k i have a pic that was taken at way too high exposure, and there are areas there it is completely washed out. is there any way i can bring those areas down, not just a darker white but make it a normal brightness, like the image wasnt taken at too high exposure? thanks

There are a number of different things you can try, the first being a "levels adjustment layer". You can also try the "burn tool" or an overlay layer and painting with the black. For quick results try Image/Adjustments/ Auto Level or Auto Contrast. - Ken Heronheart -

Have a go at it with the Levels (Image > Adjust > Levels). Under the histogram, you'll see three sliders - a black one on the left, a grey one in the middle, and a 'white' one on the right. These control the overall lightness of the image. If you slide the black one to the right, the image will get darker. Try adjusting all three in small increments and see what you come up with. At the bottom right of the Levels dialog box, there are three 'eyedropper' tools. You can set the range in the picture with these. Choose the left-most one (black) and click on any spot of black in your image (if there is one). The middle dropper should be clicked on a mid-grey in the image, and the right-most one on pure white. By doing this, you're sampling those particular colours and allowing Photoshop to work out the tonal range of the image. If it all goes wrong, hold down the Alt key and the 'cancel' button will become a 'reset' button. That takes you back to how the image was when you first went into the 'Level' option. Good luck :)

I like to use Image - Adjustment - Curves then put 2 markers on the line. Click and drag on each maker, up or down till you get the image you way you like it.

Another solution is to duplicate your background layer, or if you have multiple layers, create an adjustment layer (he button on the bottom of the layer palette that looks like a half-moon, Levels, Curves or Hue/Saturation will do fine, just don't use something like Color or Invert) and just hit 'OK' without adjusting anything. With the new layer on top, set its blend mode (on the layer palette, at the top, it reads 'normal' by default) to 'Multiply.' Now, it may be a bit too dark at this point, which is easily fixable by changing the new layer's opacity.