Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
In CS4 and earlier versions of Photoshop, when we wanted to dodge and burn, we
had to jump through a bunch of hoops (creating special layers, and using blend
modes and such), because the Dodge and Burn tools were…well…let's just say they
weren't the best (and that's being kind). Luckily, back in Photoshop CS5, Adobe
and Burn Tools
updated these tools, which totally fixed the problem, and now it's safe to use the
Dodge and Burn tools for lightening and darkening different parts of your image.
Step One:
Before we dig into this, I just want to
you let you know up front that I would
normally do my dodging and burning
inside Camera Raw using the Adjustment
Brush (and do the lightening and dark-
ening using only the Exposure slider).
However, if you're already in Photoshop
and don't want to go back to Camera
Raw, then here's how you'd do it: In the
photo shown here, our light is kind of
out of balance. The thing I want people
drawn to is the gondola on the left in
the foreground, but the brightest thing
in the photo (the thing that draws your
eye) is the building in the top-left corner,
which is where I don't want the viewer
looking. In fact, almost the entire fore-
ground is in shadow, so first, we're going
to dodge (lighten) the gondola, and then
we'll brighten up the buildings and side-
walk on the right side of the image. Then,
we're going to burn (darken) the buildings
on the left and the sky. Basically, we're just
going to rearrange how the light is falling
on our photo. Now, I don't use the Dodge
and Burn tools directly on the original
photo. Instead, press
Command-J (PC:
Ctrl-J)
to duplicate the Background layer.
That way, if we don't like what we've done,
we can lessen the effect (by lowering the
layer's opacity) or undo it altogether by
throwing the layer away.
(Continued)
