SHOOT. I just realized that “Variations” has been missing from Photoshop. Apparently for quite a while…
Obviously, I haven’t used it. But my first time teaching Photoshop is happening tonight and I was counting on variations to help the students learn to evaluate color imbalance.
I’ve been googling like crazy, but… nothing.
Anyone have an equivalent idea, a way to show them the same image in multiple color balances, at one time?
Since you say this is a class and you are showing these images in some fashion, something as simple as a prepared powerpoint could do the trick. It wouldn’t be live and on the fly though.
Opening several copies of the same image in separate artboard windows could work too, depending on the size of your viewing area. Photoshop seems to have an aversion to opening the same file twice so it would have to be file copies.
It would take a little work up front … but, if you want to show how it works with their images, you could set up a photoshop file with multiple adjustment layers (rename them in a way where you can click around through them if need be). Then “place embed” a photo below the layers. Then right click on that layer in class and choose “relink to file” to update that layer.
No … but if you want to get really crazy, you could combine it with Indesign. place the layered file in Indesign. Right click on the placed PSD in Indesign and choose Object layer options to turn on/off the individual layers.
Then within indesign show your variations, and when you want to show a “live update” with their photo. Option (or alt) double click one of the placed PSDs (since they’re all linked to the same PSD), then within photoshop relink to a different photo, save and close. And go back to Indesign for your “live preview” which will update all of the instances of the PSD.
You don’t have to create fifteen copy’s of the jpg layer, just fifteen adjustment layers that you can check and uncheck when presenting. This can be done with an action, which can include visible and unvisible layers.
But I need it to show all the color variations at one time on the monitor. It’s not about presenting; I want my students to be able to see their image, with the color possibilities, all at once.
So something I have to check and uncheck won’t do the job.
I want to end up with something like this; only with their image. Basically, recreating that wonderful old variations tool.
Let me know. I just tested it and worked fine. Depending on the size of the photo and the speed of your computer, it should work pretty well. Its definitely not exactly the same as the variations feature in earlier versions of Photoshop, but it seems to do the job fairly well.