How can I brighten an underexposed foreground in Lightroom without blowing out the background?
Asked 8/10/2018
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2 answers
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I have a wedding prep photo where the people indoors are underexposed compared with the bright outdoor background through the windows. I’ve already tried local adjustments in Lightroom using a gradient and color range mask to lift the subjects, but they still look muted. I’m not looking for shooting advice—only editing options, preferably in Lightroom. Is there a practical way to recover this image further, and if so what adjustments or workflow would help most?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
2 Answers
5
Is this a RAW image by any chance ? If so I'd probably first approach this by generating -2 stop and +2 stop images (as virtual copies) and do an HDR composite. You'll need to be heavy on the NR and color noise reduction, and use sharpening only with the built in filtering (threshold). Beware of overly compressing the image as it is already low contrast. Sometimes a bit of jockeying with the clarity setting and dropping the black / shadow level some can reduce the low contrasty look you get when you boost the light this much. What works for me in these situations is a flattish curve with boosted ends at the top and bottom. Another approach is make a few more virtual copies and try something completely different than what you did before. Starting over sometimes helps you find a different way.
Originally by user77753. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user77753
7y ago
0
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Yes—up to a point. Since the issue is a large brightness gap between the interior subjects and the window background, your best Lightroom-only options are local tonal adjustments and careful noise control.
What may help most:
- Use local masks on the people and brighten with curves or exposure/shadows rather than global exposure.
- Try a gentle curve lift on the subjects; a flatter curve with slightly raised darks and highlights can look more natural than pushing exposure alone.
- After brightening, add some blacks/shadows back and adjust clarity carefully so the subjects don’t look washed out or low-contrast.
- Apply noise reduction, especially color noise reduction, because lifting underexposed areas will reveal noise.
- Use sharpening conservatively.
A possible workaround from the RAW file is to create virtual copies at different exposure settings (for example darker for the windows, brighter for the people) and blend them as an HDR composite, but this can get unnatural quickly.
Realistically, if the subjects were significantly underexposed, recovery has limits. You can improve it, but you may not get a fully clean, bright result without introducing noise or a flat look.
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