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Is there a preferred way to dodge and burn?


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I'm very new with Affinity but so far I like it a lot. So many things to learn but right now it's dodge and burn. I've been watching a bunch of tutorials and there are many ways to dodge and burn. Some are very complicated with multiple layers, settings and tools like Bland Ranges. Others are fairly simple like creating a duplicate layer in Softlight and using a brush and the Colour Chooser at more or less than 50% gray. The simplest way is using the dodge or burn tool on a duplicate layer. Am I missing something by not using one of the very complicated methods? Are some methods better for certain images over others? What's your preferred method?

Many thanks.

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Ask 5 people how to dodge and burn, and you'll probably get 7 different answers. The answer to the question about a preferred way to dodge and burn is that it's the method you prefer.

That having been said, and despite all the possible complications that can be added, I almost always dodge and burn using a single 50% grey layer set to Overlay blend mode. I brush in black and/or white with a low flow soft brush (usually 100% opacity, 1-2% flow, 0% hardness) and build up the effect slowly.

I never use the Dodge and Burn tools because they are, at heart, destructive tools. Sure, you can use them on a duplicate layer. But you still can't go back to fix a mistake (at least, not easily) without undoing lots of work in between. I prefer to do things non-destructively whenever possible, and that's what doing dodge and burn on a separate layer accomplishes.

It's also been stated that the 50% grey fill in the Dodge and Burn layer is superfluous. You could just add an empty pixel layer and do the black and white brush strokes there. That's true, but I find that when it comes time to actually look at the dodge and burn layer, having the 50% grey background lets me see what I've done much more easily.

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I'm with smadell on this one. Using a 50% grey layer is my choice and it's totally non destructive in the sense that if a mistake is made, you simply paint over the grey layer to erase it.

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Additionally you can use the gray layer's blend range options for non-destructive adjustment as kind of global fine tuning of your black vs. white brush strokes.

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3 hours ago, thusband said:

I'm very new with Affinity but so far I like it a lot. So many things to learn but right now it's dodge and burn. I've been watching a bunch of tutorials and there are many ways to dodge and burn. Some are very complicated with multiple layers, settings and tools like Bland Ranges. Others are fairly simple like creating a duplicate layer in Softlight and using a brush and the Colour Chooser at more or less than 50% gray. The simplest way is using the dodge or burn tool on a duplicate layer. Am I missing something by not using one of the very complicated methods? Are some methods better for certain images over others? What's your preferred method?

Many thanks.

Ahoy @thusband

There are so many ways to adjust highlights and shadows in photo editing software. I won't comment much on the advice you got. Just a little background.

Dodge and burn predates computers; it is a technique from darkrooms. Look up Ansel Adams then you will understand how old it is. It was used in Photoshop from version 1 because it was what photographers knew at the time - and what they got in Photoshop as well. Since then many other techniques were invented and with the use of non-destructive layers, blend modes and masking (recommended) things started to get easier and fun.

Personally I use Photoshop and I am not sure how well Photo does what I do in Photoshop, but I also use some destructive techniques often because what really matters is the resulting quality and look. Not destructive vs non-destructive methods. In Photoshop I use LAB mode exclusively for many edits - especially highlights-shadows-contrast edits - and sometimes I have to use destructive editing. But the results are first class with a minimum of work.

And that's why you shouldn't entirely write of dodge and burn. It is still there for quick edits where you don't give a damn about non-destructive or not. Also note the little sponge fella that is also great for quick and dirty edits of saturation. But generally I would recommend non-destructive especially if you are a beginner. 

What is most important to highlight is that it takes ages to master layers and techniques, to find your favorite workflows and tools and to find a balance between fx destructive vs non-destructive. You'll have to look for advice because many techniques are impossible to guess even for experienced users. But also monkey around as much as you can with layers and settings.

But also... I saved enormous amounts of times by purchasing filters for professional use (I am a professional). They are often not too expensive for hobbyists either.

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7 hours ago, thomaso said:

Additionally you can use the gray layer's blend range options for non-destructive adjustment as kind of global fine tuning of your black vs. white brush strokes.

Right. I'm experimenting with that now. Thanks.

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7 hours ago, thusband said:

@Jowday Thanks, good advice. Lots to learn and that's just dodge and burn.

What kind of filters are you referring to? For the camera or can you purchase filters for Affinity like Nik Collection? I have them as I also am using DxO Photolab.

Photoshop filters and many runs in Photo as well I understand. I don’t like The good old Nik so much except the BW filter. I use filters for noise reduction, Advanced contrast and detail enhancement, BW conversions, film simulation, perspective correction and others. There are many more for the artistic audience out there.

Edits with these are destructive - but I open them and pull a few sliders and bingo. Instant succes. And some of them use quite clever algorithms.

Of course I Mix destructive with non destructive layers. But only based on what delivers the best result.

  • "The user interface is supposed to work for me - I am not supposed to work for the user interface."
  • Computer-, operating system- and software agnostic; I am a result oriented professional. Look for a fanboy somewhere else.
  • “When a wise man points at the moon the imbecile examines the finger.” ― Confucius
  • Not an Affinity user og forum user anymore. The software continued to disappoint and not deliver.
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Personally I always duplicate a layer before using the dodge/burn brushes because they are destructive to their layer. Mostly they are all I need for simple work and for anything more complex I use Viveza from the Nik collection which is probably the ultimate in dodge/burn toolkits. Very occasionally I do a colour burn to emphasize a local piece of colour. If using the dodge/burn brushes be sure you are   working on a pixel layer, otherwise you will simply darken or lighten a mask and make no difference to the image - I've been caught out by that a few times! Also be sure to play with the opacity and flow settings and make sure you are using the correct luminosity setting(highlights/mids/shadows).

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52 minutes ago, alanGmedia said:

Personally I always duplicate a layer before using the dodge/burn brushes because they are destructive to their layer. Mostly they are all I need for simple work and for anything more complex I use Viveza from the Nik collection which is probably the ultimate in dodge/burn toolkits. Very occasionally I do a colour burn to emphasize a local piece of colour. If using the dodge/burn brushes be sure you are   working on a pixel layer, otherwise you will simply darken or lighten a mask and make no difference to the image - I've been caught out by that a few times! Also be sure to play with the opacity and flow settings and make sure you are using the correct luminosity setting(highlights/mids/shadows).

Thanks, that's good advice. I have the Nik Collection but have really only fooled around with Silver Efex Pro. I better look at Viveza.

Thanks again!

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  • 5 months later...

you can also use a horizontal curve ,then use the picker to pick areas you want to brighten or darken.  This way you do not create a pixel layer ( which would have to be rasterized by the way)  My preferred approach is to use a 50% gray layer but the horizontal curve also works

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