BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: New Answers

Darlene Christensen

Oh...I need help with this photo!

Oh man! As you can see, the lighting and shadows in this photo are terrible! I just couldn't get these people to move in closer together! Is there ANYTHING I can do to improve it?! Thanks for any help! Darlene

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March 17, 2004

John Wright

Darlene,
I think you might be able to make this better, but it will never be great. There is a new tool in Photoshop CS (called shadow/highlight). It will even out some of the lighting, but it can only do so much.

Hope that helps...
John

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March 17, 2004

Darlene Christensen

Hi John..
Thanks for the response! I know, it's never going to be great but I'd like to make it as good as possible. I think this is one of the resons why I normally shoot landscape/scenic type shots. I don't have to worry about getting the "people" right! :) I don't mean to sound dumb..but what is Photoshop "CS". I have Photoshop 6 plus Photoshop Elements (which I'm learning to love!). I have already used the "equalize" in PE and that helped a bunch! Right before I started shooting the woman in front said "Oh, we'll use this for our Christmas cards". Oh geez...NO PRESSURE!

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March 17, 2004

John Wright

Photoshop CS is the latest version of Photoshop (considered by many to be Photoshop 8.0). The shadow/highlight tool is pretty sweet. I've been able to use it on some of my old photos that I thought were toast - but the tool has made them actually usuable...

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March 17, 2004

Darlene Christensen

Ohhhhhh......gotcha. Maybe I can find something similar in the programs I've got. Thanks for your help!

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March 17, 2004

Julie L. Curiel

Hi Darlene,

Just had the same problem recently with some photos I shot. I have Photoshot CS but if you don't you may try this.
IT's a variation of dodging and burning but I think it works a little better.
I usually go into Layer>Adjustment>Curves and just click OK on the curves without any alterations. Then I change the mode to Screen or Multiply depending on whether I want it lighter or darker. Than go up to the Edit menu. Click on Fill and then chose black and then paint the appropriate areas with white to reveal the lighter or darker shade selected. You can play with the opacity to lessen the stark differences. You could also try warming up the photo a bit using variations command. Hope this helps. One lesson I learned after hours of editing these photos, is NEVER SHOOT IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT. I will never do that again.

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March 17, 2004

Darlene Christensen

Thanks Julie..I'll try it! Boy I learned A LOT from this assignment. I can now really appreciate anyone who works with groups of people. I just couldn't get them to even get closer together...let alone stand in the right place! The grounds were beautiful but there just wasn't any place to put them that was really suitable. No large shaded area...no large sun area...etc. I wanted to shoot them later in the day to even out the light in the lawn area but the Birthday Girl insisted on shooting before lunch...l p.m. NOT the best time of day!

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March 17, 2004

Julie L. Curiel

I know what you mean. The last family I shot was a group of 18 who insisted they wanted it in the park- which is fine but now when it's 10:30am-12:00pm! There wasn't even one merciful cloud in the sky and no even shade anywhere. It was brutal. Never again will I agree to do that, I wasn't happy with how they turned out and had to spend hours on PS to improve them and even then they aren't great. Live and learn I guess.

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March 17, 2004

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