30 second Paint with Light Cheat

[igcollection]

here is my version....with levels adjusted to bring the image range back to some middle gray and a semi cross processing curves adjustment layer

[Steve Conway]

Here is a version done with Lucis Art.

Steve

[1STLITE]

Thanks so much, Nancy J!! You, and your tutorial, ROCK!!!

[neeceeblack]

Thanks.... simplicity can be so sweet. The only thing I felt I needed to do was to desaturate the High Pass layer to get rid of some of the greenish tones in the highlights. I'm new here and I really LOVE this site! Thanks again NancyJ!

[maureeno]

Here's a go I had with this tutorial and it's the first I've done in PS totally. I normally cross between PI and PS6. Now, a question, on my monitor in the PI programme I see far too much darkening at the lower left back area and the upper left arm. In PS6, the colours are suitable.

Has anyone any idea why a difference should exist between the 2 programmes? Mind you, this is a very rough attempt with no trace of polished skill in sight...

[themuse]

excellent tutorial, very concise and easy to follow! im a newbie and appreciate all the help i can get. thankyou!

[ricric]

Thank you for sharing, the best technique i come across.

[Michel B]

Originally Posted by byRo

Well done Nancy! Very useful and easy to understand.

I use this technique similar to this a lot, and it is great for giving some depth to flat images.

For those that have another 30 seconds to spare, and don't mind complicating things a wee bit, there are couple of extensions to the technique that could be considered:

1) Overlay blending is an additive process, as you say "the lights get lighter and the darks get darker". Although overlay blending won't actually result in clipping, it will result in less definition at the ends of the histogram. This, sometimes, may be exactly the effect required but, in general, it's a good idea to lower the contrast of the base image (-10 or -20%) before applying the process - probably about the only time the Brightness / Contrast tool can be safely used.
Afterwards, you'll probably have to apply a levels adjustment to get things full-range again.
This little addition allows you to acheive even more contrast without sacrificing the colours.

2) The technique is great for making the subject stand out and so when you "mask out any areas that you're not happy with.." consider masking out all of the background as well.

Looking forward to seeing more of your tutorials.

Rô

I agree it is the best tutorial I have seen on the subject!
Only I find the title a bit misleading:it's not exactly about PWL, but local contrast enhancement...
ByRo: about masking: With Elements and without masks you simply have to paint with 50% grey on the mask to mask out what you want. Or if you have a selection of the subject, inverse selection then inverse (Ctrl I) which blurs nicely the background. With yet another 30 seconds, you can limit the action to dodging and burning. How? Insert a 50% grey solid color adjustment layer in overlay (or softlight) mode under the overlay layer and group the top layer with the grey one. Change top layer mode to lighten or darken... Not only will this give more controlled effects, but it may be the best way to get rid of sharpening halos. Why a solid color adjustment instead of a standard layer? No gain in file size, but you have a mask even in Elements...

Thanks again and I hope for other tutorials of this quality!

[mccool]

Originally Posted by Steve Conway

Here is a version done with Lucis Art.

Steve

Did you apply Lucis Art after the tutorial?
Thanks Nancy for this tutorial. I'm sure I will be applying this to alot of my work.

[Mchilly]

This is a great tutorial, Look nice in magazine cover:-)

[glamourrr]

thank you