By Melissa Gallo

Value is the lightness or darkness of a color or tone, and the value structure of your painting is what will make it succeed – if the values are off, your colors won’t look right. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to create a value map that will be used alongside the reference image to create your painting.

To make a value map, you need to summarize your image into 4 to 6 values by grouping similar values together. The first step is turn your reference image into a black and white image. Open the Auto Painting panel and select Underpainting, then use the Saturation slider to desaturate your image completely. Next, open your Layers panel and create a new layer so you are not drawing on your original image. On this new layer, use your brush to draw outlines around the different light and dark areas. Finally, create a second new layer, and sample the different areas using the Eyedropper tool, then use your brush to fill in the outlined areas. And now you have your value map!

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See what’s new in Painter 2023!

Download your FREE 15-day trial for Windows or Mac and venture outside the lines with realistic brushes, exciting media, and an array of versatile tools.