What exactly is "dodge and burn"
The dodge and burn tools are found in Photoshop and other photo processing software and can be used to enhance an image.
The dodge tool will lighten the area of your photo that it is applied to - it can be used in a number of ways including smoothing the appearance of wrinkles in a persons face without removing them altogether and lightening areas in a landscape:
In this image the dodge tool was used to lighten the dark areas in the clouds and in the hills, to brighten the foreground and the reflections.
The Burn Tool does the opposite and is used to darken areas of an image.
and is it something I should be using to improve my pictures?
The answer to that is that it really is up to you - like all enhancement tools it needs to be used with care and takes practice - I will attempt to write a tutorial on using the Dodge and Burn tools and place it in the library.
Hope this helps.
Val
