How to use PS to adjust the insufficient exposure of photos?

Adjusting photos with underexposed photos in Photoshop can use the "Exposure", "Brightness/Contrast" and "Curve" adjustment tools: 1. The "Exposure" adjustment is used to initially improve the overall exposure; 2. The "Brightness/Contrast" adjustment can improve the brightness and contrast at the same time; 3. The "Curve" adjustment allows precise control of different brightness ranges, which is suitable for refinement adjustments.

To adjust the underexposed problem of photos, some effective methods can be taken in Photoshop to improve the brightness and overall exposure of the picture. Let's dive into how to solve this problem with PS and share some of my personal experiences when dealing with similar issues.

When dealing with underexposed photos, you must first understand that underexposed means that the overall photo is dark, which may be due to insufficient light during shooting or improper camera settings. The solution to this problem is not just to simply increase the brightness, but also to take into account the retention of details and the balance of colors.

In Photoshop, the tools that adjust underexposed are mainly "exposure" adjustment, "brightness/contrast" adjustment and "curve" adjustment. Each tool has its own unique advantages and application scenarios.

Let's start with the "Exposure" adjustment. This tool can directly adjust the overall exposure of photos, which is very intuitive. But it should be noted that excessive adjustments may lead to the loss of details in the highlights. I usually use this tool to make initial adjustments before refining other parts.

 # This is not PS code, it's just a Python example showing how to adjust the exposure of an image import cv2
import numpy as np

# Read image image = cv2.imread('underexposed_image.jpg')

# Adjust exposure exposure = 1.5 # Increase exposure adjusted_image = cv2.convertScaleAbs(image, alpha=exposure, beta=0)

# Save the adjusted image cv2.imwrite('adjusted_image.jpg', adjusted_image)

Next is the "Brightness/Contrast" adjustment. This tool can adjust brightness and contrast at the same time, suitable for situations where overall brightness is needed while enhancing image contrast. But be careful, as over-adjusting contrast can make the image look unnatural.

"Curve" adjustment is a more advanced tool that allows you to precisely control the different brightness ranges of your image. I personally like using curve adjustments because it allows me to adjust underexposed photos more carefully. For example, I would first raise the midtones and then fine-tune the highlights and shadows to keep the image natural.

 # This is not the code for PS, but another Python example showing how to adjust the image using curves to import cv2
import numpy as np

# Read image image = cv2.imread('underexposed_image.jpg')

# Create a lookup table for curve adjustment x = np.arange(256)
y = ((x / 255) ** 0.5) * 255 # Adjust curve lut = np.uint8(y)

# Apply curve adjustment adjusted_image = cv2.LUT(image, lut)

# Save the adjusted image cv2.imwrite('adjusted_image.jpg', adjusted_image)

In actual operation, I found a good strategy is to first use the "exposure" adjustment to perform a large-scale exposure improvement, and then use the "curve" adjustment to fine-tune the details. This avoids loss of detail caused by excessive adjustments while maintaining the natural feel of the image.

Of course, when adjusting underexposed photos, you need to pay attention to the following points:

• Detail retention : While increasing exposure, make sure that the details of the shadowed parts are not completely lost. The Shadow/Highlight tool can be used to help restore these details.
• Color Balance : Underexposed photos may experience color shifts, use the Color Level or Color Balance tools to adjust the color to ensure that the final effect looks natural.
• Local adjustments : Sometimes some areas of the photo may be darker than others, and you can use the Gradient Filter or the Brush Tool for partial exposure adjustments.

In general, adjusting underexposed photos requires a comprehensive strategy, which not only improves overall brightness but also maintains the naturalness of details and colors. Through the various tools provided by Photoshop, we can handle these problems flexibly and achieve satisfactory results.

In actual projects, I have processed a batch of wedding photos taken on cloudy days, which are generally underexposed. I used the above method, first increasing the exposure overall, then restoring the details through curve adjustments, and finally using local adjustment tools to deal with some particularly dark areas, and finally got very satisfactory results.

Hopefully these experiences and methods can help you better deal with underexposed photos in Photoshop. If you have more questions or need further guidance, please continue to communicate!

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