hcphotography
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Hi PS community,
I've been using LR for my entire automotive photographing career so far. Always thought that LR was the go to editing program because it was just easier but after seeing another pro photographer's results from using PS only, I was absolutely mindblown. He advised me to switch over to PS so here I am. I've been using Photoshop for a good month and a half now (rough estimation) and I will say that both LR and PS have their good uses for me (just using the basic tools), though I have been using PS for the most part because I wanted to see how different the photos would turn out with me just using PS.
The one though that is confusing me with PS, however, is the difference between the clipping as well as the layer masks. I see a lot of photographers using it (mainly on YouTube), as well as the pen tool (I always only use the quick selection too now and sometimes the freeform pen tool if the object I'm trying to select is too hard to outline with the quick selection tool) with the layer mask but I don't understand how to use the layer mask. I did some quick searching around what I know of so far, the layer mask is only to adjust the opacity of a portion of the layer?
My question is, I watched a video made by one of the best automotive photographers, GF Williams, and he was using layer masks to brighten up and enhance the color of a car and then later on, partially desaturating the background, also with the layer mask. How exactly does a layer mask work and how/would it benefit me? I mostly darken the background from my subject as I like to get that glossy effect on cars that I shoot so I tend to overexpose the car by just a tiny bit (I don't have any light boxes so I have to use natural light) and then use the gradient tool/dodge/burn to darken the background.
Any tips and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
I've been using LR for my entire automotive photographing career so far. Always thought that LR was the go to editing program because it was just easier but after seeing another pro photographer's results from using PS only, I was absolutely mindblown. He advised me to switch over to PS so here I am. I've been using Photoshop for a good month and a half now (rough estimation) and I will say that both LR and PS have their good uses for me (just using the basic tools), though I have been using PS for the most part because I wanted to see how different the photos would turn out with me just using PS.
The one though that is confusing me with PS, however, is the difference between the clipping as well as the layer masks. I see a lot of photographers using it (mainly on YouTube), as well as the pen tool (I always only use the quick selection too now and sometimes the freeform pen tool if the object I'm trying to select is too hard to outline with the quick selection tool) with the layer mask but I don't understand how to use the layer mask. I did some quick searching around what I know of so far, the layer mask is only to adjust the opacity of a portion of the layer?
My question is, I watched a video made by one of the best automotive photographers, GF Williams, and he was using layer masks to brighten up and enhance the color of a car and then later on, partially desaturating the background, also with the layer mask. How exactly does a layer mask work and how/would it benefit me? I mostly darken the background from my subject as I like to get that glossy effect on cars that I shoot so I tend to overexpose the car by just a tiny bit (I don't have any light boxes so I have to use natural light) and then use the gradient tool/dodge/burn to darken the background.
Any tips and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
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