Darkening effect in Photoshop. Simple Secrets to Dodging and Burning in Photoshop

Good day to everyone, my dear friends and guests of my blog. Please tell me, has it ever happened to you that the photographs that you or someone you know turned out to be quite dark and not very watchable? Yes, such cases happen all the time. But thank God that all this can be fixed.

And our wonderful, famous graphic editor nicknamed Photoshop will help you and me with this). And by the way, what’s most interesting is that there are simply a great many ways to lighten a photo in Photoshop, so we’ll look at a few of the most optimal ones.

Well, for now, unpack your Photoshop and open the darkened image. I decided to take a photo of this dark alley.

Naturally, the first thing that came to my mind was to make the photo lighter using brightness and contrast. But in this article, if you don’t mind, I won’t talk about this method, as I talked about it in detail in the topic dedicated to this.

Light and shadow

Another way we will look at the so-called shadow and light effect. More precisely, this is not even an effect)

Blend Mode

Another very interesting method- This is using a blend mode. Let's take a closer look.

As you can see, for this photo I needed to duplicate the layers four times))). Well, nothing, but it became as bright as day.

Levels

A very popular type of image correction, with which you can give a photo a very interesting look. B since thanks to it you can shift the brightness levels of the image, this tool becomes simply irreplaceable in our case.

When you enter, you will see a small histogram of the input values. There are three points in total: Black (left), white (right) and gray (halftone in the middle). By moving one point or another, we change the levels of input values, and therefore change the brightness of the picture. OK. Quite a dry theory.

Curves

This correction tool is also very chic and I really love it. It can be used for powerful color correction. Well, it won’t be difficult for her to lighten the picture at all. In general, it might even be worth making a separate article about this. I'll see according to my mood. For now, let's make the picture lighter.

But of course, “Curves” and “Levels” can do much cooler things than simple lightening.

Well, now you know how to lighten a photo in Photoshop, and very easily and quickly. So now it won’t be difficult for you to make your photo much more pleasing to the eye.

And if you want to learn more about working with these functions, as well as learn Photoshop from scratch from A to Z, then I strongly recommend that you study this powerful video course. No fluff, everything is straight to the point and told in human language. Moreover, I have it for my readers.

Well, if you liked my article, then you can subscribe to my blog updates to always be aware of everything new on the pages of my blog. And I will be glad to see you again on the pages of my blog. Good luck to you. Bye bye!

Best regards, Dmitry Kostin.

Instructions

Photoshop is known to be professional graphic editor With very large tools, there are countless options for darkening the background. You can simply use a darkening brush on the picture, you can select the main characters on a separate layer using a lasso and dim the brightness of the background layer, or simply use some kind of light filter. We want to offer you another way. At first glance it looks a little complicated, but in reality there is nothing difficult or unusual, and the result of such darkening looks very natural and beautiful.

For successful work we will need Quick Mask and Gradient, located on the toolbar. The type of gradient you choose will depend on the shape of the main element of the photo. For example, when working with a portrait, choose gradient two with rays diverging from the center, in our case we will use gradient number 4, which will give us smooth transition along the entire main element.

Click the button Quick mask. Go to the gradient tool, select the option that suits you best and apply a gradient to the image so that the main element is filled with red. It should look something like this.

Press the Quick Mask button again to exit its mode. Using the keyboard shortcuts CTRL + J, copy the selected area to new layer. Go to the menu under Image – Adjustments – Brightness/Contrast. Move the sliders to decrease the brightness of the layer and increase or decrease its contrast. It all depends on what you would like the future photograph to look like. If this also darkens areas that you would like to keep light, there is nothing to worry about. Turn on the layer mask and, alternating white and soft brushes, remove or add darkening to the desired area of ​​the image.

Today it’s hard to believe, but there was a time, not so long ago, when cameras were not digital, and photo processing was carried out in a laboratory and not on a computer.

