Dodge and Burn for Shape and Depth in Photoshop – Classic Day 17

Dodge and Burn for Shape and Depth

Dodging and burning, brightening and darkening parts of a photo by hand, does two jobs. First, it recovers information: it can pull detail back into a bright sky or a dark foreground. Second, it adds shape, making light look more three-dimensional. In this lesson we do both on a landscape, non-destructively, with Curves adjustment layers and a low-flow brush. Blend If, from Day 14, makes sure each adjustment only lands where it belongs.

Recover the Sky

1. Add a Darkening Curves Layer

   Add a Curves adjustment layer. Pull the top-right point down a little and drag the midpoint down. The whole image darkens.

2. Invert the Mask and Paint It In

   Press Ctrl/Cmd + I to fill the mask with black, then press B and paint with white over the sky. Detail comes back into the clouds, but the mountaintops along the horizon darken too and look unnatural.

3. Hide It from the Shadows with Blend If

   Double-click the Curves layer to open Layer Style. On the Underlying Layer slider, hold Alt/Option and drag the left black marker to the right. The darkening fades out of the mountains and stays in the bright sky. Without Alt/Option the cutoff is choppy; with it, the transition is smooth.

Recover the Foreground

4. Add a Brightening Curves Layer

   Add another Curves layer and lift the curve. Invert the mask and paint white over the dark foreground where detail is hard to see.

5. Hide It from the Highlights

   This time do the opposite in Blend If: hold Alt/Option and drag the right white marker of the Underlying Layer slider to the left. The brightening stays in the shadows and leaves the bright areas alone.

6. Repeat for the Tree Line

   Add a third Curves layer, brighten, invert the mask, paint over the dark trees and the mountains, and again hide it from the highlights with Blend If. Toggle the three layers: the exposure is already far more balanced.

Recovering information is always the place to start. Once the exposure is even, dodging and burning becomes a creative tool.

Dodge to Enhance the Light

7. Set Up a Soft, Low-Flow Brush

   Add a brightening Curves layer and invert its mask. Press B, right-click and set Hardness to 0%. In the options bar set Flow to about 5% (type 05 while the Brush Tool is active). Low flow lets the effect build up gradually as you pass over an area several times, which looks far more natural than one heavy stroke.

8. Follow the Existing Highlights

   Paint white over the areas the light is already hitting: the bright edges of rocks, the highlights on the water. Use the bracket keys to resize the brush as you go. You are enhancing the light that is there, not inventing new light.

Burn to Add Shape

9. Add a Darkening Curves Layer

   Add a Curves layer, pull it down, invert the mask, and with the same 5% flow paint white over the areas that are already in shadow.

10. Build Contrast Between the Two

    Lighter lights next to darker darks is what carves shape. A flat patch of water starts to look like it has ridges and hollows once light is painted on one side and shadow on the other. Most people, Aaron included, dodge more than they burn, so let the brightening lead.

Finish and Compare

11. Group and Toggle

    Select all the Curves layers and press Ctrl/Cmd + G. Turn the group off and on to compare. If the effect is stronger than you want, lower the group’s opacity rather than repainting.

Mouse or Tablet?

A pressure-sensitive tablet gives finer control, but with flow at 5% a mouse or trackpad works fine. The low flow is what makes the layering smooth. Tomorrow’s lesson builds a photo collage with Smart Objects.

Related Tutorials

• Dynamic Text Update in Photoshop Beta: 3 Easy Shapes
• Dodge and Burn in Photoshop: 5 Easy Curve Steps
• Gradient in Photoshop: 3 Easy Ways to Shape Light