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Last updated on
6 November 2025
Learn how to lighten specific areas of an image with the Lighten (Dodge) tool.
Select Retouch > Lighten (Dodge) .
From the Brush presets dropdown menu, select the required option.
Tip
Select the More menu icon in the Brush presets panel to Manage brushes or Reset to default brushes. You can also set the Brush size & hardness and Exposure in the options bar.
Select More options and adjust the Angle slider to specify the angle by which an elliptical or sampled brush’s long axis is rotated from the horizontal.
To minimize clipping in shadows and highlights, keep the Protect tones option enabled, and to vary the diameter of the Lighten (Dodge) tool based on the brush pressure applied while painting, enable Use pressure for size.
Paint over the area you want to lighten. The more you paint over an area, the lighter or brighter it becomes.
