The Dodge, Burn, and Saturate tools !
They're so sophisticated to apply...

They all can help to guide the attention by increasing the contrast (highlighting light tones and darkening dark tones) or color saturation of interesting objects or areas, and decreasing the contrast in areas which are not interesting or distracting (mostly by darkening the lighter areas).

Take good note of the settings of each of the Dodge and Burn tools, as I explain them in my answer here: Photoshop Dodge and Burn tools. And of course the correct setting of the Saturate tool as well (either Saturate or Desaturate, plus switch off its unnecessary Vibrance protection once you know what you're doing).

Many users ask me why these icons were designed like that.
Watch the first part (about Dodge&; Burn) of this beautiful video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2mQsUIc97E

Image from Dodging &; burning - Wikipedia.

Note that their digital Photoshop equivalents are capable of using many extra settings, to define which tones to affect (just the Highlights, Midtones or Shadows), and to control the size, edge, and strength of the tool.

So that's where the Dodge&; Burn tool icons originate from. They represent the manipulative tools of the darkroom. But what about that Sponge ?

The Saturation tool (depicted by a sponge) is a bit more mystical, since not so many darkroom enthusiasts were capable of developing color photos. The whole process requires much more precision, e.g. with the temperatures of the chemical baths. A bit too cold ? The colors would remain pale. Too warm ? The photo would be over-saturated...

But this effect offers the operator the option to develop the exposed print too cold at first (leaving everything pale) and while developing, rubbing the print slightly with a sponge, which warms it up just a teeny weeny bit, causing the chemicals to react a bit more at that spot, saturating the colors...

Tadaaa: hence a sponge !

(And our digital tool can of course perform the opposite effect, cooling it down.)


Oorspronkelijk geplaatst op Quora: What is the most underrated tool in Photoshop?"