Localized modification of exposure using Elements 2

wrote:

Hi,
I am trying to combine the information from a photo with one exposure setting with the same photo with a different exposure setting. I did not actually ‘bracket’ the original photo, instead I used Canon’s Fileviewer utility to transfer the same photo, with a three stop difference, to two separate Tiff files.
Then I opened both files and, while holding down the Control and shift keys, used the Move tool to drag one file to the other creating one Tiff with two layers. I think holding down the Control and Shift keys automatically aligns the layers?
So now I have a Tiff with two layers that are perfectly aligned. What I would like to do is use a brush tool of some kind to kind-of paint the areas that are too dark so they will be replaced with the areas from the other layer that is correctly exposed.
My problem is I do not have the Photoshop vocabulary to search google or the group archive to find out how to do this or if it is even possible. Is what I am trying to do possible? Is the way I am trying to do it silly? Would someone please explain what I should be doing or point me to an online tutorial that will explain how to make localized changes to exposure? Even some search terms would be useful.
Thanks,
Ron

Hi Ron!

Strictly speaking, Ctrl-Shift centres the moved layer over the image, but if one image is a copy of the other (with the exposure differences) I *think* it should be OK. I’ll keep this simple, but forgive me if what follows is too patronising! 🙂

I assume that you want to keep most of one exposure but incorporate elements from the other. Make sure that your main image is the top layer, then in the Layers palette click the bottom layer. Again in the layers palette click the r-h icon of the 3 at the bottom and click Levels from the list; don’t do anything with this, just hit OK. In the layers palette click the levels layer, then hold Alt and move the cursor over the boundary between it and the top layer; when it changes from a hand to a black thing, click, and a bent arrow will appear on the top layer. This means that the 2 layers are linked.

All that is a workaround to make sure that any work you do is undoable. The full version of PS has a thing called a Layer Mask which makes this a lot easier, but this will work OK. Click on the Levels layer and then on the blank white rectangle on it to make sure that you’re working on the mask. Then select the Brush Tool from the palette and a suitable size and hardness of brush from the menu at the top (depends on what sort of image it is, but you can experiment). Set the colour to Black (D on the keyboard followed by X), then start painting: with luck and a following wind you’ll see the bits that you want to alter appearing before your eyes! If you make a mistake, change the brush to white (keyboard X toggles the foreground and background colours) and paint over the mistake.

Hope that’s of help. I got the mask trick from
http://myjanee.home.insightbb.com/tutorialselements.htm
She’s got loads of other good stuff, so take a look.

Geoff

H Geoff,
Thank you very much for the answer. I will try it after I get some sleep. I will also read the tutorials on Janee’s website. I have only glanced at the site but it looks like exactly what I need. I apologize to you and the rest of the group if my question came across as lazy, but I really did try to find the answer before posting.

Take care,
Ron

wrote:

H Geoff,
Thank you very much for the answer. I will try it after I get some sleep. I will also read the tutorials on Janee’s website. I have only glanced at the site but it looks like exactly what I need. I apologize to you and the rest of the group if my question came across as lazy, but I really did try to find the answer before posting.

Take care,
Ron

No problems! While I’m here, I should have said that, when using the brush, you can alter the opacity to less than 100%. This means that you can vary the amount that you allow to show through, making subtle changes possible.

Geoff

"Geoff Realname" wrote in message

wrote:

H Geoff,
Thank you very much for the answer. I will try it after I get some sleep. I will also read the tutorials on Janee’s website. I have only glanced at the site but it looks like exactly what I need. I apologize to you and the rest of the group if my question came across as lazy, but I really did try to find the answer before posting.

Take care,
Ron

No problems! While I’m here, I should have said that, when using the brush, you can alter the opacity to less than 100%. This means that you can vary the amount that you allow to show through, making subtle changes possible.

Geoff

and the advantage of using the mask is that it is always able to be edited if you erase the top layer instead you lose those pixels for good. When layering 2 alike images, you may also find success trying some blending layer modes on the top layer, like darken or lighten.(dropdown box in layers palette next to opacity slider)

Thanks for the tips and the insight. I am still a tillte blown away by Photoshop Elements. I am hoping to get CS2 soon but to be honest I spend so much time setting up a single shot that by the time I finish it I am so close to the picture that I feel like a zombie when I look at it. After I load an image into Elements I freeze like a deer in the headlights. I guess the real problem is that with noone to talk to about the picture I do not know what is expected of me. Do you know of a group that would look at a picture and tell me what should be done?

Thanks,
Ron

wrote:

Thanks for the tips and the insight. I am still a tillte blown away by Photoshop Elements. I am hoping to get CS2 soon but to be honest I spend so much time setting up a single shot that by the time I finish it I am so close to the picture that I feel like a zombie when I look at it. After I load an image into Elements I freeze like a deer in the headlights. I guess the real problem is that with noone to talk to about the picture I do not know what is expected of me. Do you know of a group that would look at a picture and tell me what should be done?
Thanks,
Ron

alt.binaries.photos.original

I haven’t posted there myself but they seem fairly friendly!

Geoff

Thanks Geoff. Friendly is the most important thing since my skin is not very thick. Now I will have a camera group, rec.photo.digital, and a darkroom group, this one, and now a photography group. I am passed the phase where I want to talk cameras and I have really been wanting to talk photos.

Take care,
Ron

I am just wondering why with everyone else the text with greater than signs apear above the replies but not with mine? How could I possibly screw that up? I have no doubt that the answer is mind numbingly obvious but I am not seeing it.

Thanks again,
Ron

wrote:

I am just wondering why with everyone else the text with greater than signs apear above the replies but not with mine? How could I possibly screw that up? I have no doubt that the answer is mind numbingly obvious but I am not seeing it.

Thanks again,
Ron

I think you’re using Thunderbird or something like it. Tools/Account Settings, then, under your news account, Composition and addressing; you then have the choice of the reply appearing before or after the quote. I think that after is the favoured option, but no doubt someone will correct me if I’m wrong! 🙂