Dodge, Burn, and Sponge Tools: Enhancing Highlights and Shadows

To recap:

• The Dodge, burn and sponge tools allow selective adjustment of lights and colors in an image;
• The dodge tool lightens specific areas of an image;
• The Burn tool darkens specific areas of an image;
• The Sponge tool adjusts the saturation levels, whether it's saturation or desaturation.

Unfortunately, these tools are destructive, meaning that the changes are applied directly to the image. So, we have two solutions:

• Solution 1: duplicate the layer Ctrl + J (Windows) or CMD + J (MacOS), then work on the duplicate layer to preserve the original;

• Solution 2: use adjustment layers with masks:

  • Create Curves Adjustment Layers: one for Dodge (brightness up), one for Burn (brightness down);
  • Invert the masks to hide effects initially by hitting Shift + I;
  • Use white brush to reveal Dodge/Burn effects on the masks preferably with thin lines;
  • Use the feather slider in the properties panel while selecting the layer mask. It softens the effect edges and blends it nicely with the original layer.

Remember that you can always create a group of layers by selecting the amount of layers you want in the layers panel and hitting Ctrl + G (Windows) or CMD + G (MacOS). You can also create a layer mask on top of that group and hide/reveal what you desire!