"Dodge & Burn +" - My Favorite Lightroom Masking Technique

Join me as I walk through how I use one of my favorite Lightroom techniques to add depth to an image. It "Dodge & Burn +" with masks in Lightroom on this Behind the Shot.
00:00 - Intro
00:56 - Intro to My Fave Lightroom Technique
08:08 - Example: Image 1
12:46 - Example: Image 2
14:52 - Example: Image 3
18:58 - Example: Image 4
21:49 - Example: Image 5
27:20 - Example: Image 6 - Full Edit
36:02 - Outro
Episode Blog Post:
behindtheshot.tv/2022/08/25/d...
Steve Brazill:
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Hands on Photography: twit.tv/shows/hands-on-photog...
Serge Ramelli's Video on Luminance Masks: • The best KEPT SECRET t...
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#Lightroom #dodgeandburn #lightroomtips

[@antpruitt]

THANKS for the plug, brother 🤜🏾

[@BehindTheShot]

Always man. Have to share great work.

[@KenToney]

Awesome tips, shooting concerts since 1971, picked up some great tips!!

[@BehindTheShot]

So glad you enjoyed it, Ken! Thanks for watching.

[@gibsonwashere6005]

Thank you for doing this. It was extremely helpful. Please do more.

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks for the feedback, and glad it was helpful.

[@lkaufman719]

Loved this episode. I would like to see more of this type. Thanks.

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks for watching, and for the feedback!

[@JB-rm1oc]

Great Episode. Would love more of these.

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks J B!

[@thescouser8629]

Hi Steve Liked the content. Important element of photography leading viewers eye round the image. More please Bob

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks for watching Bob, and for the feedback!

[@juliawintermoyer8418]

Powerful! Thank you!

[@janbuenning]

Great video again. I usually process the whole photo in Lightroom and never tried to use mask, but now I will try out. Thanks!

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks for watching, as always.

[@goldfinch2283]

Nice video! Would absolutely like more of this kind of videos 🙏👍

[@BehindTheShot]

Appreciate you taking the time to let me know. Thanks for watching.

[@carmenspratt7290]

Great episode! Learned a lot! Would love to see more.

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks for watching!

[@RickDecorie]

A lot of good info. I am saving this to refer back to it. Thanks.

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks for watching, Rick!

[@MixedApparitions]

Loved the video, thanks man. I'd be interested in more like this as well!

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks for watching!

[@AndyMillerPhotoUK]

Great show Steve -- I find that for wildlife" I shot and process using Camera Flat and then am adding the contrast and tonal adjustments I want with curves and sliders, but like you I am using the AI masking tools to routinely make the same standard adjustments (as a starting point for all images) +0.15EV to my subject and minus 0.3EV to the background of the background and I make similar adjustments to the sky (normally minus 0.3 EV, nudging the WB cooler, upping Saturation and backing off highlights -- I apply this to every image. I do not add contrast via the slider but I do add clarity+texture adjustments. I do not sharpen or denoise in LRC (I use Topaz Labs) and I never use dehaze globally. All these are starting points for each image -- and in many cases I have to work on the masking to correct the AI, which does a good job but is confused if, for example, the animal has a tail or legs that form a loop and most wings/horns need work. I am also using the new "objects" mask for Iris enhancement. All my "standard" adjustments are applied when I import the images into LRC.

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks for watching, Andy. Appreciate you taking the time, and thanks for the comment. You basically described how I use it too. For my work, live music, I have much more variation in lighting, colors (lighting directors can make life hard), and subject to background exposure relationships. Because of that I need to edit many of the default preset settings I use. I do use just a tad Dehaze globally usually, because of hazers (fog machines), but they are better with masks. The mask accuracy is usually ok for me, but I also have such strange scenes that a miss is usually not noticed. What does happen for me is the AI won’t see an obvious person, or it will grab some strange person out of the audience. Like you say though, easy to edit. Thanks again!

[@KenToney]

Glad to find your channel. I’m a long time concert photographer and good friends with Alan Hess. I’m in Spartanburg SC!

[@BehindTheShot]

Glad you’ve enjoyed it, Ken. Alan is awesome, and a friend. Love that guy.

[@KenToney]

@@BehindTheShot we have lots of common friends, just followed on FB

[@BehindTheShot]

@KenToney I don’t use FB anymore, haven’t for years actually. Just IG, X, Mastodon, or Bluesky.

[@martysprague3906]

I enjoyed this episode. Please share more tips.

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks Marty!

[@WillNewcomb]

While I only have Lightroom on my iPhone, those mask tools are amazing especially that you can combine them (+ or -). Didn't know you can use presets to masked areas... But not in the mobile version!

[@BehindTheShot]

Yes, you can save masks in a preset, but I didn’t want to get that deep in this video. The other really awesome tool that you have with masks is the intersect command. It’s available from the pallet menu, but also by holding down the option key while you pointed add and remove.

[@sbrkich157]

Great episode. Always like seeing someone’s thought process behind their post processing.

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks Stephen!

[@andyv6127]

Great tips!

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks for watching Andy! Glad you liked it.

[@andreaudet]

Great idea for an episode Steve! I know Lightroom (I've taught LR courses), but I'm always intrigued to see how other photographers I respect use it. Keep'em coming!

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks man! Yeah, for many this will be obvious, but I also focus on how I use it with my preset.

[@andreaudet]

@@BehindTheShot We all think differently so even though people know the tool, everyone has their own way of using it. It's fun to see how others approach it.

[@BehindTheShot]

Agree 100%!

