Selective adjustment to photo

[puppychew]

Hello,

I have a photo of a window with shutters. The shutters are too dark and the window is a bit over-exposed.

The shutters are most important for display. How can I lighten the shutters to see the detail without lightening the entire photo? I tried working with the levels, but no luck.

It would also be good if I could darken the over-exposed window too.

I have CS2. Thanks in advance - I'm new to this.

 

[iDad]

try using shadows/highlights levels to pull out the detail a bit darker...or lighter

 

[puppychew]

Would I do that for the entire photo or just for the shutters. If so how do I adjust a select area?

 

[iDad]

thats hard to say without seeing the photo but sounds like just the shutters,I would probably use one of the Lasso tools to select them (all depends on image)

 

[puppychew]

thanks, I will find a tutorial on changing shadow/highlight levels.

 

[hawkeye]

There are many ways to do it, it all depends on the image itself. You should post a copy.

 

[puppychew]

Tried to upload a photo but unable to. Nothing happens when uploaded.

 

[hawkeye]

Tried to upload a photo but unable to. Nothing happens when uploaded.

Use an online host such as Imageshack. Copy the direct link and place it inside the code like this:

 

[puppychew]

thanks,
here it is - I need to show the angle and detail of the shutter for mounting. The window is washed out. If I darken the window with levels, the shutter will darken too and detail will be gone.

 

[hawkeye]

Probably the easiest way to select the window would be with Select-Color Range. Click on the white shutter area then use the slider to refine the selection. After you have the selection you can remove any unwanted areas with the lasso set to Subtract from Selection, and add any missed areas with it set to Add to Selection.
When you have it the way you want, copy and paste it to a new layer. Now use levels (or whatever you want) on the new layer copy.

 

[puppychew]

I need to practice with this - thanks for your help - I have a lot to learn!

 

[pswift]

Don't use color range, it only works for a few images, use masks instead.