10.6 Adjustment Brush and Reusable Adjustment Presets

Local adjustments and reusable looks

An adjustment should change the intended subject while preserving the original source. The current outline includes direct adjustments, adjustment layers, Adjustment Brush, Smart Filters, and adjustment presets. Learn how each stores its result. A similar-looking final image may have very different editability depending on whether the correction overwrote pixels, created a masked adjustment layer, or became a filter attached to a Smart Object.

Four ways to control a correction

For a global correction, create an adjustment layer and change its Properties. For an object-only correction, either create a selection first, paint the mask afterward, or use Adjustment Brush. For a filter that needs to remain editable, convert the source to a Smart Object before applying a supported filter. A direct pixel adjustment on a duplicate retains the original layer but does not make that duplicate’s old parameter values editable.

Adjustment Brush workflow

Select Adjustment Brush from the toolbar in the supported application version. Choose the adjustment type and configure brush size and hardness in the Options bar or Contextual Task Bar. Paint only where the change belongs. The operation creates an adjustment layer and mask, so it changes how the underlying pixels are rendered without repainting the source photograph.

Inspect the Layers panel immediately. Select the adjustment thumbnail to change its settings in Properties; select the mask thumbnail to refine where it applies. A common mistake is trying to correct excessive brightness by erasing the source photo rather than changing the adjustment value or reducing its mask coverage. Keep both parts of the result available.

The Apply to Object option can target a detected object. Treat this as a starting region and inspect the boundary, especially around hair, transparent materials, and touching objects. Add to or subtract from coverage using the brush controls. Overlay views help reveal missed areas; a selection or mask preview is more informative than assuming a one-click result is complete.

Separate strength from coverage

Suppose a foreground jacket needs slightly brighter midtones while a pale face should remain unchanged. Choose an appropriate tonal adjustment and brush over the jacket. If its color now looks washed out, first reduce the adjustment strength in Properties. If the face also changed, refine the mask. These are different defects: changing the mask cannot repair an overly strong correction everywhere it is visible, and reducing strength does not confine the effect to the correct object.

Use layer opacity to blend the overall adjustment with the original result. When the adjustment must affect only one underlying layer, create a clipping relationship. When it must affect the contents of an isolated group, review the group’s blending mode and position. A white mask means spatial permission across the layer, not permission to ignore the layer stack.

Save adjustment presets deliberately

A preset stores adjustment settings or a reusable combination of adjustments. It does not automatically become a universal correction for every photograph. In the Adjustments panel, inspect available presets and apply a look to a test image. Review the layers created by that preset, then change the parameters, masks, and opacity to fit the new image.

For a reusable custom look, build the required adjustment layers, select the relevant layers, and use the supported custom-preset command in the Adjustments panel menu. Name the preset by its visual purpose, such as a restrained cool-shadow treatment, rather than implying that it fixes every lighting condition. Apply it to a different image to test whether its contrast or saturation exceeds the new source’s useful range.

A saved Curves setting and a multi-adjustment preset are related but distinct assets. A Curves preset concerns one adjustment’s mapping; a combination can recreate several layers. Save and transfer presets using the commands available to that asset type and keep a layered example document as a reference for the intended result. Applying a preset should not erase the source image.

Worked practice and recovery

Create two portraits with different lighting. Build a small color treatment on the first using Curves and a color adjustment. Save the reusable settings, then apply them to the second. Inspect the histogram and faces before deciding whether to reduce contrast, mask the treatment, or lower opacity. A pleasing first result is not evidence that the second image needs identical values.

Now add an Adjustment Brush correction to a dark sleeve. Verify that the mask follows the sleeve rather than the nearby background. Toggle visibility and inspect edges. Rename the adjustment by its purpose and leave the source image untouched. If a later request changes the jacket color, revise the appropriate adjustment instead of rebuilding the whole composite.

Before exporting, verify the layer stack, active masks, clipping relationships, and the actual saved preset. Reopen the master document and check that both the global look and local correction remain editable. This exercise demonstrates the distinction between reusable settings and a finished, flattened delivery file.

Sources checked October 18, 2026: Adobe Adjustment Brush and Adobe Adjustments panel.