Dodging and Burning (selectively lightening and darkening areas of an image) are terms that have been passed down from the darkroom. Dodging and Burning can be used to create better tonal balance, enhance drama, increase dimension or guide the viewer’s attention. In the realm of digital developing there are many techniques for selectively lightening and darkening areas of an image.
An image of the Little River as my camera captured it.
Dodging and burning (as well as some other adjustments) have been used to enhance tonal balance, contrast and dimension in the image.
One popular non destructive technique involves creating a 50% gray layer set to the the Overlay blending mode and then using that to darken or lighten the image with either the Dodge and Burn tools or with the Paint Brush tool set to either black or white. A PhotoCascadia reader recently sent us a question wondering if their are advantages to using the Dodge and Burn Tools instead of the Paint Brush Tool in combination with a gray Overlay layer.
In this short video tutorial I demonstrate the 50% gray layer technique and take a look at misconceptions many people have about how the Dodge and Burn Tools work in conjunction with it. I also give a brief demonstration of a powerful technique for non destructive dodging and burning with a 50% gray layer using Luminosity Selections. This is a technique that Tony Kuyper calls Luminosity Painting. It gives control of specific tonal ranges when dodging and burning that people mistakenly assume they are getting when they use the Dodge and Burn Tools with a 50% gray layer.
To learn more about Luminosity Selections, Luminosity Masking, Luminosity Painting and other similar techniques that I mention in the video you might want to check out these references:
- Sean’s Extending Dynamic Range Video Tutorials
- Tony Kuyper’s written tutorials and actions
- Zack Schnepf’s video tutorials
- Chip Phillips’ video tutorials
I hope you find this short video educational. If you have any questions please leave them in the comments below and I’ll respond as best I can. I’d also love to hear about other dodging and burning techniques that you find effective.
Sean is an outdoor photographer, digital image developing enthusiast and photography educator based in Ashland, Oregon, where he resides with his wife and two sons. His previous career as a science teacher makes photography education a good fit. Sean teams up with fellow Photo Cascadia members leading workshops. He also teaches digital image developing classes, lectures and offers a series of Photoshop video tutorials.
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