curves + gradient

[caroled]

I recieved this advise

Made a curves adjustment layer, and made the adjustment on the dress of the woman in back. Used a foreground/background gradient, and dragged it from bottom to top, to bring everything closer in evening out the tones from front to back. Before using the gradient, the bottom portion of the image was very dark. Flattened.

Since I am working with Elements 2 + hidden power toola would like to know if this is possible / and how to do it... My image is in forum Help request... Poley family 1906...

Thanks

Carol

[dpnew]

Curves--included in the Hidden Power tools that come with the book, not the free tools.

Open up a Curve adjustment layer and while holding the left mouse button down drag your cursor over the women's dress--it will show you where on the curve the dress is. Then, make the curve steeper in that area for more contrast or flatten it for less contrast.

Gradient tool--a standard Elements tool

[Richard_Lynch]

If you use the Gradient Map along with a Blend Mask adjustment (or other mask to help you target just the dress area), you can probably do a better job of adjustment than just using the curves alone (as they will adjust everything in the image). Combinations of techniques can often get better results than a flat application of a single tool.