Post-production is a thoughtful and meticulous process, with a variety of applied techniques and adjustments to color, texture, and exposure. While working on an image, it is common to go too far in a particular direction or find yourself unsure of how to color grade the final product.
Using the History Snapshot tool in Photoshop while working can provide you with a quick frame of reference.
RELATED: Photoshop Basics: Getting To Know The History Panel
To use the History Snapshot tool, go to Window -> History. Once there, the History Panel will record every action taken while you edit. Where the usefulness of the Snapshot comes into play, is that it enables you to create checkpoints for easy reference. After dodging and burning skin, for example, you can take a Snapshot by clicking on the small camera icon at the bottom right corner of the dialog box.
You’re able to rename that Snapshot, and can later click on it to revert the file to that state.
So, if you’re performing quality control checks, you can compare those Snapshots for global dodging and burning, local dodging and burning, color correction, changes to exposure, and so on, with a quick click. This can be much faster than navigating through Groups within the Layer Palette, as there can often be many layers to sort through.
Watch the History Snapshot tool in action in this video tutorial by Dansky:
As mentioned above, keep in mind that the History Panel, and any corresponding Snapshots, will only exist while you are working in Photoshop, as they are not stored once saved.
With this in mind, try out this little-known trick the next time you are retouching one of your images, to further aid you in ending up with a beautiful, polished product.
Source: Dansky | Image Source – Photo: Kendra Paige | Model: Kennedi Ireland @ Elite Miami | Beauty: Bri Soffa | Hair: Amanda Paige @ Agency Gerard | Styling: Cristina V Garzon | Retouch: Svetlana Pasechnik
