So How Do I Know When I Have Gone Too Far?

Yesterday I wrote about going too far to know you have gone far enough, but didn't address the important issue of then deciding just how much of any image adjustment is the right amount. Here's some ideas for determining just that issue.

1) whatever adjustments you have made, live with them on the wall for a few days.

2) in general if something bugs you just a little when you first look at the print right out of the printer, then it's going to bug you a lot within days, so do pay attention to those nagging doubts - they are often right.

3) Some things are better evaluated in the print than on screen - specifically sharpening.

4) Give yourself a choice - either on screen or in print - one with the latest adjustment and one without - with a single change, undo and redo can be cycled to check, with multi step changes, use snapshot in the history palette to give you two versions to compare.

5) don't forget you can use the levels intensity slider at the right of each level in the levels palette to reduce the effect of changes in that level from 100% to zero and anything in between - I find this a very good way to create an effect then back of a bit so it's just right. I run the slider back and forth from 100% effect to zero and back a few times then narrow down the range that looks best to me. Very handy.