PHOTO EFFECTSKELBYONE.COMTarget: This is the layer that was active when you invoked
Apply Image.
Blending Mode: Select a blending mode to determine
how the source blends with the target layer.
Opacity: Control the strength of the blend.
Apply Image is particularly useful for creating simple
luminosity masks, as we’ll demonstrate in the following
technique, or for frequency separation. But enough of
the technical terms for now; let’s get back to warming
up winter!
ADDING WARMTH TO THE HIGHLIGHTS
Begin by opening your image. If there’s already some
warmth in your image, that’s fine; you can warm it up
even further. It’s fine to start with an image that has no
warmth, but this technique works best when there’s an
obvious source of light, which will create a more realistic
result when you warm up the highlights.
STEP ONE: With your image open in Photoshop, the first
thing you need to do is create a new, blank layer by
clicking the Create a New Layer icon (+) at the bottom
of the Layers panel, or by pressing Command-Shift-N
(PC: Ctrl-Shift-N).
STEP TWO: Next up, select the warm color you want to use.
Click on the Foreground color swatch near the bottom of
the Toolbar to open the Color Picker. I’ve selected a shade
of orange (#c48f4b) that I feel will complement this scene
across Lyngen fjord in Norway. When selecting a color
to warm up a winter scene, it’s safe to choose something
in the red-to-yellow range, depending on the scene, to
complement the cooler tones. Once you’ve chosen a
color, click OK to close the Color Picker.STEP THREE: Now you need to apply that color in the
highlight areas of the image, as well as any other areas
where you want it to affect the image. Select the Brush
tool (B) and choose a large, soft brush in the Brush Preset
Picker in the Options Bar. I used a brush Size of 2500
pixels and a Hardness of 0%, because for this image,
there’s a large patch of sky to which I want to apply the
effect; but the size of the brush will be determined by
the size of the highlight area in your image.