[@mmellinger77]

Always enjoy seeing how a professional works! More shows of this style would be great.

[@BehindTheShot]

Awesome. Thank you, Melody!

[@joshlgordon]

Thank you. Great video.

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks Josh. Appreciate you taking the time to watch.

[@noynic]

WOW! What a great episode. Thank you for sharing. I learned so much watching you make adjustments and appreciate the time you took to explain your reasoning for them. I’ve recently started using masks to add more drama / contrast to my images; you’ve really opened my eyes to how much further I can go with it. Thanks again!

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks for watching, and the feedback. So very glad you enjoyed it. Now if only they’d raise their game on other features, like the healing brush and watermarks.

[@mattorrz759]

That was killer Steve. LR is becoming the one stop shop for post processing. As it should be 😉 Brilliant shots also 🤘

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks! So glad you liked it.

[@TaskForcePhotography]

Great video, Steve! Please do more like this.

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks Daniel! Appreciate you watching, and taking the time for the feedback.

[@gburgMD]

found you after you interviewed Jeff Cable on the Olympics.

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks for watching!

[@dbenedict357]

I find the luminosity mask to be useful for some tasks such as these D&B tasks too!

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks David. I need to play with them a bit more. When I first tried them it felt like the transitions between the masked and not masked areas were a bit clunky feeling to me.

[@dbenedict357]

@@BehindTheShot it can be but like I think it was that last shot with white cabinets and the rest of the surrounding area was dark.. can be useful in the same way you invert the mask and add to it then invert again.

[@BehindTheShot]

Great point. I’ll be playing with it for sure.

[@mariosupnet]

Great Show Steve! Thanks for sharing your process. We don't always get to see each other's SOOC shots but it's great to see the process from start to finish. No judgement here on the raw images. LR has come a long way these past couple of years and really made editing a lot easier (and enjoyable)! Interesting to see the subtle use of the Clarity slider. I know some people stay away from that as it is often over-used and creates some weird effects. I think Sharky James said it best that after editing an image, walk away for a few a bit and look at it again to make sure you like the finished product. This advice has helped me refresh my eyes and brains to seeing the image with a fresh perspective. Good work sir!

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks for watching man! Yeah, some shows the RAW are rougher out of camera (I’m looking at you Rob Zombie and Mudvayne), and some shows, like the Papa Roach and Incubus shows I shot recently, are almost done out of camera. The clarity slider is interesting. Some people aware by it, some hate it. I don’t see it either way. It’s a tool. Used “correctly”, whatever that means, it can be awesome. As I mentioned here, selectivity it’s awesome. Sometimes it’s +5 or 15, sometimes it’s -5 or 10. It’s a tool is all, and the images determines the use. But, the key is how and where it’s applied. Globally it’s dangerous. But with masking it the right light a little is great. It’s also great with an adjustment brush for tattoos. Thanks again man!

[@johnyoung1606]

THANKYOU !!!!!! I am new to LR & PS (1wk) .... This is Exactly Why I Wanted LR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a Free software that does mostly only Global Edits,,, (I'm on SS and not rich) I want to use an editing program like I did in the darkroom as a News Photog. from late 60's to late 80's ,,, I am digitizing some of my early work and want to do this type of thing (DODGE n BURN)!!!!!!!!!!! THANKYOU :) :) :) Only one problem (I'm sure there is an easy way (but I have not figured it out) "how to Import a single photo from a file on desktop") Recently Found this channel,,, I really enjoy the Interviews !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks for watching, John, and glad you liked it. You import 1 photo the same way you do 100 photos. You can drag the photo to LR icon in the dock of Mac OS or just open the import dialogue and browse to the directory and choose the image.

[@pedzsan]

I hope this isn’t taken the wrong way… nothing here was new for me. One of the presets I have is to automatically select the inverse of the subject and then darken the background. So what you do in three steps: mask, invert, apply preset, can be done in one step. Originally I would also tweak it so the background would be more hazy but that wasn’t working more often then it was so I removed that from my present. It does enhance the 3D effect of photos which is very interesting. Also, note that LR also has an adjustment on the preset itself (top left corner on my layout) so I don’t see the need to have a “high” and a “medium”. Just have one medium and then adjust the preset’s effect more or less with one slider. All of this is new with the most recent updates of LR but they really hit a home run with these mask. My wish list is the ability to grow, shrink, and add feathering to a mask after the fact. E.g. select subject, then feather it by 5 pixels. I think I would use that but I’m not real sure.

[@BehindTheShot]

Not taken the wrong way at all. All of you mentioned is true, but not where I wanted to start. For those that didn't already know this stuff, explaining the Amount slider, or creating a preset that does more than the basic settings, can always be done after they understand the overview. The Medium and High are still there from years ago, and they have more changes that just adjusting the Amount slider, but again, as I mentioned, I almost use the High anyway. Still, when experimenting, it's a quick visual without having to find a sweet spot on a slider. Yes, the masking in LR has improved the program a ton. A few more PS level controls would be great though. Being able to Expand and Contract a "selection, or feather, as you mentioned. For me, it's a completely unrelated feature - improved watermarking tools. LR suck as watermarks. Anyway, thanks for giving it a shot, and sorry it was too basic for your level. Just a chosen amount and style of content that clearly wasn't best for you. Appreciate the feedback! ~ Steve

[@chrisw8725]

Interesting technique! Ive never seen a preset under the "Effect" tab that can be applied locally. Can anyone share how to do that?

[@BehindTheShot]

Same as this, just use an adjustment brush to apply it.

[@richardnugent7035]

More, more, more……

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks Richard!