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Hi,
I am posting this project so more expert members can make suggestions on how it could be done better and so other novices like me can use it to continue to move forward while in the process of becoming an expert. This project demonstrates how blend modes can be selected and used without having an in-depth understanding how they work. If you want to follow along you can find,
The original image here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ronviers/WesternSkyProject/photo #4985881965080805394 The mask before dodging here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ronviers/WesternSkyProject/photo #4985880803560980498 And the finished mask here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ronviers/WesternSkyProject/photo #4985881262762033170 A view of the layers palette here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ronviers/WesternSkyProject/photo #4985882983658094610 And the finished image here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ronviers/WesternSkyProject/photo #4985882779092254738
First the image was captured using raw then loaded into Adobe’s bundled raw converter. The white point, black and white levels and a curve was set then transferred into CS2.
The next set was to duplicate the background.
Then I used the arrow keys to scroll through the blend modes to see if one came close to recovering the beautiful sunbeams that motivated me to take the picture in the first place.
Color Dodge emerged as the clear victor. It definitely reminded me of what I had seen. It had problems though because the amount of the changes was too dramatic. So the next step was to create a mask that would tone down the impact of the Color Dodge blend.
To design a mask I needed to know what neutral values do what to the Color Dodge mode.
So I looked on the Blend mode summary list to find:
Black blocks effects
Middle gray passes half of the effects
White passes all effects
When I look at the full (100% opacity) effect of the Color Dodge blend the first thing I notice is that it blows out the highlights by increasing contrast in the highlights (bad) and it increases color in the highlights (perfect for sunbeams).
So that means I need a mask that will fully block (black) most of the highlights of the of the background then gradually decrease in blocking amount as the base values move toward shadows.
The hard part is over because once the way the mask should look it is just a question of trial and error to build it.
To make the mask first I duplicated the background twice and moved them to the top of the layers stack. Then I selected the top most layer and again used the arrow keys to scroll through the blend modes. The mode that gave me the best contrast in the highlights was ‘overlay’ so I chose that then merged the two layers. That got me closer but not quite good enough.
So next I duplicated the new overlay layer and again selected the top one. Then once again I used the arrow keys to scroll through the blend modes to see if I could get a little closer. I found that with the ‘screen’ blend mode I was almost there. So again I merged the two new layers. This left me with an image that was an almost perfect for a mask with two exceptions; first it had black where I wanted white and it had color where I wanted neutral. Nothing could be simpler, just invert and desaturate. Now the image is ready to be used as a mask. At this point there should only be two layers – the background and the layer to be used as a mask.
Next I duplicated the background and added a layers mask. Then I pasted the mask image into the mask of the duplicated layer. Then I set the blend mode to Color Dodge and the opacity to around 75 or 80 percent. It looked good but I remembered the beams standing out more. So I selected the mask (alt-left click) and used the dodge tool with a big fat soft brush (200diameter w/ 0 hardness) and small (exposure 26) amount of paint to brush the mask where the beams where, that is, to lighten the mask to bring out the beams. And there it is, perfect, just like being there.
I don’t think the photo is all that great even after the edit but what I do think is great is that the edit brought the image more in line with the beautiful reality of the scene.
Good luck,
Ron
I am posting this project so more expert members can make suggestions on how it could be done better and so other novices like me can use it to continue to move forward while in the process of becoming an expert. This project demonstrates how blend modes can be selected and used without having an in-depth understanding how they work. If you want to follow along you can find,
The original image here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ronviers/WesternSkyProject/photo #4985881965080805394 The mask before dodging here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ronviers/WesternSkyProject/photo #4985880803560980498 And the finished mask here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ronviers/WesternSkyProject/photo #4985881262762033170 A view of the layers palette here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ronviers/WesternSkyProject/photo #4985882983658094610 And the finished image here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ronviers/WesternSkyProject/photo #4985882779092254738
First the image was captured using raw then loaded into Adobe’s bundled raw converter. The white point, black and white levels and a curve was set then transferred into CS2.
The next set was to duplicate the background.
Then I used the arrow keys to scroll through the blend modes to see if one came close to recovering the beautiful sunbeams that motivated me to take the picture in the first place.
Color Dodge emerged as the clear victor. It definitely reminded me of what I had seen. It had problems though because the amount of the changes was too dramatic. So the next step was to create a mask that would tone down the impact of the Color Dodge blend.
To design a mask I needed to know what neutral values do what to the Color Dodge mode.
So I looked on the Blend mode summary list to find:
Black blocks effects
Middle gray passes half of the effects
White passes all effects
When I look at the full (100% opacity) effect of the Color Dodge blend the first thing I notice is that it blows out the highlights by increasing contrast in the highlights (bad) and it increases color in the highlights (perfect for sunbeams).
So that means I need a mask that will fully block (black) most of the highlights of the of the background then gradually decrease in blocking amount as the base values move toward shadows.
The hard part is over because once the way the mask should look it is just a question of trial and error to build it.
To make the mask first I duplicated the background twice and moved them to the top of the layers stack. Then I selected the top most layer and again used the arrow keys to scroll through the blend modes. The mode that gave me the best contrast in the highlights was ‘overlay’ so I chose that then merged the two layers. That got me closer but not quite good enough.
So next I duplicated the new overlay layer and again selected the top one. Then once again I used the arrow keys to scroll through the blend modes to see if I could get a little closer. I found that with the ‘screen’ blend mode I was almost there. So again I merged the two new layers. This left me with an image that was an almost perfect for a mask with two exceptions; first it had black where I wanted white and it had color where I wanted neutral. Nothing could be simpler, just invert and desaturate. Now the image is ready to be used as a mask. At this point there should only be two layers – the background and the layer to be used as a mask.
Next I duplicated the background and added a layers mask. Then I pasted the mask image into the mask of the duplicated layer. Then I set the blend mode to Color Dodge and the opacity to around 75 or 80 percent. It looked good but I remembered the beams standing out more. So I selected the mask (alt-left click) and used the dodge tool with a big fat soft brush (200diameter w/ 0 hardness) and small (exposure 26) amount of paint to brush the mask where the beams where, that is, to lighten the mask to bring out the beams. And there it is, perfect, just like being there.
I don’t think the photo is all that great even after the edit but what I do think is great is that the edit brought the image more in line with the beautiful reality of the scene.
Good luck,
Ron
How to Master Sharpening in Photoshop
Give your photos a professional finish with sharpening in Photoshop. Learn to enhance details, create contrast, and prepare your images for print, web, and social media.
