help with a photo

KA
Posted By
karen_abreu
Aug 17, 2004
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703
Replies
32
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Closed
hi,

can anyone suggest the best way to fix a too dark photo? can you suggest a filter to help with this?

thanks,
k

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CW
Colin_Walls
Aug 17, 2004
Which version of PS do you have?
MM
Margaret_McDowell
Aug 17, 2004
Try Levels.
EA
Eli Aran
Aug 17, 2004
image|adjustments|brightness/contrast…

wrote in message
hi,

can anyone suggest the best way to fix a too dark photo? can you suggest a
filter to help with this?
thanks,
k
DM
dave_milbut
Aug 17, 2004
curves. levels. hue/saturation/lightness. shadow/hilight. paint brush in some of the light modes. (the) manual.

best is relative. what works on YOUR image. what have you tried? turning up the brightness on your monitor doesn’t count! 🙂
Aug 17, 2004
Yeah…what have you tried so far, Karen?

We have no idea of you skill level, and therefore what you might be capable of handling.
KA
karen_abreu
Aug 17, 2004
wow… thanks for all the responces. i have ps ver 7.0… i am very very new to ps and so far have downloaded a few actions from here but i can’t seem to make them work as they look from the download pages. the 2 that looked the most promising are "light up shadows" and "coming out of the shadows". is there anything that a really novice novice can do?

thanks,
k
Aug 17, 2004
"is there anything that a really novice novice can do?"

Yes.

Take some time and energy and learn the tools and functions, little by little. As I’m sure you’ve discovered, Photoshop has a steep learning curve. Open the Help Files via your web browserr, or find the Photoshop PDF manual and start reading and experimenting.

Your image may be helped by a simple blending mode composite. "Blending Modes" describe how two or more layers interact with each other in regards to Hue, Saturation and Luminosity (that’s a simple explanation).

How? In your Layers Palette, click and drag the layer with your image down to the "Dog-eared-page" icon at the bottom of the palette. This will duplicate your Image Layer. With this new duplicated layer highlighted, and stacked above the original in the Layers Palette, look up at the top of the Layers Palette. Where you see "Normal" click and drop that menu and change the Blending mode to "Screen". See how that lightens things up? Start experimenting here with more copies of your layers, and go ahead and fiddle with the Opacity percentages.

That’s one way to attack the problem, but there are many more. Since we can’t see the image you’re working on, it’s impossible to reference the best method—out of the MANY that are available—to lighten your image.

Be fearless…experiment.

Be diligent…study.
Y
YrbkMgr
Aug 17, 2004
Karen,

Please know that in addition to Phosphor’s sage advice, that there is no real magic per se. All veteran photoshoppers have learned to look at an image, get an idea of what they want to do with it, and know that there are a variety of tools to achieve the effect that they are after.

In some programs, like Photoshop Elements, the power of photoshop is "compartmentalized" by having quick fix buttons or functions. But in photoshop, it’s an open toolbox.

I say all of this to help you know that even we can’t answer a question of how to lighten a photo without seeing the image. That’s what happens over time – you learn to evaluate an image and figure out what tool or tools will help.

As Phos said, the learning curve is somewhat steep, but if you don’t understand what something means, check the help file and then check here. This is a great resource for beginners and veterans alike.

Peace,
Tony
KA
karen_abreu
Aug 18, 2004
thank you all so much… i guess i’ll just try new things and read what i can find. is there a way to show you the photo or is that not allowed? again thanks so much for your help. i am glad that i can ask a question w/o getting flak.

thanks,
k
Y
YrbkMgr
Aug 18, 2004
is there a way to show you the photo or is that not allowed?

Yes. What you do is you post it on some website – geocities, or your own, or whatever, then you tell us the link to the photo. THEN you’ll get some great answers.

i am glad that i can ask a question w/o getting flak.

This is one of the best boards on the Net. Professional, and aside from the occassional snide remark from a regular, I submit that you’ll not find finer help than here – provided you show some initiative, which it seems like you’re willing to do.

Peace,
Tony
DM
dave_milbut
Aug 18, 2004
start with brightness and contrast. also check out hue/saturation/lightness. both are available as adjustment layers (see the help file or manual) so you can selectively apply them to different parts of the image and adjust them as you work…

ps cs (version 8 ) has a new adjustment called shadow/highlight that is the most amazing thing for over/underexposed images. imo, it’s worth the price of the upgrade from 7 to cs just for this feature. if you have a broadband internet connection, you might download the full function 30 day CS tryout and give it a try.

