Light & Shadow

Brightening Dark Areas

  • Dark areas in photos are shadows
  • Sometimes shadows are too dark to see details
  • Like backlit portraits where faces are dark
  • We can brighten these dark areas a bit
  • Find "Shadows" slider, drag right (+20 to +60)
  • After adjustment, dark areas brighten, revealing more details
  • Don't adjust too much or photos will look fake
  • Backlit photos especially need this adjustment
  • Backlit photos: Face or subject too dark
  • Indoor photos: Corners or dark areas unclear
  • Landscape photos: Foreground too dark, needs brightening
  • Remember: Goal is to see details, not make everything bright
  • Adjust slowly, increase bit by bit
  • If photo looks flat with no depth, you've overdone it
  • Keep some dark areas for photo contrast
  • If lots of noise appears after adjustment, reduce it

Recovering Bright Areas

  • Overly bright areas in photos, completely white
  • Like sky too bright to see clouds
  • Or windows too bright, appearing white
  • These areas lose detail and depth
  • Find "Highlights" slider, drag left (-20 to -80)
  • After adjustment, bright areas darken, revealing details
  • Sky shows clouds, windows show outside view
  • This adjustment is especially useful for landscape photos
  • Sky too bright: Can't see clouds and layers 
  • Indoor shooting: Windows too bright, appearing white
  • Snow scenes: Snow too bright without texture
  • Seascapes: Water surface reflection too strong
  • Don't adjust too much or photo will appear dark
  • Maintain photo brightness, just recover details
  • RAW format photos will have better results
  • May need to slightly increase overall brightness after adjustment

Making Light Look Better

1
Front lighting
3
Side lighting
2
Back lighting
  • Use "Radial Filter" to add light to specific areas
  • Like adding a brighter circular area to faces
  • Use "Gradient Filter" to simulate light from one side
  • This makes flat photos more dimensional
  • Spotlight effect: Make subject more prominent
  • Window light effect: Simulate light from windows
  • Sunset light effect: Add warm side lighting to photos
  • Rim light effect: Make subject edges glow
  • Portrait photos: Add soft light to faces
  • Landscape photos: Emphasize light directionality
  • Indoor photos: Simulate natural light feeling
  • Remember: Light should look natural, not fake

Dimensional Enhancement

  • Create layers through light-dark contrast
  • Use color depth to create sense of distance
  • Adjust clarity to emphasize subjects
  • Blur background to enhance focus
  • Foreground: Increase contrast and clarity
  • Midground: Maintain natural balance
  • Background: Moderately reduce contrast
  • Create visual leading lines
  • Radial blur to create focus
  • Gradient adjustments to simulate depth of field
  • Local sharpening to highlight details
  • Color separation to enhance layers