Digital cameras and Photoshop have brought photo editing from the darkroom to your living room ( or where you have your computer), but many of the tools and Photoshop features rooted in traditional development.

Two clear examples of this are - Photoshop tools“Darken” and “Darken”, both of them are located in the tool palette. The terms "lighten" and "darken" refer to methods that were used to either lighten ( Dodge) or darken ( Burn) specific areas of the photo, increasing or limiting exposure to reagents in certain areas.

Photoshop's Dodge and Burn tools are digital versions of these techniques and are often used to either lighten underexposed areas of a photo or darken overexposed areas.

Although these two tools are very useful, however, both have one very serious drawback: May cause permanent distortion of your image. It's best to save a copy when starting to work in Photoshop so that you can always return the original photo. This is often referred to as "non-destructive" work in Photoshop, and you should always use it whenever possible.

Luckily, Adobe has provided us with a variety of non-destructive image manipulation techniques, and in this photo editing article, we'll look at one of them. We'll look at a great technique for selectively controlling a photo's exposure by dodging and darkening specific areas.

It produces results very similar to what we could achieve with the Dodge and Burn tools, but without damaging the image's pixels.

We have a photo of one of the very common problems. The newlyweds should be the main focus of the image, but due to the direction sun rays and no fill flash effect, the pair looks too dark while the background comes out too bright:

Original photo

Using just Photoshop's Dodge and Burn tools and a layer blend mode, we can easily fix the imperfections in this image:

Photos after lightening and darkening specific areas

Let's get started!

Step 1: Add a New Layer

Open the image, then press and hold the Alt key ( Win) / Option ( Mac) and click on the “ New Layer” icon at the bottom of the layers palette:

This way we add a new layer on top of the current one. But holding down the Alt key ( Win) / Option ( Mac) When we click the New Layer icon, we tell Photoshop that we need to open the New Layer dialog box before the layer is added.

This will give us the opportunity to name the layer and also allow us to change a few important parameters. Since I'll be using this layer to lighten and darken some areas, I'll call it "Dodge and Burn". If you don't want to, you don't have to name a layer individually, but naming layers is a very useful habit:

However, what we really need the “ New Layer” window for is to change the option at the very bottom of the window - Mode. "Mode" is an abbreviation for " Layer Blend Mode”, and by default it is set to “ Normal”. Change " Blend Mode" to "Overlap":

In short, the “Overlay” blending mode belongs to the “Contrast” group of modes and is often used to increase the contrast of an image. Any areas of the layer that are lighter than 50% gray ( meaning a shade of gray exactly halfway between black and white) are used to brighten an image.

While areas darker than 50% gray are used to darken them. Any areas that are exactly 50% gray are completely ignored by Photoshop and become transparent. We will now see how this works in practice.

In the Overlay blending mode, you will see a new option in the dialog box - “ Fill with a neutral color (50% gray)" Check the box to enable this option:

This tells Photoshop to fill our new layer with 50% gray. Once you're done, click the "OK" button to exit the dialog box. If we look at the Layers palette now, we'll see a new layer called "Dodge and Burn" located above the background.

We have this layer's blending mode set to Overlay, and if we look at its thumbnail to the left of its name, we can see that this layer is filled with gray:

I noted earlier that when a layer's blending mode is set to Overlay, any areas of the layer that are 50% gray become transparent. And, if we look at our image, we can see that even though the "Dodge and Burn" layer is filled with solid gray, we can see our original photo. Gray The "Dodge and Burn" layer is completely transparent:

Step 2: Select the Brush Tool

We're going to lighten and darken different areas of the image by simply painting white or black areas over them. Areas painted with white will become lighter, areas painted with black will become darker. Again, this is because we will be painting them on a layer that has its blending mode set to Overlay.

