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This tutorial is available as a PDF. Click here to view or download it A few fellow forum members suggested I make a tutorial after giving shading tips on a different thread. No plug-ins needed. This will work on colored images as well to accent the highlights and shadows, but I tend to play with it the most on my sketches. First, start with your base image. Add a new layer for shadows and set the Blending Mode to Color Burn Add another layer for highlights and set the Blending Mode to Color Dodge Using a dark gray on the Dodge layer, color where you want highlights. The lighter the color, the brighter the highlight. If it looks too bright, try a darker color. Black will probably not show up at all. I like to lower the hardness of the brush to get a softer edge to help with blending later. If you want distinct highlights, you can try a harder brush. Using a light gray on the Burn layer, color where you want shadows. The darker the color, the deeper the shadows. Use Gaussian Blur to smooth out the shadows. Play with the slider to see what works best for your image. Do the same to the highlights. Using the eraser tool, clean up the edges of the highlights and shadows so they don't creep beyond the borders of your image. If you find a section that needs a bit more adjustment, you can color where needed, use the selection tool to choose just that area, and then blur again to smooth it out. Another option is to reduce the hardness of your brush and adjust the opacity to make it slightly transparent, if you want just a subtle change. And then, you're done! You can adjust the opacity of the Dodge and Burn layers if the highlights and shadows are too bright/dark. This same technique on a colored photo (done quickly for this tutorial, not because my daughter needed any dramatization to her face):

@Humility - Another trick, which does take some trial and error and a bit of patience, is to use dodge and burn. I like to draw on paper, take photos of the pictures (since I don't have a nifty scanner), and then play with depth using dodge and burn. Once you understand the direction of light, you can try these methods to see if you like the results. First you have your base image. Add a Burn layer Add a Dodge layer Choose dark gray to add highlights to the Dodge layer (the lighter the color, the brighter the highlight) and a lighter gray to add shadows to the Burn layer (the darker the color, the darker the shadow) Use Gaussian blur to smooth out the edges (play with the levels to see what works best for your image) Then erase around the edge of your base image to clean up shadows and highlights that extend beyond it Play with the Opacity slider on the dodge and burn layers to adjust if they are too bright/dark. Unfortunately, I have no talent for drawing background for my people, so I have no advice there. But since these past few posts were about shading, I figured I'd chime in.

TechnoRobbo's Paste Frame V1.3.20+ Uses a clipboard image to frame your picture Based on a request from Member @Eli PDN 3.5 Compatible v1.3.20+ math fix v1.3.10+ Greater Adjustment - Smooth Offset v1.3.9+ Some Eli inspired changes (expanded range,Solid Tiling) v1.3.8+ adds offset from edge v1.3.7+ Introduces alignment options Hidden Content: v1.3.6+ Region Bug fix v1.3.5+ Border width bug fixed v1.3.0.+ add selection contouring v1.2.2+ fixes a Re-entrant Token bug. v1.2.1+ fixes artifact in PDN 3.5 Version 1.2.0.+ wrapping control and load a frame file as well as clipboard V1.1 corrects symmetry Menu : Effects -> Selection A few tips When using copy disable antialising selection Paste to it's own image and copy again to avoid any fringing The frame image continuity works best if the frame size and the image have a common divisor 800X600 works great with 10,50,100 Select the graphic at the targetted corner point - in this example, from middle of the heart to the middle of the heart Example of proper alignment (Click to view) https://www.dropbox.com/s/ueo8jqjd32ufagn/Paste%20FrameEli1.png?raw=1 Example of common divisor (Click to view) https://www.dropbox.com/s/bw456g4cgk1bmrr/Paste%20FrameEli2.png?raw=1 . . VS Source Code for Programmers Only Plugin DownloadTRsPasteFrame.zip

@hippiechos fantastic! I think you could make this into a tutorial.

Dear Maximilian! Thank you for these wonderful plugins. I have the latest version. Perfect for the 3.5.11 users.

Irfanview supports opening .pdn files if you install the plugins pack. Then you can use the very powerful bulk converter to process the images.