{"id":808772,"date":"2023-04-12T15:52:08","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T22:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/?p=808772"},"modified":"2023-11-14T14:51:51","modified_gmt":"2023-11-14T22:51:51","slug":"lighting-adobe-photoshop-tutorial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/lighting-adobe-photoshop-tutorial\/","title":{"rendered":"How to turn day into night in Adobe Photoshop, with PiXimperfect"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Maybe you\u2019ve been using Adobe Photoshop for a while, or maybe you\u2019re just getting started. There are many ways to do every type of edit in the software, as well as all kinds of tips, tricks, and hacks to do things more simply and easily.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>In this tutorial, Unmesh Dinda of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@PiXimperfect\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PiXimperfect<\/a> demonstrates how to overhaul a photograph\u2019s lighting in Adobe Photoshop \u2013 literally turning a photo from day into night! Check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LiSu5KmZp_Y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the video below<\/a> for the Adobe Photoshop tutorial, or read on for a summary of how to achieve the effect.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Dramatically Transform the Light in Photoshop!\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LiSu5KmZp_Y?feature=oembed\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lighting is one of the most important skills for photomanipulation, right up there with basic perspective. Knowing how to match light and color grading with an existing scene, or create an entire new lighting scheme over the objects you\u2019ve photoshopped together, is essential for photo editing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This 21-minute masterclass on creative adjustment layer use by Piximperfect\u2019s Unmesh Dinda goes deep into developing the skill. He covers the whole process of altering a photo\u2019s lighting by pulling off the most dramatic change possible: turning day into night. Then he paints extra light over the subject himself with a neat trick involving the Curves tool \u2026 and a Wacom tablet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Creating the base<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before you start painting in details by hand, you essentially need to relight and recolor the whole image first. One thing to remember with photomanipulation is that although some changes can be very complicated, any light and color adjustments are as simple as adding a few adjustment layers and tweaking the sliders, so don\u2019t be afraid to experiment with various lighting scenarios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although there are myriad ways to do it in Adobe Photoshop, Dinda relies on adjustment layers to make the changes nondestructively. Specifically, he uses Color Lookup Tables along with the \u201cBlend If\u201d function. By doing this a few times and adjusting the settings, you can get the exact effect you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"575\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2019\/10\/Untitled-1.jpg\" alt=\"Day Into Light tutorial image 1\" class=\"wp-image-808731\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2019\/10\/Untitled-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2019\/10\/Untitled-1-980x550.jpg 980w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2019\/10\/Untitled-1-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Painting the light<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dinda\u2019s method for painting in the light areas is so simple you\u2019ll wonder why you didn\u2019t think of it: first, he creates a Curves Adjustment layer and cranks up the brightness until the picture is overexposed. Then he adds a layer mask, clears it so none of the effect is visible, and paints in only the parts where there should be highlights. Just as if he was painting, he uses pen pressure to control flow, as well as his impressive knowledge of lighting and form to define the elephant\u2019s face with light and shadow placement. And at the end, he does the same thing, just with the curves turned down, for the shadows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"575\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2019\/10\/Untitled-2.jpg\" alt=\"Day Into Light tutorial image 2\" class=\"wp-image-808732\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2019\/10\/Untitled-2.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2019\/10\/Untitled-2-980x550.jpg 980w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2019\/10\/Untitled-2-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Adding more brightness and shadow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the subsequent section, he does the same thing to the background, creating a Curves adjustment layer over it with the elephant masked out, then using large, soft brushes to paint light across swaths of the grass behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"575\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2019\/10\/Untitled-3.jpg\" alt=\"Day Into Light tutorial image 3\" class=\"wp-image-808733\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2019\/10\/Untitled-3.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2019\/10\/Untitled-3-980x550.jpg 980w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2019\/10\/Untitled-3-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Calibration overlays<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is a fancy term for \u201cmore adjustment layers.\u201d For this step, Dinda shows us another adjustment layer hack commonly used to create ambient light: he creates a white-to-transparent gradient on a new layer, then moves the top above the frame so it looks like there\u2019s moonlight coming down from off-camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"575\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2019\/10\/Untitled-4.jpg\" alt=\"Day Into Light tutorial image 4\" class=\"wp-image-808734\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2019\/10\/Untitled-4.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2019\/10\/Untitled-4-980x550.jpg 980w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2019\/10\/Untitled-4-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Dramatic mist brush<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, he shows us how to paint mist with some very judicious use of a fog brush from an Envato Elements pack. Effective use of these kinds of subtle, transparent brushes is a crucial skill for expert Adobe Photoshop users, but he demonstrates how simple it can be, enlarging the brush size up to the size of the canvas itself, then clicking just once to add a cloud of vapor over the whole image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1080\" height=\"607\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2023\/04\/Untitled-6.jpg\" alt=\"Day Into Light tutorial image 6\" class=\"wp-image-809022\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2023\/04\/Untitled-6.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2023\/04\/Untitled-6-980x551.jpg 980w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2023\/04\/Untitled-6-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1080px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final words<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the end of this process, Dinda has turned a neutrally-lit daytime shot into a dramatic foggy moonlit night. This being one of the most dramatic overall lighting transformations possible, each of the individual techniques he teaches here will also be useful in making smaller adjustments to other photographs. Just remember how much of your lighting Curves and Color Adjustment Layers can handle on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key tip:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>While it is possible to do edits like this with a mouse or trackpad, it is much more difficult \u2013 using <a href=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/en-us\/wacom-pen-display-pen-tablets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a Wacom tablet<\/a> will make everything much more feasible. Adobe Photoshop brushes are very sensitive, so the best Flow setting for digital painting is just 5 to 10%, depending on how fast you want to apply color. Pen pressure can also be set to control Opacity and Flow at once, so that when you press it to the tablet lightly, the resulting stroke will be even fainter and subtler than if it were only controlling one.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Before:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1080\" height=\"607\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2023\/04\/before.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-809021\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2023\/04\/before.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2023\/04\/before-980x551.jpg 980w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2023\/04\/before-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1080px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">After!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1080\" height=\"607\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2023\/04\/after.jpg\" alt=\"Day Into Night After\" class=\"wp-image-809020\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2023\/04\/after.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2023\/04\/after-980x551.jpg 980w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2023\/04\/after-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1080px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unmesh Dinda of PiXimperfect shows us how to control lighting in Adobe Photoshop &#8212; literally turning day into night!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":69,"featured_media":808736,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2552,2550,2336,2341],"tags":[135,312,180,688],"class_list":["post-808772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learn-photo-editing","category-learn-to-draw-with-wacom","category-photography","category-software","tag-adobe","tag-adobe-photoshop","tag-piximperfect","tag-unmesh-dinda"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/69"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=808772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808772\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/808736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=808772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=808772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=808772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}