If you have some dark underexposed photos, you may be able to save them using the Fill Flash command. You may also have some washed-out photos where the sky is too light. Don't discard these photos; you may be able to rescue them using layers and blending modes.
Rescue Washed-Out Images
- Open an image that's overexposed or washed-out.
- Open the Layers palette.
- Select the background layer and drag it to the Create New Layer icon.
- Select the new layer.
- Change the blending mode to Multiply. This will give the image better contrast and detail.
If the image is now underexposed, lower the opacity of the layer. The following images show a before and after of a picture of morning thunderstorm clouds. The image on the top is the original, while the image on the bottom was rescued using this technique. The opacity was lowered to restore some detail to the foreground.
Rescue Underexposed Images
- Open an image that's underexposed.
- Open the Layers palette.
- Select the background layer and drag it to the Create New Layer icon.
- Select the new layer.
- Change the Blend mode to Screen.
If the image is now too light, lower the opacity of the layer. The following images show a before and after picture of an antique car. The image on the left was underexposed, while the image on the right was rescued with this technique.
