Cindy Young

Oh, sorry, I sent those photos before I read your reply.

I forgot about the original….

SOOC

SOOR

My levels work:  (had a hard time with baby's face)

Oh, man!  I thought I had finished my levels work.  Is it too yellow?  The SOOC was waaaay underexposed, but all I have is the edited DNG.  The right side of the photo was really "hot."  I have not done levels on the background, but I have on everything else.  Suggestions?

I have the eyedropper thing ready.  But now what?  Is it the Gradient LAYER (Christina says no, but the link provided is for a Gradient LAYER) OR the Gradient TOOL?  If it's the Gradient TOOL, then I do not know how to get it onto the Levels layer.  I have clicked on the levels mask and tried to draw the line on the photo to have the background color fill in at the top, but it doesn't.  The brain is

still foggy here.  

12:35 am and I woke up this morning at 4:00 am.  I'm going to bed to get up in 5 1/2 hrs to watch my grandkids' swim meet.  Thank you, D. and I do know where the donation button is!!  I do need more help, though!

OK, done.  I'm guessing I click on a the color variances in the backdrop, NOT the wall behind it.  AND do I do another levels layer or just the eyedropper thing??

I need to mask just the opposite!  OK.

Yes, yours is light and mine is dark.

Ok, masked the bright levels layer off of the ceiling.  Now the gradient?

Oh, just mask the levels lay off of the dark ceiling and wall where it meets his hair?  Sorry, hard to understand from a tiny crop of the whole photo.  Let me reverse this.

I have masked the bright levels layer off of the subjects.  I cannot get the brownish background to show up.  In the screen shot, the black splotch is where I masked the background -- no brown backdrop color.

Sorry, when I turn the levels layer off, the background is dark.  When I turn it on, the background is lighter.  How do I get mine to do that?  When I clicked on a dark part of the background, should I have clicked on THE WALL instead of a darker part of the backdrop?

Yes, the background is getting lighter when I turn the levels layer off.

26 minutes ago, Damien Symonds said:

1-5 are correct.  After step 5, the photo should be very very bright.

6 is correct.

7 is NOT.  There is no involvement for the gradient tool for this photo.  Brush tool only.

^^ I am so confused. ^^  So, I select the Gradient Layer by clicking on the black and white circle at the bottom of my right side of the screen?  Then adjust angle, scale, check Dither, and uncheck Align with layer?

I see your PSD--been trying to understand the THREE steps since about 8:00 this morning, 15+hrs ago.  Why did you give me the gradient tutorial if there is no gradient involved?  

When I paint with the black brush, it turns the top of the photo darker.

D, nothing happens when I try #7 with the brush tool.  Does this Levels layer need to be under my other levels work?

Yes, the Levels layer is crazy bright.  I still don't know whether I should click on a dark part of the backdrop or the dark part of the wall behind it.  

Thanks for helping.  I have downloaded Damien's PSD and am trying to study it.  Have fun at your event.  Thanks for your patient helpfulness!

Here's what I am doing:  

1.  Levels layer; 2. Click on levels icon; 3. Double click on white eyedropper; 4. Choose a light part of the background; 5. Choose a dark color from the backdrop**should this be the dark color of the wall behind the backdrop?**; 6. Click on Levels mask; 7. Choose gradient TOOL from the TOOL Bar on left; 8. Draw line on photo with Gradient Tool, but almost NOTHING happens.  Where am I going wrong?

Christina, I'm trying to mask the dark area of the photo, but it only darkens it.  Do I use Quick mask?

Ohhh, that helps!!  I'll be here working!

AND I am using the Preventing banding in backdrops tutorial, too.

Yes, that is the tutorial -- Lara and the eyedropper!