< http://www.adobe.com/products/tryadobe/download.jsp?ftpID=23 54>
JJ
John_Joslin
Aug 18, 2004
By the way "Actions" in Photoshop are mainly a way of automating tasks so they can be repeated. You didn’t need to download them just yet. First, as the others have said, you must learn to use the basic tools and adjustments. Try Photoshop Help and maybe a beginners’ manual.

I would say the quickest adjustment to use and understand is "Levels" but, as you have seen, that is one of about half a dozen ways to lighten a picture.

The magical tool "Highlights and Shadows" in the CS version is, as Dave says, amazing but I think it’s a bit premature to upgrade now. That would only steepen the learning curve.

Good luck – John
DM
dave_milbut
Aug 18, 2004
That would only steepen the learning curve.

from 7 to cs? i don’t think so. there’s only a half a dozen or so new features and most of those (S&H, color matching, heal on different layers) should be as easily (or more) usable by a newbie than things like levels and adjustment layers.
KA
karen_abreu
Aug 18, 2004
hi guys,

here is the url to the picture:

<http://karen.o-f.com>

hope someone can figure out how this pic can be saved.

thanks,
k
Y
YrbkMgr
Aug 18, 2004
Good job on the post Karen.

The next question is "what do you want to do with the image?"

You can create a selection around the window of the car and then use levels or curves to brighten it.

I just did a quick technique – I did Image|Apply Image and set the blend mode to Screen – I had to do it twice to get the people to show up well, but that blows out all the white.

So basically, you can use techniques similar to that and try masking out the window with a marquee tool or quick mask before applying curves or Apply Image, but HOW you do it will really depend on what you want to do with it, and how much you care about whether the whites are blown out, etc.

Peace,
Tony
MM
Margaret_McDowell
Aug 18, 2004
And be sure to do all of your playing/experimenting in a duplicate of that image. Keep the original intact.
JJ
John_Joslin
Aug 18, 2004
Karen

To see what can be done with levels and a mask have a look at

It still has a lot of JPG compression artefacts which I haven’t removed.

Cheers – John <www.johnjoslin.co.uk/Uploads/tands2.jpg>
DM
dave_milbut
Aug 18, 2004
bad link john…
MM
Margaret_McDowell
Aug 18, 2004
Bad link, John. 🙁
MM
Margaret_McDowell
Aug 18, 2004
Echo?
DM
dave_milbut
Aug 18, 2004
<homer>Echo, eh?</homer> 🙂
DM
dave_milbut
Aug 18, 2004
here it is:

<http://www.johnjoslin.co.uk/Uploads/tands2.jpg>

nicely done dude!
MM
Margaret_McDowell
Aug 18, 2004
Oh, very nice!
JJ
John_Joslin
Aug 18, 2004
Thanks Dave – I’ll just keep practicing til I get it!

(Links I mean!)
KA
karen_abreu
Aug 18, 2004
hi guys,

thanks for all the suggestions… wow, i have my work cut out for me. my son and his girlfriend just left home (cape cod) for graduate school at san diego state universary… i was hoping to send this pic to them as a surprise… lol, maybe i should send it as is.

i’ll keep working on it and see what i get. so far i have gotten my best results with levels but their faces have alot of red in them… i have tried color levels but so far it still isn’t good enough to frame…. anymore suggestions? something i don’t know about or any ideas on what to try next?

thanks,
k
Aug 18, 2004
You’re working a higher-resolution, less-compressed version of that photo, I hope?
KA
karen_abreu
Aug 18, 2004
think the resolution said 72… what should it be and how do i change it?

this is like having my own toutor, thanks, guys.

k
Aug 18, 2004
With the original version of that image open, go to Image—»Image Size…

What are the height and width dimensions, in pixels (ignore the resolution value for now)?
JJ
John_Joslin
Aug 18, 2004
All pictures on the web are 72pixels per inch.

The question is is the picture you posted the only version you have?

That would never make a good candidate for framing. It is 576 x 432 pixels @ 72 ppi.

If it was taken on a digital camera you probably have a larger original (it would also be 72ppi but would have larger pixel dimensions). Do the adjustments on that and resize to the Document size you want at at least 150ppi.

You may need to consult "Help" to carry out the above.

Cheers – John

PS – this post contains "is is" and "at at"; is this a record?
KA
karen_abreu
Aug 18, 2004
hi,

the pixels are 1600 x 1200… res 72

k
Aug 18, 2004
1600 X 1200 pixels…I take it that’s the one you’re working on? You should be able to get a reasonably decent print of 8" X 6" when converted to 200 ppi.
KA
karen_abreu
Aug 18, 2004
i’ll give it a try.

thanks,
k

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