Dodging and burning with an overlay layer is probably an improvement
over the normal dodge and burn tools.
In the good old days of darkrooms and chemicals and sensitive paper,
photographers would cut holes in card to shine more image-light onto
the paper (burning) OR hold back some of the image-light with bits of
card or their hands (dodging).
OK so Paint Shop Pro has dodge and burn tools and a dodge blend mode
layer and a burn blend mode layer. But as you’re no doubt aware
even with the best Wacom tablet in the world and the most skillful set
of hands doing the driving, the flexibility of Paint Shop Pro’s brushes
isn’t exactly the best.
Worry not, since help is at hand.
If you visit the Blending Modes page, you’ll see
the outcomes of using different blending modes.
Put simply, if you put a layer above an image this upper layer can be
made to interact with the lower layer. The outcome depends on the
way in which Paint Shop Pro does some maths on the pixel values in the
two layers.
Overlay Blend Mode
The overlay blend mode
has three important features:-
If the pixel values in the top layer are 128, then there is
no action on the lower layer.
If the pixel values in the top layer are less than 128 (ie
towards black), then the lower layer is darkened. The darker the
top layer, the darker the image becomes ie just like “burning”.
If the pixel values in the top layer are more than 128 (ie
towards white), then the lower layer is lightened. The lighter
the top layer, the lighter the image becomes ie just like “dodging”.
Let’s see how it works! My son brought back this image from the
Austrian Alps. Typical image from this situation; JPG so no RAW
or HDR rescue; bright sky; deep shadows – but at least the shadows are
not totally blocked out and the highlights are not totally blown.
Where We're Going
So let’s look at some results of some tests on the image before we look
how it’s done. I’ve “burned” and “dodged” some rectangular areas
on the image to show how it works.
Burn
The areas have been burned by using overlaid shades of grey.
We’ll look at how we achieve these and the processes later in this
tutorial; let’s just concentrate on the effects. Adding a value of 0 or
pure black darkens the image; a process we call “burning”. As the
added value gets larger as we approach 128, the effect on the image
becomes less; the image is “burned in” less.
Dodge
Similarly, adding a value of 255 or pure white lightens the image; a
process we call “dodging”. As the added value gets smaller from
255, as we approach 128, the effect on the image becomes less; the
image is “dodged out” less.
Let’s put the process into practice on the image.
Preparing An Image
Let’s put the process into practice on the image.
Layers > New Raster Layer
and set its blending mode to Overlay and change its name to burn.
In the Materials Palette, choose mid grey 128, and in the Tools Toolbar
the Fill tool.
To get mid grey if you’ve not got it in your custom colours (I have
because of using this and similar processes), double-click on the
foreground colour box to open the materials properties dialogue.
In the Red, Green, and Blue value boxes enter 128 in each.
Select your Burn layer, and fill the layer with the grey with the Paint
Bucket Tool (outlined in light blue). It looks as though nothing
has happened, because in Overlay Blend mode 128 has no effect on the
underlying layer.
Repeat the generation of the layer, but call this new layer
dodge. Again, it looks as though nothing has happened.
In the Tool bar choose the Paint Brush tool (outlined in red).
To set the brush size if you hold the <ALT> key and at the same
time as drag the brush down the page, the brush increases in diameter,
and if you drag the brush up the page, the brush decreases in diameter.
To get the best result with this technique, you really need a Wacom
graphics tablet. You should be able to control the amount of
burning and dodging with Paint Shop Pro, but the brush variance is
poor. So this technique can enable you to make the best attempt.
At this point, you may need to go back to step one to check out how the
image processing might proceed.
To increase the image density, choose the burn layer by clicking onto
it, and paint on to the part of the image you want to darken using a
grey paint colour with value less than 128. The smaller the value
the darker the image goes.
To decrease the image density, choose the dodge layer by clicking onto
it, and paint on to the part of the image you want to darken using a
grey paint colour with value greater than 128. The larger the
value the lighter the image goes.
Again you might want to go back to step one to check out the processing
theory and step three to check out how to fine tune your shade of grey
to match your “burn” or “dodge”.
You can follow your progress of your processing in the layers palette.
Straight away you have control over the density change you want to make.
Not satisfied with the changes, paint over the error in grey 128 and
start again, or delete the layer entirely and insert a new raster layer
with grey 128 fill.
I’m not saying my changes to the picture have created a masterpiece,
but I’ve got a little more detail in the shadows and the sky is a
little more inviting with the raster layers set to overlay.
