Multiple Curve Adjustment Layers

This trick comes in handy often when I have an evening shot and want cool twilight skies with a properly (or close to) exposed foreground. I like to shoot these a little under-exposed to not blow out the light part of the sky or the lights. If you adjust for the foreground the sky gets washed out and if the sky looks good, the foreground would be black...

Enter curve adjustment layers (at the bottom of the layers pallet click the half black half white circle then choose curves)... Do the first one to make the foreground look good, don't worry about the sky yet. When it looks good use the gradient tool (press 'g' to select it from the tools; be sure to use the simple black to white gradient from the picker on the top left of your workspace) on the mask to fade the effect (the mask should be active after creating the adjustment layer). If you don't like the first try with the gradient tool simply keep doing it over and over, the new just erases the old.

This is what you will have, a yucky grey/blue sky...

Now, make another curve adjustment layer and correct for the sky (this will usually be a steeper 's' curve). When done with the curve, you need to make the gradient mask for this layer. Here's the trick: make the first mask you made active by clicking on it in the layers pallet. Then hold down 'alt' while you drag this mask to the new mask. PS will ask you if you want to replace the current mask, click 'yes'. Now, with the new mask active hit 'ctlr i' to invert the mask and viola!

The finished product.

This shot was taken on Sunday at Salt Creek Grille in Dana Point. I was there for a wedding reception and got to taste their magnificent food. I had never been there and can't wait to go back. Sri, the Event Sales Coordinator and the staff were great and I loved the ambiance... I want the hanging lights for my backyard!!