Color Correction Tools


Three tools in the Toolbox also can be used to adjust image color and tone. The Dodge tool lightens pixels, and the Burn tool darkens pixels. The Sponge tool either “soaks up” pixel color, desaturating an area, or “drips” more color in, making the area more saturated.

Lighten or darken using the Dodge or Burn Tools

The Dodge and Burn tools are great for lightening or darkening small areas of an image by hand. With both of these tools, you can set brush size, whether shadows, midtones, or highlights are affected, and determine an exposure percentage. The exposure sets how quickly an area is dodged or burned. The higher the setting, the more quickly the pixels change.

  1. Use the Layers palette to select a layer.

  2. Select the Dodge tool or the Burn tool from the Toolbox.

  3. On the Options bar use the Brush Preset picker to select a brush width and set brush hardness.

    The Options bar offers a range of settings for the Dodge and Burn tools, as shown in Figure 9-16. For more about the Brush Preset picker, turn to Chapter 12.

    click to expand
    Figure 9-16: The Options bar lets you quickly select a brush size and hardness, the range of the dodge or burn, and the intensity (exposure) of the tool.

  4. Set the range of the dodge or burn and the amount of exposure.

    On the Options bar, use the Range drop-down list to select Shadows, Midtones, or Highlights. Use Exposure slider bar to set a percentage value between 1 and 100. The higher the value, the higher the intensity of the tool.

  5. Click the Airbrush button if you want the dodge or burn to work more gradually.

  6. Stroke with the Dodge or Burn tool on the image.

    Figure 9-17 shows an image before being burned and dodged, and the results of burning and dodging.

    click to expand
    Figure 9-17: The burned areas are darkened while the dodged areas are lightened.

    Remember

    The Dodge and Burn tools can’t be used on images set in Bitmap or Indexed Color mode.

Using the Sponge tool to saturate and desaturate color

The Sponge tool is used to make colored areas more or less saturated. With just a few wipes of the sponge you can quickly add brighter colors to an image or tone areas down.

  1. Use the Layers palette to select a layer.

  2. Choose the Sponge tool from the Toolbox. It’s on the flyout menu with the Dodge and Burn tools.

  3. Select the brush width and hardness.

    On the Options bar, click the Brush Preset picker to select width and set brush hardness as shown in Figure 9-18. For more about the Brush Preset picker, turn to Chapter 12.

    click to expand
    Figure 9-18: Select a brush width and hardness, whether to saturate or desaturate, and set a flow intensity.

  4. Set the Sponge tool to saturate or desaturate using the Mode drop-down list.

  5. Use the Flow slider bar to set the tool’s intensity.

  6. Stroke on an area of the selected layer.

    To saturate or desaturate an area more, release the mouse button, and then stroke again. Figure 9-19 shows areas of an image that have been saturated.

    click to expand
    Figure 9-19: Stroking the image with the Sponge tool set to saturate can quickly add focal points to an image.




Photoshop CS For Dummies
Photoshop CS For Dummies
ISBN: 0764543563
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 221

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