Blowing it out? I know, that’s a funny title, and you may wonder what on earth I’m going to talk about today! Recently, one of my favorite things to do is “blow out” a photo, which basically means I’m going to overexpose it to give it an “artsy” feel. This tip is so simple and easy to do that I know you’ll be giving it a try…or at least I hope so!
Step 1) Start with a good photo
I love to use this technique with a photo that tells a story all by itself. The story may be obvious, or it may just be a photo that means something to you. Here I have two photos: a pumpkin in our garden, and a photo of my husband and daughter sharing a kiss (my favorite.)
Step 2) Adjust the Exposure
- Click on the Adjustment Layer Icon on the Layers panel, and choose Exposure.
- Adjust the sliders. Start by moving the Exposure slider to the right. Then add some shadows back in by moving the Gamma Correction slider to the right. Sometimes I will move the Offset slider to the left, as with this photo, but not always. Just keep adjusting until you have the look you are wanting to achieve. There are no rules here! Sometimes I make it more dramatic than others–it just depends on the photo and the feel I want to give it. Click OK when you are finished with your adjustments.
Step 3) Merge Down
Click on the Layers Panel fly-out menu and choose Merge Down, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl E (Mac: Cmd E). This will merge the adjustment layer with the photo layer, and now you are ready to move this photo to your page.
What a difference this can make in the feel of a photo! Here are my “before” and “after” shots.
And here are the pages I created with my two “blown out” photos. Although I don’t typically like to use just one photo for an entire page, sometimes one dramatic photo does the best job of telling the story. I hope you’ll try this technique this week and post your layouts to the gallery–I will be watching for them!
Credits: Tutorial and pages by Jenny Binder, www.HeirloomScrapbooks.com. A Precious Moment page: Paper and embellishments from Doreen Stolz, You Are So Beautiful kit; fonts are Artistamp Medium (precious), Bickham Script Pro (A, moment), and CAC Shishoni Brush for journaling. Grow On Me page: Swirl by Susan Bartolini (ScrapKitchen), Happy Harvest Kit, October 2009 Scrappers Guide Premier Kit; Font is Century Gothic.
Download a PDF version of this “Blowing It Out” tutorial.
Windows: Right click on the link and choose “Save Target As” or a similar command.
Mac: Click on the link to download the file.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I love these weekly tips, but I’m getting frustrated: I’m using an ancient version of Photoshop (8.0), and more and more often I’m finding I missing essential features used in your tips (e.g. no option to adjust exposure). I’ve considered replacing my Photoshop with PS Elements, but since I’ve already purchased all the back Premier kits and videos in Photoshop format, I’m afraid I’ll lose the ability to follow those tips if I make the change. I can’t afford a new version of Photoshop, sadly. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Hi C.J.
Here’s a suggestion for you. When you run across this problem with Photoshop, look at the Elements version. Often, it will use a different method that will also work for Photoshop.
This week’s tip is a great example. Jenny uses Levels in the Elements version. Since Levels is also available in Photoshop, use that method to get the exact same effect.
Try that with Premier videos also. We often teach “workarounds” for PSE to do the same thing as the current PS version, so if you have an earlier version of PS, it may just work for you.
If all else fails, please do what you did here—write to the instructor! Use the Premier forum to ask questions about Premier videos. We’re always glad to help!
I have been using both Photoshop (CS4) and Photoshop Elements(7) I find each program has some things the other doesn’t. I think PE7 is made more for scrapbookers but I also want to learn how to get the best from my photos and am learning more about CS4. And as for the cost, I agree with CJ that Photoshop is very expensive but Linda and her crew are really good about looking for good deals for us. I was able to buy CS4 last year. It was a really good price, thanks to Linda!!