Stupid @$$ question

Alright, I've been an avid Photoshop user for a while now... around two years or so. And one question still hangs in my mind... What in the hell is the color dodging? Like how is it used and how can it be applied, etc. I've always thought of it as that cool little blend option that makes things swank sometimes. Yeah, so any help would be nice.

If you will take a minute, please, and open up Photoshop while you read this.

See the tool that looks like a stickpin (needle with a ball on top)?

There you go. If you change to the tool that is shaped like a cupped hand (not the hand tool, but color burn tool), it will do the opposite as the dodge tool (the stickpin).

Take a new image, size 300x300 or so and Alt+Backspace a neutral color (tan, medium red, or whatever). This will color the whole image with a single color. Take the dodge tool (stickpin) and run your mouse over the color a couple of times (holding down the left mouse button, of course ;) ). Notice something? It creates a highlight... Ok, now hold the Alt key and run the mouse over the color a few pixels away from the highlighted (dodged) section. Notice anything? Looks like your canvas has rippled, eh?

And don't feel bad about not knowing what the dodge/burn tool does. I have been using Photoshop since version 4 (yes, I know, sad... But it was given to me.), and I had been using airbrushing to do highlights. Currently (as of this week, since I actually wanted to try using the dodge/burn tool instead of manual airbrushing for highlights and shadows) I am using an odd technique for the highlighting/shading of an image. I'm using the dodge/burn tool on a duplicate copy of the area I want to do the highlighting/shading on, then gaussien blurring the layer (without selection). Ctrl+Click the original layer, Ctrl+Shift+I, Delete. Then you have a nice faded highlight/shadow without pulling your hair out. ).

Uh, oh... Looks like I just went off on a tangent. Did I answer your question?

Akuta Same

To a point, yes you did. While you explained the color dodge and burn tools to me (and you did a great job at that! ) I still want to know exactly what it does... Say I have an image, and then I put one over that and make it a dodge layer. What determines what will happen? Make sense? Beats me if it did... I'm in a haze... lol :D

Zazi, why don't you go experiment? thats the best way to learn things in photoshop.. SavageDawg, good job on the answer.

Snore

I have, already. If you'd pay attention to my first post, I stated that I only knew of the color dodging layer mode as "that thing that makes things go swank." Hence I have experimented. You see, I have never really noticed any type of order to it. Thats my problem here.

Color Dodge Looks at the color information in each channel and brightens the base color to reflect the blend color. Blending with black produces no change.

Color Burn Looks at the color information in each channel and darkens the base color to reflect the blend color. Blending with white produces no change.

from the photoshop 6 help.

Nice. I have to say. That is one of the best answers I've ever read.

Yeah, wonderful answers can be found in the manual and the help files. Maybe you should all try it sometime.

wow, deker....
I know you are moderator and all, but this is like the 10th post that I've read where you gave a smart ass answer....and never touched the question....
I for one think you could cut some folks some slack...

I come here to try to help people in the case they might "need" help....

yourself?

In response to your "hard riddle". The answer is "bookkeeper". How about a word with 4 consecutive double letters. I know it. Do you???