Going Dark

I have always been intrigued by darker-toned images, but have had difficulty making them because something in me just keeps saying that they need to be lighter because there is ‘supposed to be’ detail in the shadows. Lately, I have been pushing myself to try new things, and so, in some cases, I have ‘gone dark.’

If anyone is interested in how I have made the darker tones in this image and in my image here, allow me to explain the technique. After processing the image the way I normally would, I place a solid color black layer with a white mask on top of the layer stack and set the opacity to approximately 75% (adjust to taste). Then, using a black brush set to very low opacity, you can paint away the darkness by painting on the white layer mask. Build the effect up slowly for a more natural look.

View fullsize

© Howard Grill

Get new posts by email:

Subscribe