Creating a Contrast Mask with The GIMP Tutorial
Posted by phoenix 906 days ago http://www.gimpguru.org
In this Gimp Tutorial I'll show you how to do create a contrast mask for your image in The GIMP. A contrast mask allows you to reduce overall contrast, simultaneously bringing out more detail in highlights and shadows. This may be necessary to obtain a decent print, because prints on paper do not have as much dynamic range as a monitor; if you don't control the contrast, detail in the highlights may blow out and detail in the shadows can block up and become muddy or even black. You can of course modify your image directly in The GIMP to decrease contrast, but the advantage of the contrast mask technique is that it allows you much more precise control, and gives better results.
The basic technique is to create a layer above the image that contains a B&W negative of the image. The images are combined in overlay mode: dark parts with light, light parts with dark. All the while your original image remains blissfully unchanged on its layer.
Photograph And Tutorial © Eric R. Jeschke
