Gradients in Photoshop/Camera Raw CS4/Lightroom

Using the Levels or Curves adjustment masks

Photoshop and Photoshop Elements adjustments

Analyses

You have a photograph where you want to enhance the sky or the foreground but an adjustment will affect the entire landscape making part of it too "dark" or too "light" as you can see below.

This is the procedure

Look in the Option bar. When you click inside the gradient display with the mouse pointer, the gradient "editor" will pop open as seen below. Choose "Black, white."

Close the Gradient Editor by clicking "OK".

The mouse arrow will become a small "+" cursor... Now draw the gradient on the photo, (Hold down the mouse button and draw)... You'll see the gradient in the mask window in the layers palette... you might have to undo and change the direction of the gradient by clicking the reverse button in the option bar.

and you are done... you can use a soft brush and paint with black or white to change the edges of the mask...

Gradients in Lightroom

The gradient button in the Develop Module

In the develope module. Three clicks of the mouse and you are done...

Gradients in Camera Raw CS4

The gradient button

Choose the gradient button. Three clicks of the mouse and you are done... Just like Lightroom

Class 2 Review

Keyboard shortcuts

Duplicate layer
Command + J (PC)
Control + J (Mac)

Select the Gradient tool
G key

You can assign your own keyboard shortcuts for adjustment layers. Here's a short video, It's a Photoshop Killer Tip by Matt Kloskowski at Layer's Magazine