In this video tutorial I will walk you through how to create and use adjustment layers for tone control (lightening and darkening select areas) in your images. If you want to follow along and work on the same image I’m using you can download it here.
I’ve sized it down a bit from the original full sized one for faster downloads. It is watermarked and copyright (rights reserved) so please restrict your usage of the image to Photoshop practice, thank you.
Before Image
After Image
Compare to the before image above. Notice the areas around the ladies are all darkened, the people on the motorbike are desaturated and lower contrast, and the stickers on the doors have been removed. The overall affect is to highlight the ladies on the stoop, which has been achieved without the image looking “too” manipulated.
You will learn how to add and use the following adjustment layers:
- Dodge and burn layer
- Saturation
- Contrast
- Curves
- Retouching/cloning/healing
The difference between using adjustment layers versus just doing the same things directly on your main image is that this method is non-destructive. That means your original image (and layer) is untouched, and that each layer is fully editable and customizable even after you have applied it. It makes for a lot less cursing and causing you to just scrap the whole thing and start over, losing precious time.
By using adjustment layers you can also save the finished file as a layered PSD (as I show at the end of the video) so you can even come back another day and continue where you left off and they are all still full editable. You cannot do that if you apply them edits and adjustments directly to your image. The history in Photoshop only saves so many states and once you save and close the file that history is GONE forever. Only using layers allows you to change your mind later.
One thing I didn’t demonstrate in the video is that you can even lower the opacity of any of the adjustment layers including the dodge and burn one to lessen or fade its affect on the image. This is a super powerful tool to have in your arsenal.
Enjoy the video and please share your versions or results in the comments below.
Cheers,
Great tutorial Darlene, thanks so much for sharing.
Dalene, you have an unique ability to get a point across and make it completely understandable. As a professional educator in a very technical non-photography field I’m always amazed when someone can teach and actually have someone learn from their teaching. This you can obviously do but everyone can not.
The only suggestion I would like to offer is to consider presenting a cheat sheet of the sequential steps you show. This would enable those of us who are a bit older and have older memories to have a follow along paper copy of the steps next to our computers as we work our images using your techniques.
Thanks for your presentations.
Ron H
Hi Ron – thanks for your compliment and suggestion I’ll keep that in mind. It’s usually a time factor for me in the end. I just run out of time and making a written cheat sheet, formatting it and getting it uploaded for you to use could take me 4-5 hours. When I’m doing an article I usually take between 5-8 hours already and I simply don’t have time to do more. I will keep it in mind though and do my best. Thanks again.
Please! I would like to know weather this can be done in Photoshop Elements 13 or not ?? Thanks .John
Should be. If it has layers you can do this.
Thanks I will Give it a try and let you know
Can this be done in elements13?
Thanks for the great tutorial, Darlene. I have been trying to learn layers in PS, but have always been frustrated. You have made the learning process easier for me. I will practice with your tutorial until I feel confident enough to go it alone. Thanks again.
Great thanks Dieter I’m glad it helped make some sense of it for you
Thanks Darlene for your excellent video tutorial on burning and dodging using PS. I did not have any knowledge of doing it in the PS and now I know a little to make a start. I’d like to share what I experimented with my new knowledge and feels happy about the change it made. However, I’m sure you will have more ideas about improving it further and appreciate if you could show them. Thanks again for being a real mentor.
I like it very much this video because It was useful and easy to follow, thank you Darlene.
Great lesson. I loved learning about “overly” and inverting the mask. I didn’t tweak the photo after following the lesson.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks Darlene, great tutorial! I went thru the steps in much the same way as you have shown with similar results. I even went as far as removing the distracting electrical meter at the top center. But at the end of the day, there was no avoiding what I felt like was the 800 pound gorilla in the room…the motorcycle and that neon blue pillow! Had they been headed in the opposite direction they would have been looking into the photo and towards our intended subjects, and that dreaded blue pillow closer to the edge or perhaps out of the frame altogether. Alas, life isn’t a Hollywood movie set…and sometimes it’s not so much what we put into our photos as much as what we can leave out.
Well yes and no. For me it now lacks depth and storytelling. Compositionally perhaps better – but lacking story. For me this city is all about a million things going on at once, in all directions – which is represented by the elements in the original image. The image is full frame out of camera so my timing was just perfect to even get the bike in the shot and not covering the ladies. The blue sack can be toned down a lot more if you find it distracting as well.
Did you add blur to the edge vignette? I sometimes do that too. I didn’t here because I wanted detail in the building so show its age and state.
Again neither is right or wrong just interpretation. Thanks for giving it a go.
Sure, I understand that only the photographer knows what they see in their mind at the moment the shutter is pressed! I had even considered adding more motion blur to the motorcycle, but that would have completely obliterated the two ladies. And guilty as charged on the blurred vignette! Just another trick to send the eyes where you want them to go! Keep up the excellent work and perhaps I’ll be able to join you one day on a photo journey…
That would be great!
Thank you . REALLY helpful to watch you work the photo and see the final product and to hear you talk your way thru how you want the final to look Thanks!!!
Thanks James – feel free to download the image and try it yourself!