| 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 |
§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 |
§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
§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.
§12 CRITICAL TOOL GOTCHAS — 17 VERIFIED
These are verified bugs/behaviors that WILL cause failures if ignored:
select_layer CAN DELETE LAYERS — Use set_layer_properties or execute_batchplay to target layers insteadset_layer_properties RESETS clipping mask — Always pass is_clipping_mask=false (or true if clipped) to preserve stateplace_image always throws error — But the layer IS created. Ignore the error and continue.VIVID_LIGHT blend mode is rejected — MCP tool doesn't support it. Use batchplay.scale_layer fails silently on Smart Objects — Use free_transform insteadgenerate_image/generative_fill return success but produce nothing — Adobe Firefly AI tools unreliable in MCP- Canvas rotation affects ALL layers — Every layer rotates. Plan accordingly.
apply_wind only blows HORIZONTALLY — Use canvas rotation for vertical effects (see §8.1)- Filters require rasterized layers — Text, shape, Smart Object layers will fail. Always rasterize first.
translate_layer Y axis — Positive Y moves DOWN (standard screen coords)- SCREEN blend requires BLACK background — White on transparent + SCREEN = invisible.
- Wind "blast" method is TOO aggressive — Use "wind" method for controlled streaks.
- Global Light is shared — Bevel and Drop Shadow share angle by default.
- File tokens required for file paths — batchPlay won't trust raw file paths in some contexts.
- All modifying batchPlay in UXP needs executeAsModal — Direct execution without modal wrapper will fail silently.
- Blur Gallery may force dialog — Field/Iris/Tilt-Shift/Spin/Path blur may open dialog despite suppression.
- Camera Raw Filter NOT scriptable headless — Always requires dialog. Use Curves + Levels + Color Balance instead.
§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 |
§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 |
§15 QUALITY CHECKLIST
Before finalizing ANY design:
Converted and distributed by TomeVault — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.
