help me to add a black background

Z

zoeheatherington

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Zoe Heatherington
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I was hoping someone could give me some advise on how to put a portrait onto a soft black background (studio-look). Is there an easy (yet, realistic)way through photoshop?

I have a photo example for this but can not seem to attach it onto this post...any reason for this???

Thanks, Zoe
 
Mhmm, I would love to help with my knowledge of PS but cant do anything without a link showing what you want.

Jordie
 
you ask shihan :nuts:
 
could you not simply use the burn tool and darken the background...
 
How's this?
jack1_small.jpg
 
Hmm, that looks totally different at work to how it did at home. Time for a monitor calibration I think.
 
zoeheatherington said:
Great, that looks much better - how did you do that without altering the face? How does the "burn" tool work that was mentioned? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hi Zoe, welcome to TP.

The "burn" tool is a reference back to film days. The techniques of "dodging" and "burning" were used in darkrooms where the printer would put objects between the lens of the developer and the printing paper so the bit of paper where the shadow fell received less light than the rest. The technique could be used to make certain bits of an image either lighter or darker.

Photoshop has tools that allow us to do it digitally and a revert button for when we cock it right up! :D
 
I used it set on highlights and exposure 50% if I remember rightly but have a play for yourself with different settings to get the effect you want. I've now had another play at work using 100%.

jack11.jpg
 
sorry - hate to be a bother again - but being a beginner at all this, I need a few more steps - where is the highlights and exposure you're talking about? No doubt it's simple as anything and I'm being a bit clueless...but I'm having trouble getting to that step and the adobe book isn't helping me.
 
burn-tool.jpg


Then just click your cursor on the area you want to darken
 
Exposure can be found in the Image > Adjustments > Exposure

Highlights are adjusted in Image > Adjustments > Levels,

or more simply Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast

Dodge and Burn tools can be found by right clicking on the Sponge tool.

Quite a few of the Photoshop tools in the pallet have additional functions if you right click on them.
 
So come on show us the results! You're not getting away with that!:lol:
 
Yeah good job. :thumbs:

Sorry I wasnt much of a help, my previous computer had a virus, parents got a new one, the previous machine is sitting in my room without the internet and I wont download a free trial of photoshop on this one. But I hope you learnt a thing or two.

Jordie
 
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