Blend Modes

How to Fake Wet Streets, Stack Weather Overlays, and Actually Understand Blend Modes in ON1 Photo RAW
Video Tutorials

How to Fake Wet Streets, Stack Weather Overlays, and Actually Understand Blend Modes in ON1 Photo RAW

Last month I was retouching a series of architectural shots for a hospitality client. Beautiful cobblestone courtyard, golden-hour light, the whole thing. Problem was, the stones looked completely flat and dusty on camera. The client’s reference images all had that slick, rain-kissed texture that makes stone surfaces look rich and dimensional. I ended up doing a passable job with a luminosity mask and some manual dodging, but it took longer than it should have, and I knew there was a cleaner path.

The Manual Glow Effect That Still Beats Every AI Filter I've Tried
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The Manual Glow Effect That Still Beats Every AI Filter I've Tried

Client work has a way of humbling you. A few months back I was finishing a batch of lifestyle shots for a skincare brand, and the art director kept circling back to one note: “Can we make the light feel softer? More… luminous?” I’d already done my standard luminosity mask pass. I’d tried a couple of glow overlays from my preset library. None of it had the right quality. It looked processed rather than photographic.

Adding Window Textures and Light Overlays in Photoshop: A Workflow Worth Stealing
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Adding Window Textures and Light Overlays in Photoshop: A Workflow Worth Stealing

Client work has a way of exposing the gaps in your toolkit. A few months back I was finishing up a portrait series for an ad agency, and the creative director kept asking for something “moodier, more atmospheric” without being able to articulate exactly what that meant. I knew the bones of the image were solid. What it needed was depth, some suggestion of environment and light without compositing in an entirely new background.

How to Create a Glitter Sparkle Effect in Photoshop Using Blend Modes and Custom Brushes
Video Tutorials

How to Create a Glitter Sparkle Effect in Photoshop Using Blend Modes and Custom Brushes

My clients come in two flavors: the ones who know exactly what they want, and the ones who send me a Pinterest board full of Instagram-aesthetic images and say “make it look like that.” The glitter sparkle effect falls firmly into the second category. I’ve been seeing it on product shots and portrait campaigns for a couple of years now, and every time a client sends me a reference I’ve had to reverse-engineer it on the fly.