Development / Dodge
Actions
- dodge/setup : Creates a new selective exposure adjustment layer with layer mask.
The dodge tool provides easy non-destructive selective exposure adjustments with a layer mask. This provides the ultimate form of classic darkroom style editing in Photoshop. Here is an example photo developed using this tool.
Which contains six individual FFDD dodge layers to adjust the exposure. Note is it easy to see the adjustments simply by looking at the dodge/mask Layer Masks.
Here is the progression of development, starting with the undeveloped FFDD batch blended digital negative (top left), followed by adding contrast (2nd image from top left), and then using the dodge tool to selectively bring up exposure to the proper level (the following 6 images).
How to Use
The results of the batch blending script will be an undeveloped high dynamic range image which will look underexposed. First use the contrast tool to bring up the contrast to the desired level in the highlights, which in the case of the example image is the upper left corner of the photo.
Next select the layer under the contrast/lo layer and click the dodge/setup button in the action pallet. Be sure to have the proper layer selected before clicking the dodge/setup button, because exposure adjustments need to happen directly under the contrast adjustment layers in the layers pallet.
This will create an empty dodge construct (a dodge/base layer and a dodge/mask layer). All adjustments are done using the dodge/mask layer; the dodge/base layer should never be modified.
To make adjustments, simply draw in the Layer Mask of the dodge/mask layer. Use white in areas to apply the dodge (will increase exposure), black in areas to leave alone, and shades of gray for in between. The amount and tint of the dodge effect may be adjusted by double clicking on the color box on the dodge/mask layer. Use a shade of gray to achieve a neutral (non-tinted) adjustment.
Use the dodge tool multiple times to create as many layers as needed to develop the image. At any time it is easy to tweak the overall effect of each dodge layer simply by going back and double clicking on the color box for a given dodge layer.
Advantages of this Tool
This tool offers two significant advantages over simply creating a new layer with Color Dodge as the blending mode. First, this tool uses 25% less memory in the image, because it only has a layer mask (one channel) instead of a full layer (3 channels, RGB, + 1 opacity channel). This results in smaller files and faster editing. Second, this tool provides an easy way to tweak the overall amount and tint of exposure adjustment (color dodge) correctly without redrawing the layer.
Couldn't I just adjust the Opacity of the Color Dodge Layer?
Unfortunately, due to the way blending works in Photoshop, this will not work because Photoshop blends after applying the full amount of dodging, instead of blending by varying the amount of dodging itself. For example, say you created a new layer set to dodge the image at level 245.
You then add some contrast and realize that you have dodged the image too much, so you adjust the opacity of the dodging layer to 25%, which results in this.
Notice the result above simply looks bad. This is because Photoshop is now blending 25% of the over dodged layer to the original image.
What you really wanted to do is to reduce the amount which you have dodged the image, before blending, which results in this.
This is exactly the type of adjustment which the FFDD dodge tool does when you use the Color Picker to vary the amount of dodging.
Why There is No Burn Tool
Here is an example of using the Color Burn blending mode on a Linear colorspace image. While this uses a subtle gradient, the results of using Color Burn are too harsh to be useful.
Second, the results of the Batch script nearly always appear under-exposed, so burning the image is rarely needed. In the unusual case where a photo needs to be burned, first simply use a Levels Adjustment Layer to reduce the exposure of the entire image, and then use the dodge tool to restore the proper exposure to areas which don't need to be burned.