dabeach02

I get very washed out images when I use this. What is the best way to correct it?give it more punch?

thanks

Elaray

If I need to use shadow/highlight. I will duplicate the layer and put the blend mode on softlight and play with the opacity. This usually helps put the life back in the washed out colors without blowing anything out like brightness/contrast does.

The Coach

More punch? You just removed the punch and now you want it back? Doesn't make sense to me...
See, brightening up shadows decreases the contrast, that should be obvious or not?

If you get images that look very washed out, well... very simple... then you apply too much!
PS uses a default value for this tool when you open it that is way too high for most pictures.
You might also be using a radius that is too high.

There is no need to duplicate and blend layers to make it less flat, no simply use the correct settings, experiment.

Blinky2004

Actually... here try this...

Apply the Shadows & Highlights filter using the default settings.
Then open the Levels flter and adjust the black and white point levels as seen in the image below. Basically pulling them in so they're aligned with the tall spikes on each end of the field. To put it simply.

The top image is a "before & after" (left to right obviously).

This won't work on every photo, and some minor tweaking may still be needed... but i've found that generally it does well on most; especially digital photos taken with less expensive cameras, under adverse lighting conditions.

NOTE: of course... not much can help low-res photos in Jpg format. Remember that.

dabeach02

original unedited...slightly sharpened

this next one is high/shad filter applied with the default settings ie. at 50%



doesn't it look flat...can you fix it and let me know what you did?...to the original image of course

Blinky2004

It's just like i said mrdinh... use Levels to rebalance to highs and lows.

For your image, after applying the Shadows/Highlights filter @ defaults (@ 100% not 50%)... i simply added 32 to my blackpoint level and reduced my white point level by 32. That's all.

Try it, see if it suits your eye. [righton]

PS: It should be noted however... that in the example photo in my previous post, i only added 16 to the black level. 32 was too much. Hence my comment that "more tweaking may be needed".