I use two methods and in both I work on a copy of the original layer for comparison purposes and to be safe in case I want to start over. The first method is to simply select a dodge or burn tool, set it at a low exposure value such as 15, select the appropriate Range from Highlight to Shadow, and then select an appropriate sized soft edged brush. Then I make many small and sparate strokes over the desired area so that at any point you can either delete the last stroke or use the History menu to delete many steps. Also in Preferences/Display and Cursors I select Brush Size so that I can see the exact brush size that I have selected. The second method is to create a selection around a specific area using one of the selection tools making sure to feather the edges by several pixels and then lighten or darken the selected area either by adjusting level or from the Hue/Saturation menu. the key to both of these methods is to make small changes at a time so that you don't overdo it. These tips are from Photoshop 7 but should easily translate to many other versions and editors. I hope this helps.
T
|
