Articles : Tutorials - Digital

Digital Tools: Burn & Dodge

You can use the Burn and Dodge tools to quickly and easily enhance the lighting in selected areas of your photos and layouts.
(I use Adobe Photoshop Elements for this tutorial but these instructions should translate to any digital editing program though the terms may be different)

Below is an animation of the sample layout, with before and after, to show how using the burn and dodge tools on various page elements can give different effects and help enhance your layout.

These tools are useful for:
accentuating shadows
darkening highlights
adjusting element color
giving edges an inked effect
adding dimension (for example- when using a pin embellishment)
make text pop against a background
darkening edges of photo for a vignette effect

In this image you can see the basic, unedited page elements.

In this image, the papers and chipboard have been given an inked edge effect.
The overall colors of the flower and notebook paper have been darkened.
The photo has been given a vignette effect.
The text has been highlighted with a slightly lightened background.

Begin by locating the Dodge and Burn tools in the tool bar. The Dodge tool brings out details in shadows, making things appear darker, while the Burn tool brings out details in highlights, making things appear lighter.

You can set the tool options in the options bar along the top:  

Use the drop-down Brushes menu to select the brush tip you would like to use. I prefer to use a soft rounded brush most often. 

Set the Size of the brush. If you are creating an inked edge, a smaller brush size works best. For adjusting the overall color of an embellishment, use a very large brush size that encompasses the entire embellishment. 

Set Range to affect a particular type of lighting in your image. Select Shadows to change the darker areas, Midtones to change the grayer areas, and Highlights to change the lighter areas.

Exposure allows you to set the intensity of the technique, a higher number will result in a stronger effect. It is a good tip to start with a lower Exposure, allowing a softer amount of shading. Then you can repeat shading the same area to your liking.

On this piece of chipboard, you can see how I've used the Burn tool to darken a section of the edge. Its as easy as that!  Now you can play with these tools, various ranges and brush styles on different elements.

 Here are a couple more sample layouts to give you ideas on how to put the Dodge & Burn tools to use on your own layouts....

>On this layout, I used the burn tool to adjust the hue of the red embellishments from different kits, so that they would match better.

>On this layout, I used the burn tool to edge the chipboard bracket. I also enhanced the colors of a couple embellishments.

>On this layout, I used the Burn tool to help give the photo a drastically darkened effect. I also edged the papers to help them stand out

>On this layout, I really went to town with the burn tool on the photos. I wanted to darken the crowd in the background and really make the photos subject *pop*. I added a little burn to some of the embellishments to give them a darker ton as well.

About the author ...
Kristianne Swanson, known to most as MamaK321, began scrapbooking in 1998, discovered A Cherry On Top in 2003 and joined the ACOT CT in 2005. What Kristianne loves most about scrapbooking is that it’s a creative outlet. Kristianne has a weakness for trying new techniques and products and she finds joy in sharing her talents and passing on her knowledge to fellow scrapbookers.

Submitted by MamaK321