New User Darken Background

[RobMW]

Hello All,

   I am trying to learn Photoshop, I have the $9.95 subscription.  I am a amature photographer and wonder if there is a way in Photoshop to darken the background.  I have seen videos on how to blur the background, but I would like to darken it just a little bit.  I don't want to totally change it to a different color. Thanks for your help.

[Leslie Moak Murray]

Can you post a screenshot of the background you're taking about? Not seeing it, I can tell you there are different ways of going about it if it's what I think it is. One would be:

-Duplicate the photo (always retain an untouched version in case you mess up)

-Set the duplicate to "Multiply."  Play with the opacity slider until it looks right.

-Using a soft eraser, erase the areas you want to keep lighter.

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[RobMW]

Thanks for replying so fast.
I have this picture of this Black Crowned Night Heron. I think that if I could darken the background a little that the bird would stand out a little more.
Just trying to learn how to make my wildlife photos stand out a little more and not look fake.



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[davescm · Accepted solution]

If you post the image we will be able to help further but the basic steps are :

1. Select the area you want to darken - the best tool to do that depends on the image

2. Add a curves adjustment layer (this will be added with a mask so that the adjustment only affects the area you selected)

3. In the properties panel grab the centre of the curve and pull it downwards

4. (Optional) Paint on the mask with white to extend the area affected by the adjustment or black to reduce the area affected

Dave

[RobMW]

Thanks for replying so fast.
I have this picture of this Black Crowned Night Heron. I think that if I could darken the background a little that the bird would stand out a little more.
Just trying to learn how to make my wildlife photos stand out a little more and not look fake.


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[Bob_Hallam · Accepted solution]

Use Select / Subject then possible go into Select and Mask to adjust the mask edges as needed. 

Then go to brightness contrast or Levels or curves (Whatever you choose) and darken the background to your taste.  

[davescm]

One thing to add, I would always recommend you use adjustment layers and masks rather than the menu Image > Adjustments as when using adjustment layers you can go back and re-adjust the darkness and the area effected without any detrimental effect on the image layer. None of the changes are permanently baked in.

For the same reason, save a master copy of your image, with the image and adjustment layers in place, as a PSD or TIFF so you can re-open and readjust layer if required.

Dave

[RobMW]

Dave,
Thanks for all the help. I really do appreciate your getting back to me. I'll go in and play with a image and see if I can get the results that I'm looking for.
Since I'm new to this, is there a place that I need to go to close out this help request. I don't want other people wasting time if I already have your answer.
Thanks again

Bob


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[davescm]

No you have already marked a couple of responses as correct so other users will see that. Thanks for doing that, many do not 🙂

The forum thread will remain open for anyone to add responses if they wish to, that is just the way the forum works.

Good luck with your image - come back again if you have any other questions.

Dave