Dodging & Burning your Mono images doesn't have to be a guessing game. The Digital Age has changed all that... Thanks to software like Photoshop Elements 8!
Dodging & Burning are terms used more so in photography. It is not exclusive or new to any image editing software. In actual fact it hails from the traditional darkroom. Basically, Dodging was performed by shading an area of the print from exposure for a time resulting in that area being lighter or illuminated. Burning involved increasing the exposure in the chosen areas, resulting in those areas being darker and more intense.
In the traditional method you couldn't actually see the difference your Dodging & Burning had made to your image until after you've developed the print. So in essence it was a bit of a fine art and somewhat of a guessing game! However the digital age has helped take out the guess-work with image editing software such as Photoshop Elements 8. Now you can keep track of your progress. By using the techniques I'm going to share with you, you can also achieve the same outcome, without the hassle!
So here you are with an image that is flat and lifeless. Your wondering what your options are for breathing life back into it, you might want to consider turning that image into mono and test driving your Dodge & Burn Tools, for Dodging & Burning are a vital part of black & white work. Knowing how to Dodge & Burn your images in Elements 8 the right way is a key ingredient to getting the mono look you want quickly and effortlessly without many, if any mistakes on the way. In the examples I'm about to show you I have chosen to use the Levels Adjustment Layers to fine tune the image which is a pretty typical approach. You don't have to use them, you can dive straight in with the Dodge & Burn techniques after converting your image to mono. However, this path can be tedious and the likelihood of mistakes can occur.
I have an example of an image where I have made some contrast adjustments using Levels. I did this by making two selections. Firstly the foreground, in which I moved the Levels sliders to get that contrast right and lastly the background. From there I tweaked the image more using the Dodge & Burn tools... the final result is a grittier image with nice highlights. The hills in the background that you could barely see in the before pic are now given some definition, along with mist that is coming up from the sea. All-in-all, a big improvement!
Find out the exact method I used to turn that dull, lifeless image into something with a bit more grunt that's worth keeping. Head over to Dodge And Burn Tutorial
This is Margareta Koopu bringing you helpful tutorials on Adobe Photoshop Elements 8. For more information visit my website at http://www.photoshop2torial.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment