Need help with this image

[annc]

I've been sent an image (see attachment) that is badly overexposed in the front (a student with a white uniform blouse) and progressively underexposed over the rest of the image. It's a bit beyond my limited skills to fix for print publishing.

Can someone here tell me how to work with it to make it usable?

[terrie]

Here's a quicky zip'd psd with all the adjustment layers...hope it helps...

Let me know if you have questions...

Basically, I selected the shirt using the magic wand (feathered it a bit and saved the selection), then did a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer on it and then loaded the selection again and did a levels...did a merge vis of the original and adjustment layers, then loaded the inverse of the selection (feathered again) and did another levels adjustment on everything but the shirt...then another merge vis...

Terrie

[annc]

Here's a quicky zip'd psd with all the adjustment layers...hope it helps...

TerrieThat's very kind of you, Terrie. What I really wanted to know (but didn't explain very well) was how to fix it myself. ;-) That was a low-res copy of the photo I posted.

BTW the blouse is supposed to be white (the boys at that school wear green shirts, the girls white blouses). It's just over-exposed, and I need to tone it down a bit, and bring up the progressively under-exposed parts of the photo to a reasonably close match.

[terrie]

>>annc: BTW the blouse is supposed to be white (the boys at that school wear green shirts, the girls white blouses). It's just over-exposed, and I need to tone it down a bit, and bring up the progressively under-exposed parts of the photo to a reasonably close match.

Oh well...I guess making the blouse a bit grey-green wasn't quite on the mark...'-}}

Play with my Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and tweak it a bit so it's not quite so grey and see if that might still do the trick...

You could also try a curves adjustment layer--I'd still suggest working on just the shirt area...

Terrie

[Michael Rowley]

Ann:

the boys at that school wear green shirts, the girls white blouses

I should have thought it enables teachers and others to distinguish boys from girls: I had thought long hair for boys went out of fashion years ago. (On the other hand, the barber only came once a term when I was at a boarding school.)

Can't you encourage your clients not to use flashes for long shots?

[annc]

Can't you encourage your clients not to use flashes for long shots?This photo was taken with a very cheap camera, Michael. I would imagine that the photographer had little, if any, say in the matter.

The photo was submitted with an article produced at the request of my client, which is an association of teachers of computer subjects in schools.

I've only just taken over the production of this journal, and the photo was taken several months ago.

[ukdesign]

It isn't ideal, but try using the burn tool with a relatively large feathered brush with a low exposure and 'dab' it on the shirt manually to bring out the shadows that are there. It takes a bit of trial and error to get the right exposure, but because it is highlighted in the foreground, you don't really want to overdo it.

That is probabaly what I would do in your situation. Sometimes you just have to make the best out of a bad job... Hope that helps.

[annc]

It isn't ideal, but try using the burn tool with a relatively large feathered brush with a low exposure and 'dab' it on the shirt manually to bring out the shadows that are there. It takes a bit of trial and error to get the right exposure, but because it is highlighted in the foreground, you don't really want to overdo it.

That is probabaly what I would do in your situation. Sometimes you just have to make the best out of a bad job... Hope that helps.Thanks! I'll give that a try.

[donmcc]

Can someone here tell me how to work with it to make it usable?

This is the coolest Photoshop tip I know. Take the image, duplicate the layer, and change the layer mode to multiply from normal. It will correct much over exposure. Duplicate with another layer if you need more correction, set the opacity of the top layer to a percentage if you need less.

You can do the same for under exposure by using the layer mode "screen" which is the opposite of multiply.

Of course in your case you will have to make some layers that only have the overexposed parts selected.

Don McCahill

[annc]

This is the coolest Photoshop tip I know. Take the image, duplicate the layer, and change the layer mode to multiply from normal. It will correct much over exposure. Duplicate with another layer if you need more correction, set the opacity of the top layer to a percentage if you need less.

You can do the same for under exposure by using the layer mode "screen" which is the opposite of multiply.

Of course in your case you will have to make some layers that only have the overexposed parts selected.

Wow, that makes a huge difference, Don.

Thanks for that - I can see it working wonderfully for me for my horse photos as well.

[terrie]

>>annc: Wow, that makes a huge difference, Don.

It does help a lot...if you dup the layer, select the shirt (magic wand works nicely), then add a layer mask (Layer > Add Layer Mask > Reveal selection) and then change the blend mode to Multiply, it applies that to just the shirt...

Then you could add a new layer and do a merge visible and tweak the image further--I'd load the inverse of the shirt selection so you don't mess with the shirt...

Terrie

[annc]

>>annc: Wow, that makes a huge difference, Don.

It does help a lot...if you dup the layer, select the shirt (magic wand works nicely), then add a layer mask (Layer > Add Layer Mask > Reveal selection) and then change the blend mode to Multiply, it applies that to just the shirt...

Then you could add a new layer and do a merge visible and tweak the image further--I'd load the inverse of the shirt selection so you don't mess with the shirt...
Good idea. Thanks, Terrie.

[terrie]

You're welcome...will you post the final image when you are done...I'd love to see it...

Terrie

[annc]

You're welcome...will you post the final image when you are done...I'd love to see it...

TerrieIf I remember. I'm a bit distracted at the moment . . .

[terrie]

Cool...whenever...

Terrie