I want to know if there is a easy way to brighten up underexposed colour photos without making them look too bright and garish.
I have just downloaded Adobe Photoshop 6 trial to see if i can achieve good results with this package before going out purchasing it.

Thanx for the help in advance:)

Could you post an example either by attachment or link? There are a number of ways to approach this problem.

As Gland states there are many ways to skin a cat, without looking though, you could do worse than try this (as an over simplistic demo), Create a New Levels Adjustment layer (layer>new adjustment layer>levles) or even more simply, image>adjustments>levels. The general aim is to look at the histogram (graph) and bring the far right and far left arrows so that they are as close the the mass or area where the black is predominent. See attached example, however a copy of the picture you are working on would be a great help.:)

ps picture size has to be under 100k to show on the forum:)

I've stuck an attachment on to show you the kind of photo I would like to edit, I have hundreds of photos like this which I have amassed over the years... Im not very good with a camera u see :(

Try the technique described in this thread (http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29)

You might also get some ideas HERE (http://www.retouchpro.com/challenge/retouching/challenge10/index.html) in the descriptions.

It's retouching challenge #10 which is a very similar problem.

To avoid this picture problem in the future, I'd suggest using some fill flash when you shoot. Many people don't use their flash outdoor on a sunny day, but it's really helpful in situations like this.

When the light source is behind the subject, some flash will even out the lighting and prevent the shadow you have there. And even when the light source is not behind the subject, some flash will help fill in the harsh shadows that often happen beneath people's eyes, nose and mouth.

At the mo Im following the instructions that Doug posted the link to, Im having trouble finding "activate Preserve Transparency" option
Anyone know where this option is?

Oh and thanx to everyone who has posted here and gave me advice, you've all been helpful :)

Okey dokey - heres what I did.

1 Duplicate Original

2 looked at the individual channels R,G,B and adjusted the sliders as previously discussed on each channel.

3 decided that a mask was the order of the day, hopped to channels again and used a combination of them to make my mask. (to make mask press q [quick mask] any mark you make with black as your brush colour will now in effect conceal portions of the image, white reveals it. the idea is to paint black as much of her and the donkey as possible. When you have finshed, press q again to reveal the marching ants. Ctrl + Alt + D and feather the selection by 0.5 pixels. Finally for this section select the lasso tool (L) and right click on the canvas - choose save as seperate channel.

To switch between the background and the girl and donkey use Ctrl + Shift + I , this will switch between the two.

Back in the layers from channels again. I added a new curves layer and altered the balance slightly, so that the light and dark tones gained more clarity and were less washed out. Play with whatever looks right.

With the mask activated (the marching ants) so that the donkey and girl will be effected, press Ctrl + U and increase the saturation slightly - the aim of this is to pump the colours back up to their original vivid state. Dont worry about the face being wrong, as this will be adjusted next. +7 - 15 should do the trick.

Now with your selection still active, make a layer mask (one of the small buttons near make a new layer [bottom right]) then drag a black to white gradient, so that the face is covered and back to the right shade, but the jumper and donkey still retain the boost to saturation.

Nearly there:) I made a rough selection of the face with the freehand lasso and feathered it by 5 pixels. Pressed Ctrl + C to copy to clipboard then Ctrl + V to paste as a new layer. Gaussian blurred the new layer by 5 and set the mode to screen, lowered the opacity of the layer to about 10-20 %.

Finally using the mask again I selected the sea and made a brightness/contrast adjustment to whighten then foam and to darken the sea.

I have made it seem complicated but this way you are sure to pick up a broad smattering of Photoshop tips, shortcuts (not that I know any) might not be as informatively useful;)

ps - without reading the other thread I think this is what you are reffering to - hope it helps and sorry if I am far of the mark:)

When I use this technique, what I do is make sure the "preserve transparency" checkbox is checked in the fill dialog box. You'll find it at the bottom of the box. I'm not sure what the "activate preserve transparency" means otherwise - I've only ever checked that box in the fill dialog box.

Jeanie

It is the same thing (regarding check box). There are a few things to know about preserve transparency.

