Dodge and Burn, part 2 // Using the tool menu.

Thought part 1 was interesting? Wait until you read this. For this post I'm using the 'dodge and burn' form the tool menu. (CTRL/CMD O).

Looking at the top of the screen, I see the following options:  

I chose a low exposure of around 10%. I think it's important to build it up slowly, the dodge and burn. Just so you don't overdo it. You can work on the shadows, highlights and the midtones. I prefer to work with the midtones. 

For this post, I picked this image of Team4Talents triathlete Bas Diederen. I shot this picture during the Dutch championships Triathlon in Veenendaal.

So, like I said in part 1, the principle of dodge and burn is too make the lighter part lighter and the darker part darker.  

Moving on: 

1. Open the picture

2. Add a new blank layer and fill it with 50% grey (Edit, Fill, 50% gray)

3. Change the blend mode to Soft Light. You also can use the blend mode overlay. Switching between the blend modes when you're done gives you the opportunity to compare and see what effect you like most. 

4. Select burn tool and make the dark parts darker

5. Hold down the Option key to switch to the dodge tool and make the lighter parts lighter. Mind you, I'd advise you to take your time and build it up slowly. Don't forget to switch between the blend modes every now and then to see the effect of your actions. 

For example: by selecting just the gray layer you can see the effect of your actions: 

If you reckon the effect is too strong, you can always add some Gaussian blur. 

Quick guideline to adding Gaussian blur: 

1. Open the gray layer and use the lasso tool to select the part of the picture where you think the effect is too strong

2. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian blur

By moving the slider to the left you'll dampen the effect in your picture, so it's less visible. 

Another option is to wait until you're all done with dodge and burn and then change the opacity of the layer where you think the effect is too strong. 

I used this picture of Bas Diederen for this tutorial. I have to admit, I also used another technique here: using channels. Rest assured: I'll write more about that next time. 

So I used dodge and burn as described in this post and I desaturated the background to have more focus on the triathlete. I reckon that with dodge and burn, the attention is much more on his muscle structure and it makes him look as strong as he actually is in the picture. 

Before and after: 

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