by
jlwilm » Wed Jun 11, 2008 2:58 pm
Here is another version - darker and uses a technique where I use the Selection Brush to select the family, do a refine edge to feather it, then create a new layer and use the selection to fill it with black.
Next I do a levels and adjusted for the family brightness. I relabel this layer as Family.
Again do a levels and adjust for the scene brightness (in this case, darkness). I relabel this one to Scene.
Now, turn off every layer, except the black filled layer, do a select all, edit/copy to put the black family layer into the clipboard. I usually paint the corners as i have issues getting it to paste into the correct position and having the four corners painted seems to work.
Now, click on the eyeballs in the levels layers, alt+click on the Layer Mask and Edit/Paste. This puts the blackened family layer in as a layer mask. Click on the other layer and everything snaps to normal. Do the same thing for the other Levels Layer.
Finally, click on the Layer Mask for the Family and do a CTRL+I (i for Invert) and the mask will reverse the Black and White Colours. It is a perfect match because one in the reverse mirror image as it were of the other.
Now you can fiddle with the levels setting and have perfect control of image brightness for the two separate elements of the picture. I did this in CS3, but the techniques work the same in PSE6 or could be mimicked in PSE4/5, etc by using a gaussian blur on the blackened family layer of doing a Select Feather.
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