Variation to Edge Burns with Burning and Dodging using Photoshop Elements

Part 2

(Return to Part 1)

But this isn’t what we want, so we need to change this layer’s mask. Click on the mask to make sure it is active, and then go to Edit>Fill Layer. In the resultant dialog box, make sure you have the settings as shown below.

After you choose the Edit/Fill Layer as shown on the left, you will get this dialog box. Make sure it is filled out as shown.

The mask is now solid black.

Let’s go over what we have done. When we chose “Screen” for this layer it caused the whole image to become brighter. At that time the mask was a solid white. When the mask of a layer is white it causes that layer to express itself fully in its effect over the image. By turning the mask to black we are essentially temporarily shutting off the effects of that layer. As you noticed when the mask became black the image went back to the way it was before we changed the blending mode. If you click the eye-ball icon for this layer on and off, you will see nothing happens.

Remember from our previous lesson, that painting white into the mask starts to bring the effect back, and those areas of white express themselves on top of the layer below. In this case when we paint white we will cause the “screen” blending mode to take effect in those areas of white.

So make sure your foreground color is white, and then choose a large, soft brush. Gently begin to paint with the white paintbrush over the areas of the image you want to make lighter. Adjust the opacity as before if the effect is too rapid.

Painting over the couple results in those areas become lighter, as reflected in the “Dodge” layer mask. Click the eyeball icon on and off for this layer to see the changes you have made. Continue this way until all of the areas that needed to be lighter have been taken care off.

There are many areas within this image that I would like to see darker. This will also have effect of increasing the contrast in some areas so the colors reflecting off of the water pop out. To do this, click on the “Burn” layer to make it active and select a blending mode of “Multiply”. It once again has become very dark. Let’s look at the areas we are going to work. We are looking for areas where the color is now jumping out.

These are the areas where we are going to burn.

First we need to fill the mask with black as we did for the “Dodge” layer. Go to Image>Fill Layer as before and fill the layer with black. The black mask turns the multiply effect back off, ready for us to paint in white to darken our chosen areas.

Make sure the mask is selected and the foreground color is white and chose a large soft brush like you did before. Paint gently in those areas of the image that improved when they were darker.

While I was at it, I also darkened the top edges of the image again to make those areas appear to recede back into the image.

We’re almost done. Because we have used adjustment layers to make these changes we are able to go back and fine tune the effects on any layer at any time. I am going to go back now with a smaller brush in the “Dodge” Layer. Make sure the mask in the “Dodge” layer is selected and begin painting white into the image in those areas I want to sparkle a little more. In this case I want the white of the water a little brighter so I will gently paint over those areas as well as any other highlights that could help create more depth such as the highlights on the shoes and the edges of their pant legs to create more separation.

It’s time to see how we did.

Before

After

by Michael Fulks

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