| In both of the photos we have worked with in this article so far, an overall correction has been called for, but that will not always be the case. Many times, most of a photograph is exposed correctly because modern onboard light meters average the total picture area when figuring the exposure. But often, there is something in the photo that falls outside that average and will end up under or over exposed. In the case below, the exposure is just right on the rocks, bushes and grass that take up most of the picture area, but the side lighting that makes them look good leaves the sign in shadow. Spot metering on the sign (instead of averaging) would have overexposed and washed out the rest of the picture, so there was not a good way to get this shot right in the field with out using a fill flash or reflector, neither of which was at hand. But digital magic can save the day - and the picture. |
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| In a case like this, where only a portion of the photo needs help, you have to isolate that portion to do the correcting.
In PhotoShop or Elements, use your choice of Selection tools to select just the face of the sign. There will be marching ants around just the area you have selected.
Type Command-J or use the menu in Elements to move your selection to a layer by itself, just as you did when the whole photo was selected in the previous exercises.
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Apply the Screen or Multiply Blending Mode (in this case Screen to lighten) and it will affect only the selection.
Use the Opacity slider to fine tune your correction.
In this example, we also added a little Contrast to make the lettering pop.
By the way, feel free to deposit a fee in the white box if you can find it.
White Box, ©2004 Jessica Wesolek
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