ADJUSTMENT LAYERS AND LAYER MASKS

Portraits often benefit from selective tonal tweaks to brighten eyes. This is best carried out on an Adjustment Layer. Click the Create Adjustment Layer icon in the Layers panel and choose Curves, then drag up on the Curve line to lighten the image. Press Cmd/ Ctrl+I to invert the Layers’s mask to black, which hides the effect, then grab the Brush tool and paint with white over the image (while the mask thumbnail is highlighted) to selectively reveal the change in tone. With Adjustment Layers you have ultimate control over both the tonal tweak and the area it affects.