However, before we can paint over anything, we must select the Brush tool. To do this, either select “Brush" from the tool palette, or press the "B" key on the keyboard:

Step 3: Set the Foreground Color to White

I want to start by brightening a few areas. This means I need to paint white areas on them. This means I need to set the Foreground color to white, since the Brush tool paints with the color that is set as the Foreground color. Press the "D" key on your keyboard, which resets the text and background colors to their default settings. Black is set as the foreground color, white as the background color.

To swap them, press the “X” key on your keyboard. If we look at the Foreground and Background color swatches side by side at the bottom of the Tools palette, we can see that white is now set as the Foreground color:

Step 4: Reduce Brush Opacity to 10 - 20%

It's best when working with this technique to gradually increase the amount of dodge and burn we apply, because even a small amount can sometimes be enough. Therefore we need to work with a low opacity brush. Make sure you have the Brush tool selected, then go to the Options bar at the top of the screen and reduce the Opacity to 10-20%. I set the value to 10%.

This way, every time I paint over the same area, I'll increase the intensity of the lighting or darkening by 10%, which gives me more wiggle room:

Step 5: Paint over the areas you want to lighten

With the Brush Tool selected, white as the Foreground color and the Opacity reduced, simply paint over the areas of the photo that you want to lighten. The first time the effect will be quite subtle due to the low opacity of the brush.

But if you need to lighten certain areas more, just paint over them several times. You can change the brush size if necessary. If you want to use a soft-edged brush, you can make the edges of the brush softer by pressing the left arrow key several times while holding Shift key. Pressing the right arrow while holding Shift makes the edges harder.

I want to paint over the newlywed couple itself, so I need to paint a few strokes on them with a medium soft brush. Each time I paint over areas, I will increase their brightness by 10%. Therefore, go over the figures of the newlyweds 3 or 4 times.

The faces in the photo look particularly dark, so this area may need to be further processed.

Paint white areas of the photo that you want to brighten.

Step 6: Set Foreground Color to Black

When you're done with the areas you're highlighting, press the "X" key to swap the Foreground and Background colors.

Are there too many elements in the photo? Focus on the main thing! In this article you will learn how to darken the background in a photo and highlight all the most important things in the photo. To do this, you only need the photo itself and the PhotoMASTER program.

Step 1. Preparing for work

Download “PhotoMASTER” and install it on your PC. The whole procedure will take literally five minutes, because the distribution kit weighs little. After the installation is complete, launch the program and open the photo whose background you want to darken. Go to the "Retouching" section. Here, select the Radial Filter option.

The Radial Filter is a tool for creating accents in a photo. With its help, you can qualitatively darken or lighten certain areas of the image, make one part of the photo color and the other black and white, or simply blur the background.

Separate the darkened area from the fragment, which will remain unchanged. Just click on the photo with the mouse and place the round frame that appears in a place suitable for your idea. In the panel on the right, next to the “Processing” line, check the box next to “External”.

Check the box next to "Outside"

Step 2: Darken the Background

Let's start processing the photo. Refer to tone settings. Drag the Exposure slider to the left. The further you move it from the center, the darker the background will become.

Adjust the “Exposure”: to darken, move the slider to the left

Is the transition from dark to light striking? Adjust the feathering. Drag the slider to the right until you are completely satisfied with the result. At the maximum mark, the transition between sections will be completely invisible.

Adjust the feathering to make the transition softer

Are there elements that are too light in the darkened area? Then additional correction will be needed. Work with the Highlights and Highlights parameters. Move the slider to left side to make overexposed parts less noticeable.

If necessary, adjust the light colors in the photo

Similarly, you can create an additional selection and process the part of the image that remains without darkening. To do this, check the box next to the “Processing” line in the “Inside” column and make changes.

Adjust the contrast and brightness of the photo

Alternative ways to darken the background without Photoshop

You can darken the background of a photo in PhotoMASTER in other ways.

