Bleach bypass effect in Affinity Photo

How to apply a bleach bypass effect in Affinity Photo

Learn how to apply a bleach bypass effect in Affinity Photo to boost contrast, accentuate texture and to subtly desaturate your images. The technique works well for all types of photography, and by controlling the overall strength the result can vary dramatically.

The bleach bypass effect desaturates images, boosts contrast and accentuates texture. The technique comes from the days of film and was used mostly in moviemaking but could also be applied to transparency film for stills photography. It was achieved during transparency film processing the bleach stage was missed out, or bypassed. So here’s how to apply a bleach bypass effect in Affinity Photo.

How to apply a bleach bypass effect in Affinity Photo

Bleach bypass before & after

The left half of the image is the original, while the right half shows the beach bypass effect at 100%.

How to apply a bleach bypass effect in Affinity Photo


The Digital Darkroom: The Definitive Guide to Photo Editing

The Digital Darkroom: The Definitive Guide to Photo Editing by James AbbottMy new book, The Digital Darkroom: The Definitive Guide to Photo Editing is now available. Photo editing is a vital part of the image-making process. Just as darkroom techniques were important skills to learn in the days of film, a clear understanding of post-processing is now key to getting the most out of your digital pictures. Easy to follow and accessible for readers of all levels of knowledge, The Digital Darkroom is the definitive guide to post-processing for users of Adobe Photoshop and Affinity Photo.

To find out more and order your copy click here


Improve your Photoshop and Lightroom skills with a 1-2-1 training session.

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