I've been experimenting with a way to correct underexposure as a result of a bright background. Here you see the original picture, one version corrected with my own method and one with the PS-CS shadow/highlight function. Which do you think looks best?

I prefer the one in the middle. Colours seem more acurate, the light is very well balanced and the white is pure.

A good way to correct underexposed images with photoshop is to use duplicate layers. Duplicate the background, then set the new layer blend mode to 'screen'. You may have to repeat this several times, duplicating the 'screened' layer depending on your image. To further explain, I borrowed your image, hope you don't mind. For this I had background > layer 1 (screen mode) > layer 2 (screen mode). This obviously saturated the background, so I merged the 2 screened layers, created a layer mask and used a brush to 'wipe away' the areas of the mask to allow the original background to show through. A little unsharp mask was added and finished off with raising the levels on the white area around the beak after first selecting it with the lasso. I've exagerated the colours, just for clarity. By using the layers you have pretty good control over all aspects of the final image. Dean

This is what I did to the image:

The one in the middle was done with the shadow/highlight function. For the one on the right I copied the image to a new alpha layer. This layer is b/w. Then invert the layer and use that as a selection (CTRL+click). Then I used this selection as a layer mask for brightness/contrast.

For the attached image I did basically the same as before, only I used a levels layer instead of a b/c layer. The reason I'm playing with this is to find a technique that works nicely on other software that hasn't got the shadow/highligt filter of PS/CS :)

Message edited on: 11/12/2004 20:00

You can always use the 'quick and dirty' method too. Open the image, then use image > Adjustments > levels. Then go to 'history', click on 'open' this reverts the image to it's original state, then choose the history brush, click next to, not ON 'levels' and paint away to your hearts content, returning the 'leveled' colour to the subject. Like I said quick and dirty, but it works ok. i never really use shadow/highlight.

The technique your using 3DGuy is called contrast masking.... and it does work... I've seen this technique in various photo magazines.

I thought we had a tutorial on this somewhere in the resource center area? Just checked and I guess I'm remembering wrong, because I don't see it. Maybe we just discussed it in the forum?

Bet they'd love it if you made a tutorial on it..... :~) The only other thing I would add to this, is that in order to avoid having to fix it in the first place would be to use a bit of fill flash for proper exposure of the subject, or spot meter the bird and set the exposure manually based on the meter reading of the bird, not the background...

Message edited on: 11/12/2004 20:51

Fill flash would be nice, but this was a full zoom on a 300mm lens effectively 450mm.. fill flash that :) So this method is already known.. hmm and I thought I was being creative haha..

LOL! Ehhh.... screw the flash then....must say it is nice and sharp though!

Attached Link: http://leppphoto.com/Project-A-Flash/

I saw a guy using fill flash for nature shots once. He had a normal flash (a Vivitar 285HV I think) but he had mounted a fresnel lens to it. This concentrated the flash and allowed him to do fill at longer distances. I -think- the link above is the one he was using. Trying hard to remember if this is the one he said. -=>Donald

As a complete beginner all I do is click the "fill flash" icon (Paint shop pro9)then "sharpen" but it would be nice to have a tutorial and understand what is happening :)

Message edited on: 11/13/2004 06:56

Now that is a nice little gadget .... thanks for that link Donald.

Ohh a tutorial is a wonderful idea ;] Hint Hint Hint :)

I'll see if I can whip up something comprehensable. I've got no idea on how to submit that though ;)

There's a tutorial up in the Resource center about this now o/