BACKGROUNDS / BLENDING

1. "Refine Edge" (The Erase/Restore Brush)

• • Where is it? You must click "Remove Background" first. Once the background is gone, a new menu appears on the left with a generic "Edit" or "Erase / Restore" brush.

  • The Limitation: You don't get "smart radius" for hair. You just get a brush size and a "hard/soft" toggle. You have to manually paint back the parts of the duck that got cut off. It’s perfect for teaching the concept of mask cleanup without the complexity.

2. "Adjustment Layers" (Image Adjustments)

These are Object Properties, not layers In Express

• • Where is it? Click on your image (the duck). On the left panel, scroll down to "Adjustments." You will see sliders for Contrast, Brightness, Saturation, Highlights, and Warmth.

  • It only affects the one image you selected.

3. "Filters" (Effects)

• • Where is it? Click the image. On the left panel, look for "Effects." You will see options for "Duotone," "Grayscale," and "Darken."

  • Suggestion: the Duotone effect is might be ccol on the Duck Travel project if you have an alien planet purple, you can use a "Purple/White" duotone on the duck to instantly make it look like it belongs in that atmosphere?

4. Drop Shadows

This is just a toggle switch.

• • Where is it? Click the image. On the left panel, scroll to "Effects" (sometimes usually near the bottom) and look for "Shadow."

  • The Limitation: You usually get just "Soft," "Strong," or "Outline." You can customize the color, angle, and distance, but you don't get the "contour" or "noise" options of Photoshop.