The shortcut (I'm getting fond of them) is / on the keyboard (the one with the ? mark:)

You cant fill ANY transparent pixels but only filled pixels, shortcuts are Ctrl +Shift + Backspace to fill with your background colour and (i think) Shift + Alt + Backspace to fill with your foreground.

I tend to use it a lot when I work with a lot of layers as it really comes into its own in these situations.

You DID say quick, and so if you just want the subject and not so much the background, just use levels (image, adjust.levels) and select each of the red, green, and blue options (at the top of the levels box in the little popup menu) and slide the middle pointer to the left on all of them individually until you get what looks good. Darkening the sea is another story explained elsewhere, but this works quickly for the child in this picture.

(it will be better on your original than on this sample due to file size limitations on posting images here)
:wavey:

Mike, your finished result is excellent, wished I could get my photo like yours :(
I've tried to follow your advice but it's a little too complicated for me (last time I used a paint package was at school 12 years ago and that was on a BBC) :)
And it gets alittle frustrating when I have to paint/mask my daughter by hand and then make a mistake later on as I cant save :mad:
looks like I'll have to go out and buy the full retail version, but which to buy..... photoshop 6 or 7? photoshop 6 is around £100-150 cheaper where I live. Do you think version 7 is worth the extra money?
I going to start photo editing and web design up as a hobby.

I had 6 and pondered the transistion to 7 as many did. I would say if you dont have 6 then wade in with 7. It has many more upgrades than 6, some of them may not be apparent but over time all will become clear. 7 has far more advanced engine, and is all over smoother. Money always an issue, but if you can afford it, go for 7, if you are more strapped you will still be delighted with 6 and maybe can upgrade later.

I dont know your age, but there may be an outside chance of an educational licence, that will be far cheaper.

Might be a great topic for a thread actually - What is the cheapest software that you can find commercially available?

I have trawled back through my files and found this for you - I hope you can use it - if you cant feel free to ask some1 here - they will always be please to help someone in a tight spot:)

Hi Jabbr!

....If you are still trying to follow Doug's tip to solve your problem, here is where to find the elusive "Preserve Transparency" to activate....

It's on the "Fill Dialog" you open after having 'Layered via Copy' (Ctrl+J) what you loaded from the 'Grayscale' to your image....

Look here:

Ok Flora - I know you must be muttering "Stupid Boy" in a Captain Mannering, type of voice, but as resident result producer, what is the diference between that check box and the one in the layers pallette?

btw - nice job blacknight and *grinds teeth in jealousy* nice work flora

Hi Mike!

:lol: ...and now it's your turn to
be muttering "Stupid Girl" in a Captain Mannering, type of voice
...because I really don't know!!!!!....and to tell the whole truth and nothing but....etc....I've actually never tried the one on the layers palette.... :lol: ...there...now... I've really bared my soul...
I was only following Katrin Eismann instructions on this particular procedure....

P.S....btw...I think that your result is much better than mine!!!:D

Gosh - a whole lot of great fixes here! I couldn't resist playing with it myself, so here's my offering... :)

First, I adjusted the levels on each channel individually, then I made a curves adjustment for color. I just wanted to get the girl to look fairly normal here. I sharpened by making a dupe, switching to Lab mode, applying USM and then copying that to a layer on my original which I set to overlay and made the layer opacity about 50%.

Then, I thought the ocean was too light, so I duplicated the layer and made a layer mask (see the layer mask tutorial). I ran a slight gaussian blur on the layer mask, and then I adjusted the levels on the ocean to darken it.

I didn't take a lot of time with the mask, so the hair and donkey fur is a bit off, but if you spend a bit more time on it you can make a better one.

Jak

I think it looks simply great!....

You and Mike did a splendid job not only in removing the shadows, but in cleaning the image as well in the process!!!

P.S. do you have some magic advice on removing moiré as well?....:D :D

No, Flora, nothing magic. I hate moire. The only fix for it I've come up with yet is just to airbrush it out... I just did the latest restoration challenge last night and the moire was completely frustrating! I ended up airbrushing the whole thing... :bawling:

Jak

:( .....I guess both of us will have to carry on searching for a better way to defeat moiré.....:D

.....Just went to see your restoration ....you definitely don't need to search anymore.....your airbrushing did the magic!!!! :)