were to receive files that were the originals with layers of different changes to them I would not be as confident in their output as I would a flattened tiff. It'd probably work fine, but should there be a problem you'd see me shrugging my shoulders and telling you the cost of my time to fix it. A flattened tiff there is no arguments, it just does the job it is asked to do. :)

[PrintDriver]

Did you try unlocking the background layer?
Or is the image saved in Bitmap mode?

You kinda had me though at 'logo' and 'photo'. I'm not sure what a 'punk' logo is but most logos are created vector to be scalable. A raster placed image will only go so far. If it is one use, poster material, design away. If it's something that will someday be used on a sign, make sure that photo has some serious resolution. I can't tell you how many web companies have come to me with a very pretty, but very tiny, web logo and want a sign, never dreaming when they created the pretty logo that it would ever need to be bigger than a computer screen.

[hewligan]

Given that EmerginT making a punk logo and that it's getting imported into Illy, it might be something like this: http://www.illustratortechniques.com/distressedtype.html

In which case, you don't need to worry, PD :D

[hewligan]

Oh, and back on topic - are you merging layers or flattening the image?

An adjustment layer applies to all of the layers below it, but if you merge layers together, funny things can happen.

(And probably not relevant, but the other main way to get an adjustment layer to behave wierd is to convert to a different colour mode without flattening.)

[PrintDriver]

No, he said he was putting a 'photo' in Illustrator to add the type. That screams Raster to me. ;)

[hewligan]

You may well be right. Still, high contrast photo -> livetrace -> distressed type seems to be a pretty common technique these days.