Datasheet

4 chapter 1 ■ Tools for Building Your Masterpiece
Figure 1.6 Another version using Soft Light blending mode
The Soft Light blending mode takes a look at the blend color and either lightens or
darkens that portion of the image, depending on whether the color is lighter or darker,
respectively, than 50% gray. If the light source, or blend color, is lighter than 50% gray,
the effect is as though that portion of the image were dodged—darker makes it look as
though it were burned. Painting with Black or White in the Soft Light blending mode will
darken or lighten, but will not result in true black or white. Rather, it will result in an
increase of light or shadow.
When you find a blending mode that does basically what you want it to accomplish, as
I’ve done with this example, you may want to keep the blending mode and finish the correc-
tions with other Photoshop features. No one tool or technique is a cure-all: it usually takes a
combination of tools and commands working together to get what you are looking for.
Notice the jet stream trailing off in the upper-left corner. This can be wiped away to
help maintain the Old West feel of the final shot. One of the quickest ways to isolate and
replace the offending area is to use the Spot Healing tool on the mesa layer (see Figure 1.7).
Figure 1.8 shows out final blended image.
Figure 1.7 Spot Healing quickly
replaces the offending jet stream with
the blue background surrounding the
aircraft.
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