The Toning Tools
| Photoshop is primarily a digital darkroom program, so it makes sense that some of its most useful tools mimic the darkroom techniques that photographers use to lighten and darken portions of an image or to brighten colors. The Toning tools include the Dodge, Burn, and Sponge tools. Dodge and Burn are opposites, like Sharpen and Blur, but instead of affecting the contrast between adjacent pixels, they either lighten or darken the area to which the tool is applied. Sponging changes the color saturation of the area to which you apply it. Dodge and Burn ToolsDodging, in the photographer's darkroom, is accomplished by waving a dodge tool, usually a cardboard circle on a wire, between the projected image from the enlarger and the photographic paper. This blocks some of the light and makes the dodged area lighter when the print is developed. It's also called "holding back" because you effectively hold back the light from reaching the paper. Photoshop's Dodge tool, shown in Figure 9.12, looks just like the darkroom version. Figure 9.12. The Toning tools: Dodge, Burn, and Sponge. Burning has the opposite effect to dodginginstead of lightening a small area, it darkens the area. In the darkroom, burning in is accomplished either by using a piece of cardboard with a hole punched out (the opposite of the Dodge tool) or by blocking the enlarger light with your hand, so the light only reaches the area on the print surface to be burned. Photoshop's Burn tool icon is a hand shaped to pass a small beam of light. Click the Dodge tool and look at the pop-up menu in the Tool Options bar. As you can see, it gives you three choices:
These options indicate the types of pixels that the tool will affect. If you want to adjust the shadows, such as making them lighter and leaving the lighter pixels untouched, select Shadows. The default option for the Dodge tool is Midtones. This is a good choice when you want to affect the midtone pixels, or when you are unsure of how to proceed. Select Highlights when you want to lighten already light-colored areas, leaving the darker areas untouched. Figure 9.13 shows the effects of dodging and burning on a picture shot outdoors in shade on a sunny day. This photo is also included in the color section. Figure 9.13. I lightened the tree and darkened the overexposed leaves . SpongingSurprisingly enough, sponging is also a darkroom trick. When a picture in the developing tray isn't turning dark enough or looks to be underexposed or weak in color, the darkroom technician can often save it by sloshing some fresh, full-strength developing chemical on a sponge and rubbing it directly on the wet print in the tray. The combination of the slight warmth from the friction of the sponge and the infusion of fresh chemical can make the difference between a useless picture and an acceptable one. It's no substitute for a proper exposure, of course. Photoshop's Sponge does much the same thing. On a color image, it increases (or reduces , versatile tool that it is) the color saturation in the area to which you apply it. On an image in Grayscale mode, it increases or decreases contrast by moving the grayscale level away from or toward middle gray. When you use the Sponge, you also need to adjust its setting in the Options bar to determine whether it intensifies color (saturates) or fades it (desaturates). Figures 9.14 and 9.15 show before and after views of a woodland scene with the Sponge applied. See it in its full glory in the color section. Figure 9.14. Before using the Sponge, the colors are somewhat dull. Figure 9.15. After using the Sponge, the colors are much brighter.
These tools are great for fine-tuning images and creating shadows or highlights. Use them in small doses to enhance the appearance of your images.
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