Quickly Learn Dodging & Burning In Photoshop CC

This video tutorial by portrait photographer Nathaniel Dodson (from the website tutvid) takes a look at how to use the dodge and burn tools in a non destructive way in Photoshop CC.

Dodging and burning is an old technique that can help improve your images which might look a little bit flat. The first step is to create the dodge and burn layer, set the new layer with 50% grey to Soft Light blend mode.

With the Dodge or Burn tool selected, look to the control bar across the top of the screen and set the exposure to 10%. I also like to set the range drop down menu to “Midtones”. Now as I paint with the dodge or burn tool, I am looking to follow and/or accentuate the natural shadows and highlights in the image to add pop and contrast. Dodging and burning allow you to have a great amount of control for selectively adding contrast anywhere in your image.

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This is not the first time we covers this topic. In the past we published here a “How to Color Dodge in Photoshop” and The Fastest Way to Dodge and Burn in Photoshop which are also worth checking out if you are getting into dodging and burning in PS.

You can find many more Photoshop video tutorials on LensVid’s Photoshop section.

Iddo Genuth

Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.