DigitalCamFan
How to Dodge and Burn in Photoshop cs4
Recently I learned a new technique on how to dodge and burn in photoshop cs4! It works great for dodging and burning on a different layer so it doesn’t impact your main picture. This way you can turn the layer on and off to see exactly what has changed in your picture.
I recently went to a scrimmage game at the University. The clouds were amazing that night swirling around in different formations. One minute you thought it was going to rain the next the sun was shinning through.
First you will want to open a new layer
- Layer -> New -> Layer
- When the box comes up name your layer (good habit to always name your layers)
- Mode – Overlay
- Once you change the mode you will you want to check the box directly underneath that says “Fill with Overlay-neutral color (50% gray)
- Click o.k.
Now you should have a new layer above your picture that is completely gray. This is the layer we are working on so make sure it is selected by just clicking that layer in your layer panel. If your layer panel isn’t open go to window -> layers or press F7.
Next we need to select a tool
Dodge – will lighten
Burn – will darken
Right click on your tool bar to see the options
Once you choose your tool you will have a few options on the top of the screen
Brush size (You can also use your brackets on the keyboard to increase or decrease the size of your brush while you’re working on it. Choose how hard or soft you want your edges to be. I went with a softer one so it would blend nicely into the picture.
Range – I usually start with the midtones at an exposure of 20%.
Play for awhile and then turn on and off your dodge and burn layer to see the difference! this works great on clouds or lighten up faces, playings with shadows etc.
This picture was taken with the Canon 60D using the Canon 18-55mm lens at a focal length of 18mm. Set to Manual / shutter speed 400sec at f/8
Converting to Black & White from Color using Film and Filter
Recently I took a photography class – beginners guide to black and white as well as advanced black and white! They were quick classes each only lasting 4 weeks, but I learned a lot in that time. One of the things we learned was how to convert your color pictures into black and white. This is one of those techniques that can be used with any Photoshop version including elements.
Here is a picture of a flower I took at the Royal Sonesta in New Orleans:
Choose Layer – New Adjustment Layer – Hue/Saturation
Name this layer Filter
Change the Mode to Color then click OK
Choose Layer – New Adjustment Layer – Hue/Saturation again
Now you want to name this layer Film press ok
Your hue/saturation should be open so go ahead move the saturation slider all the way to the left -100. This will turn your picture gray.
Your screen should look like this:
Click on the layer that says filter in the layers panel drag the Hue slider left and right to create different black and white effects. To adjust individual colors select a color family from the edit list and then move the Hue slider. Just play with them all until you get the picture you desire!
Next I will go into dodge and burn as well as other techniques on how to turn your picture into a black and white image!
How to extract an image Photoshop CS4
This is a quick and easy way to extract an image from Photoshop CS4- First your going to open your image right click on your background layer and select duplicate layer. Now you should have two layers exactly the same.
On one of the layers use your selection tool to select what area you want to extract. Don’t worry if it selects a little beyond what you are working on we can clean that up in a minute.
With you mask tool open (Windows->Masks) click on Add A Pixel Mask
Turn off your first layer so you only see the layer you are working with. Use your eraser tool to erase anything that is obviously not part of the image you want extracted. Now look for the feather tool on your Mask editor and feather the edges a little bit.
Now you can work on either the background layer or the extracted layer.
What a little contrast can do in photoshop
What a little contrast can do in Photoshop…
First let me start off by saying I am not an expert in Photoshop or photography… I just enjoy it!
I was amazed at what a difference the contrast tool can make on an image. Out of all the pictures I have taken I thought this one really demonstrated how amazing this tool is.
First of all you might want to read how I took the picture of the water droplet. I think the fact that there was a colored light under the drum head is why this picture brings in such color. When i first looked at the picture I figured the flash light I was using was too small. Just not enough power to light the image, but the softness of the light is what I ended up loving.
In Photoshop there are a few ways to do contrast – the one I used for this image was
Image — adjustments — levels…
You can see the histogram in the levels dialog box, make sure you check the preview checkbox so you can preview your work as you go. Under the histogram image is your input slider (black point, gamma, and white point on the right) What I did was bring the black point to the edge of where the histgram starts. giving me an input level of 170 | 1.00 | 255
Play with these levels for awhile until you get the contrast exactly where you want it. I went a bit dark on the contrast, but that was just a personal preference.
I only 2 other things when editing this photo. Seems like I use the sharpen tool on all my photos.
Filter — Sharpen — Sharpen
The other tool was the clone stamp. I used that to take out the dusk particles that seemed to appear when I added the contrast, will write a post of about the clone stamp next.
If you want to share your favorite contrast tool please do. Or if you want to correct me on my technique also feel free to always ready to learn something new!
Black and White with a touch of Sepia
Taking a colored picture and turning it black and white with a touch of sepia. This tutorial is for Photo shop CS!
Layer — New adjustment layer — channel mixer
When you first open the channel mixer there will be a pop up window that says new layer, go ahead and hit o.k. On the next window you will want to check the box for monochrome, and then move the sliders around until you are happy with the results. You can always go back and re-tweak your choices when you are done.
Change the opacity to around 50% according to what you like.
Layer — New adjustment layer — Hue/Saturation
When you first open Hue/Saturation there will be a pop up window that says new layer, go ahead and hit o.k. Next go ahead and check the box to colorize Once again play with the settings until you are happy with the results.
Change the opacity to around 50% according to what you like.
Layer — Duplicate Layer
Set the blending mode to Soft Light (for tone and contrast)
Opacity and fill to 50% or adjust to your preference
Next you will want to….
Layer — New adjustment layer — curves
When you first open the curves there will be a pop up window that says new layer, go ahead and hit o.k. Now curves I can mess with all day, hard to get exactly the right amount. Have fun playing with them!
You can mess with the colors to either give you picture a lot of color or just a touch of color. The options are limitless, have fun with it!
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