The basics

Advanced dodging and burning-in
ADVANCED PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 5.0 FOR DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHERS
After years of my ‘hit and miss’ approach to dodging and burning in the darkroom I can still
remember my reaction to seeing Photoshop Elements performing real-time lightening and
darkening – ‘You are kidding!’. Not only could I paint in light and dark areas on my picture
using a soft-edged brush, I could also vary the strength of the effect and the size of the brush
used for application. In addition, I could choose to
alter shadow, mid tones or highlights separately
and ‘undo’ my actions with a single keystroke. All
this fl exibility and with the lights on as well!
I would think that most new users to Photoshop
Elements would experience much of the same
excitement as I did when they fi rst discover the
Dodge and Burn-in tools. For the majority of
simple enhancement tasks a few quick strokes of
these tools will provide plenty of control over your
picture’s tones, but there are occasions when you
need a little more fl exibility. I use the following
techniques to provide a little more customization
to my dodging and burning in my work.
6.16 Using selections to change tone
Suitable for Elements – 5.0, 4.0, 3.0, 2.0, 1.0 | Diffi culty level – Intermediate | Resources – Web Image 6.16
Related Techniques – 6.17 | Tools used – Selection tools| Menus used – Select
You can evenly alter the tone of a large area of your picture quickly by making a feathered
selection of the area fi rst and then using the Levels control to darken or lighten the pixels. The
amount you feather the selection will determine how soft the transition will be between dodged
or burnt areas and the original picture. Using the Levels feature gives you great control over the
brightness of shadow, mid tone and highlight areas.
By manipulating the
Input and Output
sliders you can
selectively alter specifi c
tones in your image.
You can also decrease
or increase the contrast
of the selection as well.
Use this table to help
get you started.
Input and output sliders >>
(a) Black, mid tone and white Input sliders.
(b) Black and white Output sliders.
Required image change Action to take
To lighten the mid tones of a selected area Move the midpoint input triangle to the left
To darken the mid tones of a selected area Move the midpoint input triangle to the right
To lighten the mid tones and highlights Move the white point input triangle to the left
To darken the mid tones and shadows Move the black point input triangle to the right
To lighten the shadow tones Move the black point output triangle to the right
To darken the highlight tones Move the white point output triangle to the left
Book resources at: www.adv-elements.com
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IMAGE CHANGES –
BEYOND THE BASICS
To decrease contrast Move the white and black point Output sliders closer together
To increase contrast Move the white and black point Input sliders closer together