• Vignetting

Use this tool if you want to specifically highlight the center of the image. Find it in the "Tools" section. Darken the borders by dragging the slider to the right. Try experimenting with additional parameters. You can change the strength of roundness, midpoint parameters, and standard feathering level. To correct overexposed areas, there is a “Backlight” scale. Make corrections and get rid of unwanted overexposure in no time.

You can darken the edges of a photo using the Vignetting function.

• Replacing the background

Do you need to not just darken the background of the photo, but make it completely black? Pay attention to this tool. The PhotoMASTER application allows you to separate the desired object from the old background and transfer it to a new one in a couple of clicks. Set the fill to black, adjust the borders and save everything as you want.

If necessary, the background can be made completely black

If you wish, you can continue the transformation using other functions. Add interesting toning, remove noise from a photo, or remove defects using the functions in the Retouching section. Pay special attention to the “Stamp”. It is with this tool that you can, if necessary, “cover up” overexposed areas or get rid of unwanted objects in the rest of the photo. Now you know all the secrets: use the capabilities of “PhotoMASTER” to the maximum - your photos will always be perfect!

Improve your landscape photography skills by using a variety of advanced dodging and burning techniques to fine-tune the light and shade of your photos.

When it comes to making final adjustments to landscape photos, dodging and burning becomes an art form in itself. This process has been an integral part of photography for many years, but these days, adjusting light and shadow is much easier than it ever was in a dedicated darkroom.

Here we will look at several techniques. However, this is not a case where simply knowing how to selectively adjust brightness is enough: it is much more important to determine which area of ​​​​the photo needs processing.

When looking at a photograph, the eyes first focus on the lighter areas. We need to take this into account when working. Imagine your eyes wandering around the image: emphasize the main lines and draw your eyes to the desired subject.

1. Separate the earth and sky

Select the sky using the tool Quick selection (Quick Selection Tool), then click Ctrl+J to copy the area to a new layer. Create an adjustment layer Levels(Levels). Set its blend mode Multiplication(Multiply), darkening the photo. Select the layer mask and click Ctrl + I to invert it.

2. Darken the sky

Press and hold the key Ctrl based on the thumbnail of the sky copy layer. Click on the layer mask Levels(Layers). Select a tool Brush(Brush Tool). Set white as the foreground color and the Opacity(Opacity) reduce to 20% . Sketch the areas of the sky you want to darken. When ready, click Ctrl+D, deselecting it.

3. Raise the Foreground

Create a new adjustment layer Levels(Layers). Set its blending mode to Screen(Screen) to brighten the image. Click on the sky layer while holding down the key Ctrl and then go to menu Select > Inverse(Select > Inverse). Invert the mask of the new Levels layer and use a white brush to paint over the foreground areas that need to be brightened. When you're done, reset the selection.

04. Highlight the stones

Click Ctrl + Shift + Alt + E, creating a merged layer. Right click on the new layer and select Convert to Smart Object(Convert to Smart Object). Go to menu Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask(Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask). Set the following parameter values: Effect(Amount) - 120 , Radius(Radius) - 45 , Isohelium(Threshold) - 4 , adding clarity to the stones. Invert the layer mask that appears and paint the stones white.

5. Attract the eye

Press and hold the key Alt by the new layer icon at the bottom of the panel Layers(Layers Panel). In the layer creation window, set Mode(Mode) on Overlap(Overlay), then check the box next to " Fill..." (Fill with…) and click OK. Install Opacity(Opacity) brushes on 10% . Paint with white to lighten areas, black to darken; use this layer to draw attention to the subject.

6. Highlights and shadows

Click Ctrl + Shift + Alt + E to create another merged layer. Select a tool Clarifier(Dodge Tool), install Exhibition(Exposure) - 10% , A Range(Range) - Backlight(Highlights). Paint over the areas you want to emphasize. Use the tool Dimmer(Burn Tool) with By exposure(Exposure) - 10% And Range(Range) - Shadows(Shadows) to add depth to the shadows.