One of the most frustrating aspects of Photoshop is that its abilities are so far reaching, that to master it (if it’s possible to do such a thing), requires a tremendous amount of time and dedication. Strangely, that is also one of the wonderful things about Photoshop because in all likelihood even if you’re used to doing something one way, there’s a way to do it better. Few are better at highlighting this than Jimmy McIntyre.
Earlier in the year, we shared a video of Jimmy’s where in 7 minutes, he illustrates with prodigious fluency and potency, just how powerful Photoshop blend modes are, and how fast they can be manipulated for effect. In the video herein, he takes 3 minutes to highlight a way to adjust your images, in particular, the brightness of colors, for a similarly impressive effect.
This may not be new to some of you, but for those that it is, you’ll surely appreciate it. While doing something seemingly simple in Photoshop can often seem like you need to create loads of layers, and that it’s almost impossible to get anywhere in a straight line, all that’s involved in this case is the creation of a black-and-white adjustment layer; then changing the blend mode to Luminosity, and finally using the intuitive sliders to make the desired alterations.
That’s it.
The wonderful thing about this method, aside from how simple it is to apply, is that you’re working with a very narrow range of colors, so the changes can be subtle if you want, and tend not to ‘bleed.’ Also, even though the change is global, it’s easy to mask and brush in or out as you like.
[REWIND:Â How To Use Blend Modes To Totally Revamp Your Photography | Brilliant Work From Jimmy McIntyre]
If this is anything to go by, do take the time to check out what Jimmy has to offer on his site, as it’s sure also to be worth your time and impress. You can find him on his site for workshops and tutorials here and on 500px.
