Ok, I'm posting like mad tonight but I figure I should ask now :)

I have a couple of pics that I love, but are heavily shadowed - but only partially. Originally I took them that way on purpose, but as I continue on my merry trail, I'd like to use them for other things, and the shadows are causing a problem, largely on the body.

I'm going to link to the picture here, not post it, because it is of an adult nature. Its not porn and its not vulgar but it is full frontal upper nudity. Of a girl :p

Any tips? There are a few in the set. Copy from site all you like, they are mine and all that.

See pics here:

http://photobucket.com/albums/f70/kelly-hensley/Art%20Nude/

The first 4 images (top row, pink gown, my back door) I'm talking about ;)

and feel free to look around and meet my family :)

Well the easiest correction is take the picture with more diffuse lighting. Use a "fill flash" or reflector or a cloudy day.

What I did in this case was to Copy the layer. use Select Color Range Shadows to select the darker portions of the photo. I used the selection to make a layer mask to hide the brighter portions of the photo and then I used screen blending mode which lightened up the darker areas. I copied that layer and used Image adjustments shadow hightlights. Lots of grain in the photo so I blurred the the blue channel and applied Neat Image to the flattened layer.

Its still pretty grainy incidentally

Oooh yes, it sure is/was. It was taken on a camera so low in MP they don't make them anymore, and I think it might even have been done in auto mode.

Luckily re-shooting is easy enough to do, and with a better camera. I guess I'm trying to push it to see just how far I can take an image from its original condition, and to do that I need wonderful people like you :)

Flattery will get you everywhere... :rolleyes:

I think I must have done something similar to Phils--ie., selected the shade used that selection to mask an EV boost, noise reduction, then I applied the clarify filter to the shade as well--helps to clear it up some more.

http://home.comcast.net/~zumbari/reduce_shade_nude.jpg

Bart