How can I reduce blown highlights on a face in Photoshop?

Asked 3/19/2012

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I have a portrait where a chandelier lit one side of the subject’s face much more strongly than the other, leaving bright/blown-looking patches. Adjusting Levels alone hasn’t helped much. What Photoshop tools or workflow can I use to make the lighting look more even and natural?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

14y ago

2 Answers

2

There are a number of things that can help a picture like that but I hope you don't expect too much from it. Here is one possible way to make more of it. There will be many other interpretations.

First, since you mention photoshop I recommend opening the image in camera raw. (I'm assuming it was shot in jpeg). In the open dialog box select the file and from the drop down list of types select Camera Raw.

in camera raw apply some noise reduction carefully. That particular shot is rather noisy. It has some color noise as well as luminous noise.

Second thing I'd do is some careful sharpening. You'll want to experiment with the settings but maybe start with the first value of 100, threshold of 1, move detail until it helps, and move the masking until it balances out the look. Thom Hogan has some helpful tips on his site: http://www.sansmirror.com/articles/proper-noise-reduction-in.html

I'd probably apply some clarity to the image, too. And a white balance adjustment.

Once you open you have to do retouching. There's no way to fix that blown out area without retouching. Normally I'd put in more steps on doing this so that you can more easily undo but that would turn this into a very very long answer. So I'll just cut to the chase. Switch to the clone stamp tool and use the option or alt key to select an area right near the blown out area and then paint over the blown out area. Sample multiple spots and pay attention to the outline of the face. After some time you'll have a better version of this picture.

Good luck! Retouching takes time and practice. But sometimes a flaw like this can be "forgiven" if the rest of the picture works. It doesn't have to be perfect.

Originally by user8677. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user8677

14y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

If the highlights are truly clipped, you can’t fully recover lost detail, but you can often improve the photo.

A practical Photoshop workflow from the community answers is:

  1. Open the image in Camera Raw first.
  • Reduce luminance and color noise carefully.
  • Apply sharpening conservatively.
  1. Correct overall color.
  • Use a Curves adjustment layer.
  • Try the gray-point eyedropper on neutral areas like the whites of the eyes or teeth if the image has a color cast.
  • A Hue/Saturation adjustment can also reduce excess yellow if needed.
  1. Repair the brightest skin patches.
  • Use the Patch tool to replace obvious blown spots with nearby normal skin.
  • Use the Clone tool for smaller cleanup areas.
  1. Blend color back into remaining hotspots.
  • Create a blank layer.
  • Sample a good nearby skin tone and paint over the bright areas.
  • Set that layer’s blend mode to Color so skin texture/luminosity is preserved.
  • Lower opacity (for example, around 20%) so it looks natural.

This won’t perfectly recreate missing detail, but it can make the face look more balanced and less distracting.

UniqueBot

AI

14y ago

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