The Bleach Bypass Filter in Color Efex Pro 4 simulates a technique used with color film in which the bleach step was skipped to create a high contrast and low saturation effect. This is a great filter to add style and bring out details. Both still photographers and motion filmmakers would use this method to create a stylized image or film with a lot of impact. We’ll look at the controls available and create an image with a lot more drama, style, and impact.

There are four different global adjustments that you can customize to get the look you want.

The Brightness slider will either increase the brightness throughout the entire image by moving the slider to the right, or darken the image by moving the slider to the left.

By adding more Saturation to the image, colors throughout the image will increase in vibrancy. Move the slider all the way to the left to -90% to remove color and create a black and white image.

Contrast will add extra contrast throughout the image, increasing the difference between the lightest and the darkest tones.

To add more structure or texture to the fine lines and details, simply move the Local Contrast slider to the right.

Tip: To retain some of the details that might be lost in the Shadows or Highlights, try moving the Shadows and Highlights sliders to the right.