How to Dodge and Burn Landscape Photos

When you think of dodging and burning, you probably think of it as a technique that used for shaping and retouching portraits, but really, it is a technique that can be applied to any genre, including landscape photography. If you would like to learn how you can apply dodging and burning to your landscape work, check out this excellent video tutorial that will show you everything you need to know. 

Coming to you from Kayleigh June, this great video tutorial will show you everything you need to know about dodging and burning landscape images. Dodging and burning is traditionally used for portraits, but it is nothing more than a tool for shaping light, and as such, it is a technique that can be applied to any photo, including a landscape shot. In this genre, it can be used to emphasize detail, to isolate your subject, to add more contrast, and a lot more. Beyond that, the more you practice it, the better you will get at reading the light in the scene, which translates to better work in the field with your camera. Check out the video above for the full rundown. 

And if you really want to dive into landscape photography, check out "Photographing The World 1: Landscape Photography and Post-Processing with Elia Locardi." 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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A simple method to use is to create a layer, and fill it with 50% grey, then, set the blend mode to Overlay, choose the dodge & burn tool, and make your brush settings (Soft Brush for me) set your Midtones, Shadows, and Highlights Brush away. You could create one for each Midtone, Shadow, and Highlight. You can then set the opacity, or fill mode, and create a clipping mask to only affect the layer below. I use it all the time.