How to Burn & Dodge in Photoshop
One of the most frequently used graphics programs on the market, Adobe Photoshop has a broad array of tools, filters and functions you can use to enhance images or create graphics. Two of the most useful are the burn and dodge tools. There is often confusion about what these tools do. They add light or shadows to an existing image you have opened in Photoshop. While the dodge tool can add lighter areas to the document, the burn tool can be used to darken it. These tools can add atmosphere or interest to a photo, or they can be used to make a recent photo look old and damaged.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Open Photoshop. Select "File," and click "Open." In the dialog box that pops up, browse to an image you want to work with, and open it. Right-click the background layer, and select "Duplicate." This will protect your original image in the background layer from any changes that you make.
-
2
Go to the toolbar, and select either the "Burn" or "Dodge" tool. In the options at the top of the interface, choose the size of the brush.
-
-
3
Decide whether you want to first use the tool to lighten (in the case of the dodge tool) or darken (in the case of the burn tool) the "Midtones," "Highlights" or "Shadows" (you can switch later to apply the tool to one of the other categories). Then adjust the "Exposure" of the tool. This will essentially alter the strength of the effect from 0 to 100.
-
4
Use the tool to paint on the image to apply the effect. You can adjust the brush size and all the other options as you work. You can also switch back and forth between the burn and dodge tools.
-
5
Select "File," and click "Save."
-
1
References
- Photo Credit light in dark image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
