Product Photography Photo Editing and Retouching 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which Photoshop blending mode is most commonly used when dodging or burning product images on a gray-filled layer?
- Overlay (Correct answer)
- Multiply
- Screen
- Luminosity
Correct answer: Overlay
A 50% gray layer set to Overlay mode appears neutral, and painting white or black on it lightens or darkens the underlying product.
Question 2: What is the purpose of a luminosity mask when editing product photos?
- To make selections based on pixel brightness so adjustments apply only to specific tonal ranges (Correct answer)
- To increase the overall luminosity of the image
- To export images with embedded luminance data
- To reduce noise in bright areas only
Correct answer: To make selections based on pixel brightness so adjustments apply only to specific tonal ranges
Luminosity masks select pixels by their brightness, allowing targeted adjustments to highlights, midtones, or shadows without hard edges.
Question 3: In Photoshop, what is the keyboard shortcut to create a new layer as a 'snapshot' of everything visible below (a merged stamp)?
- Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E (Cmd+Opt+Shift+E on Mac) (Correct answer)
- Ctrl+J
- Ctrl+Shift+N
- Ctrl+E
Correct answer: Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E (Cmd+Opt+Shift+E on Mac)
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E stamps all visible layers into a new merged layer without flattening the document.
Question 4: Why would a product photographer use the 'Replace Color' adjustment in Photoshop?
- To sample a specific color and shift it to a different hue without masking (Correct answer)
- To swap the product background to a solid color
- To match colors across two different photos
- To remove all saturation from selected pixels
Correct answer: To sample a specific color and shift it to a different hue without masking
Replace Color lets you sample a target color and adjust its hue, saturation, and lightness in one step, useful for color variant mockups.
Question 5: A product JPEG delivered to a client looks desaturated and flat on their screen. What is the most likely cause?
- The file was saved without embedding a color profile (sRGB) (Correct answer)
- The image was shot at ISO 3200
- The client's monitor is too large
- The file was exported at 72 PPI
Correct answer: The file was saved without embedding a color profile (sRGB)
Without an embedded sRGB profile, many applications default to a generic or wrong profile, causing colors to appear muted or shifted.
Question 6: What is the main advantage of using adjustment layers over direct image adjustments in Photoshop?
- They are non-destructive and can be modified or deleted at any time (Correct answer)
- They render faster than direct adjustments
- They automatically sync across multiple documents
- They support higher bit depth
Correct answer: They are non-destructive and can be modified or deleted at any time
Adjustment layers sit above the image data and can be edited, masked, or discarded without permanently altering original pixels.
Question 7: Which Lightroom panel would you use to correct lens-caused geometric distortion in a product shot?
- Lens Corrections (Correct answer)
- Detail
- Transform
- HSL/Color
Correct answer: Lens Corrections
The Lens Corrections panel applies built-in lens profiles that automatically fix barrel/pincushion distortion and vignetting.
Product Photography Photo Editing and Retouching 3
Which Photoshop blending mode is most commonly used when dodging or burning product images on a gray-filled layer?