Pro-Tip #17: Luminosity Masks via Easy Panel

Rainbow Sky, Created Using Luminosity Masks - © Greg Clure

This year in my Pro-Tip section I am writing about ways to get creative so your images will standout from the other 880 billion photos that are expected to be taken in 2014. Luminosity masks are one such tool you can use in your post-processing workflow to gain greater control over the tones in any image. So, what are luminosity masks? Luminosity masks are nothing more than selections based on the brightness values of the image. These masks provide a convenient way to select a specific tone or range of tones in an image which can then be manipulated as you see fit.  They are useful when global adjustment can't get the job done or when you want to blend different exposures together in order to achieve a more realistic result than HDR programs are capable of achieving. Making your own luminosity masks can be tedious and time consuming and is why I use the Easy Panel. The Easy Panel is a free online tool that when installed to your Photoshop CS program will create 18 luminosity masks with the click of a single button as well as other cool features.  It doesn't get much easier than that! You can read all about the Easy Panel and download a free copy of this tool at  www.shutterevolve.com/easy-panel-photoshop/ and start your journey to more sophisticated image editing and move your photo processing results up to the next level.