ps-advanced

name

ps-advanced

description

Photoshop advanced techniques and reference: wind direction master table (drips down, flames up, streaks left/right with canvas rotation), filter parameter ranges, design principles (60-30-10 color rule, typography, composition, contrast/readability, platform dimensions), workflow templates (poster, photo edit, composite), advanced techniques (high-pass sharpen, dodge & burn, orton effect, blend-if, luminosity masking, stamp visible), 17 critical tool gotchas (verified bugs), failed attempts log (6 entries - DO NOT REPEAT), outer glow parameter reference, quality checklist. Use when this capability is needed.

§8 TOOL REFERENCE & WIND TABLE

8.1 WIND DIRECTION MASTER TABLE

Wind only blows horizontally. Use canvas rotation for vertical effects. Now uses dedicated tool: apply_wind

Desired Effect	Canvas Rotation	Wind Call	Rotate Back	Result
Drips DOWN	-90 (CCW)	apply_wind(method="wind", direction="left") x5-7	+90 (CW)	Streaks downward
Flames UP	+90 (CW)	apply_wind(method="wind", direction="left") x3-5	-90 (CCW)	Streaks upward
Streaks RIGHT	None	apply_wind(method="wind", direction="left") x3-5	None	Horizontal right
Streaks LEFT	None	apply_wind(method="wind", direction="right") x3-5	None	Horizontal left

"left" = FROM the left = pushes pixels RIGHT. "right" = FROM the right = pushes pixels LEFT.

Wind method comparison:

• "wind" = controlled thin streaks — USE THIS for drip/fire effects
• "blast" = thick aggressive splatter — TOO MUCH for most effects
• "stagger" = randomized jagged streaks — good for lightning/electricity

8.2 FILTER PARAMETER RANGES

Filter	Parameter	Range	Default
Gaussian Blur	radius	0.1-10000px	2.5
Motion Blur	distance	1-2000px	30
Radial Blur	amount	1-100	10
Surface Blur	radius/threshold	1-100 / 2-255	5/15
Lens Blur	radius	0-100	15
Noise	amount	0.1-400%	5
Wave	generators/wavelength/amplitude	1-999 / 1-999 / 1-999	5/10-120/5-35
Unsharp Mask	amount/radius/threshold	1-500% / 0.1-1000px / 0-255	100/1.0/0
High Pass	radius	0.1-1000px	10
Wind	method	wind/blast/stagger	wind
Liquify	brush_size	1-15000px	64

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§9 DESIGN PRINCIPLES

9.1 COLOR RULES

60-30-10 Rule: 60% dominant, 30% secondary, 10% accent

9.2 TYPOGRAPHY RULES

• Max 2 fonts per design (3 absolute max)
• Title: 2-3x body size minimum
• ALL CAPS: add tracking +50 to +200
• Never use Thin/Light below 24pt

9.3 COMPOSITION

• Rule of Thirds: focal point at grid intersections
• Z-Pattern: Logo top-left → headline top → image bottom-left → CTA bottom-right

9.4 CONTRAST & READABILITY

• Body text: minimum 4.5:1 contrast ratio
• Text on images: 50-70% black overlay, or blur background
• Dark bg: off-white (224,225,221) not pure white

9.5 DIMENSIONS

Platform	Size
Instagram Post	1080x1080
Instagram Story/Reel	1080x1920
Twitter/X	1600x900
YouTube Thumb	1280x720
LinkedIn	1200x627
A4 Print (300dpi)	2480x3508

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§10 WORKFLOW TEMPLATES

10.1 POSTER CREATION

1. Create canvas (correct dimensions + DPI)
2. Place background image
3. Color grade: curves + color_balance + vibrance
4. Cut out subject: select_subject → mask OR remove_background
5. Add main text → apply text effects (§5)
6. Add secondary text (subtitle, credits)
7. Final color harmony: unified color overlay SOFT_LIGHT 10-20%
8. Verify with get_document_image
9. Export: save_document_as

10.2 PHOTO EDIT

1. Open → duplicate background
2. auto_tone / auto_color OR manual curves+levels
3. Skin retouch: apply_spot_healing_brush or frequency separation (§6.12)
4. Color grade (§7)
5. Local adjustments: apply_dodge_tool / apply_burn_tool
6. Sharpen: apply_high_pass OVERLAY (§11.1)
7. Vignette (§6.8)
8. Optional apply_noise 2-3% OVERLAY
9. Export

