Using a Linear Gradient To Enhance Photos

[Chris]

Here is an interesting video tutorial from Blake Rudis about using a reflected gradient to enhance photos. It works well with the right kind of photo where you want to enhance a background to make the subject stand out. As this has a lot of steps to remember, he has supplied some free actions that work with the full PS.

Although this tutorial was made for the full PS, it should work manually with PS Elements as long as you have a plug-in like Elements + or Layers XXL that enable you to adjust the "Fill percentage" of the linear light blend mode. If that's not possible, then choose a different blend mode (maybe soft light or whatever) and reduce the opacity of the layer to make the effect more subtle. Use a layer mask to paint out the effect where you don't need it. 

The *AMAZING* Reflected Gradient in Photoshop  - Blake Rudis
f64academy.com/amazing-reflected-gradient-photoshop/

I haven't tried this yet, but it has a lot of potential.

Happy photoshopping!

Kind regards
Chris

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PS.  Previously, I shared a video tutorial by Blake Rudis about enhancing photos using a diamond gradient. I have used this to good effect on some of my landscapes photos.



The AMAZING Diamond Gradient in Photoshop - Blake Rudis

f64academy.com/diamond-gradient-photoshop/

[Sepiana]

Chris, this is an excellent tutorial! 

You are correct! Elements users will need some "help". Some time ago I had tried this tutorial using Elements and had also tested the actions he provides. Here are the results.

Aug 20, 2021 16:43:17 GMT Sepiana said:

This tutorial can also be followed by Elements users. However, a little tweaking may be needed. Elements does not have Blend If; this is a Photoshop-only feature. A possible workaround will be to use Elements+, an add-on created by our member -- Andrei Doubrovski. See . . . Blend If.

I tested his three actions in Elements 11 through Elements 2021. They work just fine. No problems!