I want to correct only part of my image. What tools do I use?

[karen schneider]

CORRECTING PART OF YOUR PHOTO – USING SELECTIONS

When you want to modify or adjust a specific area of a photo or image, you need to make a selection first. Once an area is selected you can use Photoshop image adjustment tools.

This video covers  the process of selecting an area of the photo (the sky only) as well as making  that selected area darker using what's called an "Adjustment layer".

Note: If you need to know more about layers before watching this video you can check out: "What are layers, and Why do I need them?".

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Selections are important in Photoshop because they allow you to isolate an area of your image not only to adjust color or tone, but also to copy, cut, scale, or mask (hide) a part of your photo. It's good to get familiar with the kinds of selection tools that exist in Photoshop and when to use them.

SELECTION TOOL OVERVIEW - Reference Guide

SELECTION TOOL OPTIONS - Article

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RELATED TOPICS:

Layers & Layer Masks

Color Correcting Images

[Bojan Živković · Accepted solution]

After creating the mask and applying adjustment, you can also adjust and change layer mask using selection tools or, the most common way, using brush tools.

To have a more accurate preview of what are you doing, Alt + click on the layer mask thumbnail to show the mask in the image area.

At this point, you will have a layer mask on your screen in large view, so it is easy to fine tune it, but you wont see how that affects your image.

To seean  instant preview how changes on layer mask affects the adjustments, use New Window for (name of your image) from Window > Arrange.

Here is a more detailed tutorial on the topic: New Window for.. Command in Adobe Photoshop.