Repairing Under Exposed Images

compare the different methods in final result.



You made a picture of an object or person or landscape but the lighting isn't that good..what do you do now ?

Well this tutorial will teach you 3 methods of fixing up the image ( Don't forget one method is always the best, because this method is specially made for this kind of image Brightness and Contrast )

First Method Screen Layer

1) Right click and save the image to your computer.

Picture was taken but not enough light was exposed to it.

2) Open up the image in photoshop. Duplicate the layer ( Copy the layer ) by dragging it onto the new layer icon.



3) Now you change the layer options to screen

You can change the opacity if you want but with this image it isn't needed because the lighten was very bad.

Result of the first Method

Looks alot better doesn't it ?


Second Method changing Brightness and Contrast

1) Reopen the orginal image, this time you don't have to duplicate the orginal layer.
We going to work in the orginal layer.

2) Now goto Image - Brightness and Contrast



Now changing Brightness to a much higher level because you want the image to be alot brighter. By also moving the contrast level up you keep your depth of the picture.

3) I used these settings but this can be different for every picture

*tip* try moving around the brightness and contract to highest and lowest level now you will see what brightnes and contrast do to your image, funny isn't it ?

Now this is the end result of the second method



Third Method Using Curves

Go back to the orginal image you don't have to duplicate the orginal layer because we are going to work in the orginal layer

1) Goto - Image - Adjustments - Curvers ( or simply press CTRL+M )



2) Now adjust the settings until your sadisfied.



The final image will look like this




Well now the finished the tutorial we will compare the different methods


The brightness and Contrast is the best by far because it keeps the depth of the image and also make the image alot brighter ( which was the purpose of this tutorial )

This doesn't mean the other methods are crappy but the best method you can use for an image like this is just the brightness and contrast

Great tutorial!

Nice Boogie, was very helpful to me as I finally fixed my screen whilst viewing this lol I can see dark images again.

Very nice tips

I can also recommend sometimes auto levels, but that doesen't always come out right :whistle:

Thanks!

Eddie

Yeah your right eddie auto levels will work much of the times but when your image has alot of different colours and dark to white background this will get out kinda wierd

But much of the times it will also do the trick

Nice little tute boogie, thanks for your contribution!

-Adrian

Nice tut there...........

But to some degree I'd have to agree with eddie_K in terms of trying to adjust the levels. I prefer to do this manually rather than the auto option as what you have said will most likely be the result...........

And just to show you an example I have used your images along with my version to show what I mean

Thanks again for the tut
Regards,
spd

BTW: In case you are wondering.... I adjusted the original only

Really good tips Boogiemen
Thanks