10.3 COMPOSITE

1. Background plate
2. Subject (select_subject or remove_background)
3. Match lighting: harmonize_layer OR manual curves
4. Cast shadow: duplicate → flip vertical → blur → MULTIPLY 30-40%
5. Color unification: photo_filter or solid fill SOFT_LIGHT 10-15%
6. Final adjustments

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§11 ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

11.1 HIGH-PASS SHARPENING

stamp_visible → apply_high_pass(radius=2-5) → set_layer_properties(blend_mode="OVERLAY") → opacity 50-80%

11.2 DODGE & BURN (non-destructive)

create_pixel_layer(fill_neutral=true, blend_mode="OVERLAY") → paint WHITE to dodge, BLACK to burn, opacity 10-15% per stroke

11.3 ORTON EFFECT (dreamy glow)

stamp_visible → apply_gaussian_blur(radius=20-40) → SCREEN 40-60%

11.4 BLEND-IF COMPOSITING

set_layer_blend_if for seamless tone-based blending:

• Remove dark bg: this_layer_black=20, black_feather=50
• Show in bright areas: underlying_white=180, white_feather=220

11.5 LUMINOSITY MASKING

Load RGB as selection via batchplay → save as Highlights channel → invert for Shadows

11.6 STAMP VISIBLE

stamp_visible = flattened copy of all visible layers as new layer on top. Use BEFORE destructive effects.

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§12 CRITICAL TOOL GOTCHAS — 17 VERIFIED

These are verified bugs/behaviors that WILL cause failures if ignored:

1. select_layer CAN DELETE LAYERS — Use set_layer_properties or execute_batchplay to target layers instead
2. set_layer_properties RESETS clipping mask — Always pass is_clipping_mask=false (or true if clipped) to preserve state
3. place_image always throws error — But the layer IS created. Ignore the error and continue.
4. VIVID_LIGHT blend mode is rejected — MCP tool doesn't support it. Use batchplay.
5. scale_layer fails silently on Smart Objects — Use free_transform instead
6. generate_image/generative_fill return success but produce nothing — Adobe Firefly AI tools unreliable in MCP
7. Canvas rotation affects ALL layers — Every layer rotates. Plan accordingly.
8. apply_wind only blows HORIZONTALLY — Use canvas rotation for vertical effects (see §8.1)
9. Filters require rasterized layers — Text, shape, Smart Object layers will fail. Always rasterize first.
10. translate_layer Y axis — Positive Y moves DOWN (standard screen coords)
11. SCREEN blend requires BLACK background — White on transparent + SCREEN = invisible.
12. Wind "blast" method is TOO aggressive — Use "wind" method for controlled streaks.
13. Global Light is shared — Bevel and Drop Shadow share angle by default.
14. File tokens required for file paths — batchPlay won't trust raw file paths in some contexts.
15. All modifying batchPlay in UXP needs executeAsModal — Direct execution without modal wrapper will fail silently.
16. Blur Gallery may force dialog — Field/Iris/Tilt-Shift/Spin/Path blur may open dialog despite suppression.
17. Camera Raw Filter NOT scriptable headless — Always requires dialog. Use Curves + Levels + Color Balance instead.

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§13 FAILED ATTEMPTS LOG — DO NOT REPEAT

#	What Went Wrong	Correct Approach
1	Wave distorted entire text horizontally	Use Wind (directional) not Wave
2	Stretch 400% + blur + wave = sideways	Wind + canvas rotation
3	Motion blur 90 = streams UP and DOWN	Wind is one-directional (not symmetric)
4	Rotate +90 CW + Wind right = UP	-90 CCW + Wind left = DOWN
5	White on TRANSPARENT + SCREEN	White on BLACK + SCREEN
6	Wind "blast" x10 = off-canvas	"wind" method x 5-7

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§14 OUTER GLOW PARAMETER REFERENCE

Parameter	Range	Default	Notes
BlendMode	any	SCREEN	SCREEN for glow, MULTIPLY for dark halo
Opacity	0-100%	75
Noise	0-100%	0	Adds texture to glow
Color	RGB	yellow	Single color
Spread	0-100%	0	Higher = more solid center
Size	0-250px	5	Blur radius of glow

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§15 QUALITY CHECKLIST

Before finalizing ANY design:

• Text is readable at target viewing distance
• Color palette has max 3-5 colors (60-30-10 rule)
• Visual hierarchy is clear (title → image → details)
• White space is sufficient
• All effects look intentional (not overdone)
• No artifacts from filter operations
• Layer order is logical (bg → subject → text → effects → adjustments)
• Canvas dimensions match target platform
• Verified with get_document_image or get_layer_image

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