Newbie - how do I dodge and burn in affinity photo

[Fujial]

Hi - I'm fairly new to affinity and despite looking at countless youtube videos and a couple of books I'm unable to make any impression on an image using the dodge and burn brushes.  I believe I understand the brush settings in the context toolbar but even if I make the brush hard and the opacity and flow 100 % I cannot make any impression on an image and am close to throwing either myself or my laptop under a bus .....  If you can help perhaps assume I have uploaded a jpeg image as a starter.  Thank you in anticipation ....

[kirkt]

Which OS and version of AP?  Are you using a pressure-sensitive stylus?

The controls work as expected on my Mac, Catalina, v 1.8.3.  Take a look at the brush options (in the context toolbar, click on the "More" button to examine the brush settings) and make sure your brush is not configured in something like Overlay mode or some other blend mode that is causing the brush to behave differently than a "normal" brush.  Also make sure you are targeting the intended tonal range (highlights, midtones, shadows) properly with that dropdown menu.

You can also dodge and burn on a separate layer with a regular brush and various shades of gray.  Make a new pixel  layer in Overlay or Soft Light blend mode and then paint with gray on it - anything lighter than 50% will dodge (lighten), darker than 50% will burn (darken).  50% gray will provide no effect, essentially erasing the previous effect on that layer (resetting the effect to nothing, locally with the brush).

Good luck,

 

Kirk

[IanSG]

Can we assume that you've selected the right (pixel) layer?

[David in Яuislip]

It works properly here, Windows 10, Photo v1.8.3
Note that the layer must show Pixel and not Image
I'd check your Assistant Manager settings (View/ Assistant Manager) because here the Assistant automatically rasterises the layer. If you're not using the Assistant you'll need to Rasterise the layer yourself

[Fujial]

Hi 

I'm using Win 10,  Photo 1.7.3.481.  (I've not run the 1.8 download yet)

I added a pixel layer (and renamed it dodge and burn), clicked on/highlighted that to work on.  Assistant is enabled. I also went into Layer / rasterise.

When i turn off (untick) the background (original layer) I see a blank faint checkerboard layer and no sign of any brush strokes.

I sense that there is something simple that I'm missing ...... (a brain maybe ....)

 

[kirkt]

If you want to use the dodge and burn tools, then you need to work on a layer with pixel information (for example, a duplicate of the original background image layer, to preserve an unedited version of the original background image).  This is a destructive operation on the pixels of the duplicate image layer.

If you are going to dodge and burn on a new, empty pixel layer, you cannot use the dodge and burn tools, as there is no data for those tools to "see" and edit.  To dodge and burn this way (non-destructively) you need to set the layer blend mode of the empty pixel layer to Overlay or Soft Light, and then use a regular brush (not the Dodge or Burn tools) set to a gray value as I posted previously.  Then when you apply brush strokes, the composite image will get darker or lighter according to the gray value of the brush stroke and the opacity/flow of the brush.  This operation is non-destructive (it does not affect the original pixels in the background image layer) and does not involve using the dodge and burn tools.

Kirk

[Fujial]

Hi Kirk - yes, got that to work thank you.  I think I've seen that demonstrated on a youtube video too?

I guess I'd just like to understand why I can't access the dodge and burn tool - the official affinity tutorial wades straight into brush set up and the nuances of shading rather than assuming the observer needs help to set up the fundamental layer stuff.  

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, Fujial said:

I guess I'd just like to understand why I can't access the dodge and burn tool...

You can use either of these tools, but as @kirkt mentioned, you must have a pixel layer selected that is not empty (one that has some pixels) for these tools to operate on.

[Fujial]

Duplicate Layer!!!  💡 🤯🙄

I initially added a pixel layer using the little checkerboard icon in the layers tab in studio (I think I've got the nomenclature right?) thinking that the layer would overlay the original but as has been said, I now see that there is no data in it to be dodged or burned.

The duplicate layer worked immediately with dodging and burning and also carried brushing using the grayscale palette.  The added pixel layer also worked with the paint brush because I now see that you're actually adding something but only when you use more than 50% grey.

Thank you for your responses and patience everyone.  I'm coming at this as a newbie to post processing and not from PS (I've had a couple of false starts with affinity).  If anyone knows of any truly idiots guide stuff online, youtube, books etc I'd be grateful of any recommendation.  I think there may be a need for baby steps tutorials or book of key principles for people like me.  And I've not even started thinking about mask layers, adjustment layers, fill layers ................

Thanks again and stay safe😷