Digital Dodge and Burn
Selectively lightening and darkening small areas to sculpt form, usually on a neutral grey layer in overlay or soft light mode.
Measured in
%
In depth
Because 50 per cent grey is invisible in these blend modes, painting slightly lighter or darker on such a layer changes only the underlying brightness, and every stroke stays fully editable. At a fine scale it evens skin; at a broad scale it directs the viewer's eye by making the subject marginally brighter than everything around it.
Examples in practice
A few broad burns at five per cent opacity around the frame edges quietly pull attention back to the centre.