Understanding The 'Lighten (Dodge) Brush' by -carlos-
Just wanted to offer a text tutorial of this brush to encourage people to use it. I'll explain a bit about how to use it simply. Then i'll explain what it does. Then i'll try and give a more advanced explanation of maximising this tools potential. Let's get started. Coninued in comments...
#litghten #tutorial
Disambiguation
C - Cyan (sky blue)
M - Magenta (neon pink)
Y - Yellow
K - Black
W - White
Val - Value (darkness/lightness)
Sat - Saturation (colorfulness/greyscale)
Hue - Colour Wheel #r
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Comments
02 Nov, 2025, 2:33 pm
1.So first thing first...
How do we use this brush? (Basic)
-This brush is best used after you have placed colour nearer the end of the process
-Start with low opacity as subtlety works best for this brush
-For safety duplicate the layer you intend to use this brush on so you can go back if needed
When should I use this brush? (Basic)
-To imply a light source shining on a subject
-To bring out a washed out or muddy part of a image
-To separate foreground and background
02 Nov, 2025, 4:54 pm
2. Before moving on...
- I would advise you to select a lighter colour that represents your light source when using this brush
This next section is a bit of the technical
What does this brush do?
- Despite the simplified name it does much more than lighten the colour
- In the example image the top left to right are untouched
- The top centre is after using the brush on highest opacity and set to white
- The bottom row from left to right is the brush set to Cyan , Magenta and Yellow