Geometric morphism induced by a functor ($f^{\ast }=(-)\circ F^{\mathrm{op}}$)

A functor $F:\mathcal{C}\to \mathcal{D}$ induces a geometric morphism from the presheaf topos on $\mathcal{C}$ to that on $\mathcal{D}$. Its inverse image is precomposition with $F^{\mathrm{op}}$, its direct image is Right Kan extension and its extra left adjoint is left Kan extension. The extra left adjoint sends $yC$ to $y(FC)$.

The geometric morphism induced by $T:\mathcal{C}\to \mathcal{D}$ is a geometric embedding exactly when $T$ is full and faithful. Its right adjoint has $(f_{\ast }H)(d)=\mathrm{Nat}(\mathcal{D}(T-,d),H)$. The counit at $c$ is precomposition with $\mathcal{C}(-,c)\to \mathcal{D}(T-,Tc)$. It is invertible for all $H$ precisely when that comparison presheaf is an isomorphism, by the Yoneda lemma, which is precisely full faithfulness of $T$.

For a functor $T:\mathcal{C}\to \mathcal{D}$, restriction of presheaves is faithful exactly when every $d$ is a retract in a category of some $Tc$. Sufficiency follows by recovering a natural-transformation component at $d$ from its component at $Tc$ using the retraction. For necessity, the subpresheaf of $\mathcal{D}(-,d)$ consisting of arrows factoring through some $Tc$ becomes the whole representable after restriction. Faithfulness of a geometric inverse image reflects such a monomorphism being an isomorphism. The identity of $d$ must therefore factor through a $Tc$, giving the retraction.