Burning in & dodging with Photo Shop 6.0

[lesged]

I don't believe there is a burning-in and dodging plug-in for Photo Shop 6.0. I've never been able to utilized these standard techniques of wet, silver, processing since I started digital processing with PS 6.0. Any suggestions?

I also have Serif PhotoPlus 6, but have hardly ever used it. Anyone familiar with this graphic software? Has anyone had success dodging and burning-in with this product?

TIA,  Les

[sandeha]

Funny, but I thought I remembered burning and dodging tools in the Tools box even with PhotoShop 5.  I have v7 so I can't check.

OTOH, I've sometimes found it better to select an area with the lasso and then adjust the Levels in that selection - with feathering at maybe 20 pixels or higher.

Good luck with it.

[cenelson]

There is a dodging/burning tool. See my attachment.

Once you select the tool, change the size, density, etc. as you would with any paintbrush or cloning stamp, airbrush, etc.

Note that there are two ways, at least, to change the brush size, either by using the drop-down menu to choose a different one, or to click squarely on the brush image itself which will allow a control panel to open giving you control over the current brush dimensions and characteristics.

See my attachments for more info.

C.

[lesged]

Thanks Sandeha for your comments.  I haven't had much luck with the few tools I've used from the tool box. I guess I'm a bit skiddish, because it doesn't follow the instictive moves my hand would make in drawing, which is far easier for me.


Craig, I never tried paintbrush, cloning stamp or airbrush in digital work flow. I'll follow the clear info you supplied with your thumbnails. I learn much quicker by watching someone use a technique I've never tried, than reading how to do it. Mental laziness is a chronic disease I suffer.

 Thanks a million Sandeha and Craig.

Les

[cenelson]

My pleasure, Lester. Let me clarify though that you aren't dodging/burning with the paintbrush, only that you will use the same brush dialog area to determine how large/dense/etc. the dodge/burn tool is. Additionally, you can set exposure value, and whether or not the action targets highlight/mids/shadows. You should note that after selecting the tool, the values appearing in the toolbar at top.

Good luck.

C.

[lesged]

Thanks again, Craig. I tried to work with loop and brush, shortly after I got PS 6.0. I found it hard to accurately isolate areas of faces or other irregular areas where I wanted to alter contrast and/or brightness. With those digital tools in my hand, the results are clumsy, jagged outlines, that look unnatural.

I still can make fine free hand drawings without shaking and rattling the outlines. Whether they rock anymore is another story.

[KirkT]

Let me tell you a super easy way and you'll never use any other method again.

1)Use the laso tool to select the area you want to dodge/burn
2)new adjustment layer - level
3)use the gamma adjuster to get it where you want your level to be
4)use glassian blur to smooth it out. <----- this is the key

I've found that dodge/burn tool to be useless.

[cenelson]

That lasso tool is a bitch to use, for me. Might not be so bad with a tablet, but trying to mouse that thing is a deadend for this mule.

[KirkT]

The thing with the lasso, at least what helped me, was not to try to do it all at once.  Set it up for addition and you can do little segments at a time and they'll all be in the same level.

[GeneW]

I don't remember all the details of Photoshop 6 but I suspect it supports the following, which is a much better method of dodging & burning than the dodge & burn tools.

1. Create a New Layer. Set to type Overlay and click the box Fill with 50% Gray.

2. Select the Paint Brush

3. When painting with black, you're burning in selected areas

4. When painting with white, you're dodging in selected areas

You can adjust the brush attributes for lighter or heavier application of the dodge & burn. Adjust the brush size for doing large or tiny areas.

5. Click the eye icon off and on to see how you're progressing

6. Flatten the layers when finished

This method also works well for colour -- the burn & dodge tools only use greyscale so are not good at all for colour.

Give this a try and you'll never go back to the burn & dodge tools

Gene

[Jordan]

I use the exact same method as Gene W. It works well. (And it must be a Toronto-area thing.)

[jake]

I was trying to remember the technique I saw some pro genius guy using on a big scan and then GeneW posts it. Cool. Now I don't have to use my brain.

[GeneW]

Hey Jordan, I hope it's not limited to the GTA! lol

I found this method gives such good control I never went back to the old way.

Gene

[lesged]

KirkT and Gene W,

Thanks for your suggestions to digitally get the equivalent of dodging and burning areas of my images. I will try both your techniques as soon as possible.

I apologize for not responding earlier. I didn't realize the new nelsonfoto forum format didn't send a prompt to thread author--as it did with the other provider-- announcing someone had replied.

I've been distracted from looking at nelsonfoto or other photo forums for quite a while. It's due to a serious health issue that was discovered accidently. It's nearly 2 months since an ultrasound at a VA hospital discovered the problem.  Since then I've had a battery of more precise tests and still the diagnosis is left open, with a big question mark. I will get a second opinion from the premier hospital in Boston (Mass General Hospital) on September 11th.

It's the uncertainty that keeps me from fully participating in my favorite hobby. Claudia and I will spend next week in the Naragansett Bay area of Rhode Island, which neither of us has ever seen. That may ignite some enthusiasm to use the cameras I plan to take there. The event we will celebrate is Claudia's 79th birthday, not Labor Day.

Thanks again to all that responded to this thread.

Les

[cenelson]

Les, I've configured the forums to leave as unsubscribed threads one starts...  if you wish to be notified of thread activity, scroll to the top of the thread page and click the Thread Tools option, and there you will find a Subscribe to this Thread option.

Additionally, if you would to be auto-subscribed to every thread you start, go to your User CP (click the link in the menu at top of forums) then click Options, then scroll down until you find the appropriate action and modify accordingly.

C.