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Burning & Dodging >
Large Expanses:
Combine Two Exposures -
Levels & the Eraser Tool
Here are all of the burning and dodging tutorials.
Jump Down to Combine Two Exposures - Levels & the Eraser Tool
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General Purpose: Large Expanses: Combine Two Exposures - Levels & the Eraser Tool Combine Two Exposures - Levels & a Mask Many Small Areas: Automatic with a B&W Negative Mask |
Use This Method . . .
. . . if you need to burn and dodge a large expanse, such as a sky.
Let's say you have a photograph of a landscape.
The sky looks fine, but the foreground is too dark.
If you lighten the photograph, so you can see the house, the clouds no longer look as good.
You can combine a lighter version of the photograph with a darker version of the same photograph.
Be sure to check off as you go along.
Preparation
1) Preserve your original file.
If you haven't already done so, go to Preserve Your Original File.
2) Create a Background copy layer.
If you haven't already done so, go to Create a Background Copy Layer.
Combining Two Versions
We'll make a lighter version of the photograph.
Then, parts of the two versions will be combined.
3) Make another copy of the photograph.
Make sure the Background copy is active (highlighted), and press Ctrl + j.
Rename the new layer as Lighter house.
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Lighter house |
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Background copy |
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Background |
4) Create a Levels adjustment layer.
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Levels |
| Lighter house |
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Background copy |
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Background |
5) Slide the white triangle to the left to lighten a photograph as necessary.
Be sure to use the white triangle that's below the histogram.
Don't use the white triangle that's near the bottom.
Here, the foreground was lightened by moving the white triangle from 255 to 220.
If you have an area in a photograph that needs to be darkened, move the black triangle to the right.
The middle slider changes the contrast of the photograph.
Group Levels 1 & Lighter House
6) Press Ctrl + g to group the Levels adjustment layer and the Lighter house layer.
If you haven't already done so, go to How to Group.
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↓ Levels |
| Lighter house |
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Background copy |
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Background |
Erase
Make sure the Lighter house layer is active.
Brush on the image where you want the scene darker.
The erased area won't appear to be erased.
That's because, as you erase the Lighter house layer, the Background copy layer below is seen through the erased area.
Here, a brush without a feathered edge, with the opacity set to 100%, was used across the top half of the photograph.
When brushing close to the trees and the house, a feathered brush was used to blend the erased area with the non-erased area.
If you haven't already done so, go to Feathered Brush.
You can see the erasure below in the Lighter house layer.
Here's the original photograph and the erased version in which the foreground is lighter.
Original
Erased
Other Methods
You can also use a mask instead of the Eraser tool.
Go to Combine Two Exposures - Using Levels & a Mask.
You can also change the opacity of a selection.
Go to Multiple Opacities.
Overexposed Areas
If your photograph has overexposed areas, such as an area in the cloud above, they need to be painted.
You can't darken them by burning.
Go to Painting Overexposed Areas.
Saving the Photograph
If you haven't already done so, go to Saving Files.