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DPChallenge Forums >> Individual Photograph Discussion >> Help needed to fix family pic
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Showing posts 1 - 8 of 8, (reverse)
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 12/27/2004 10:35:34 PM · #1
We take a family pic every X-mas eve...and this year we decided to shoot it on the front stairway rather than the more simple 3 rows of people. I warned them that it was a much more difficult shot (need large DOF, low light, had only my on camera flash and a new cam/lens, etc), but they said it would be OK. The exposure is not great for most of the people...here is the original (much detail lost in the resizing).

Here is my quick take on it


Can anybody lighten up the darkness at the upper end of the stairway better than what I did? If so, how?

I'm not concerned with the reflections in the glasses and other odds/ends, I can fix those reasonably well.

If anybody wants to play around with the original, PM me and I'll e-mail it...thx in advance for any help you can provide.
 12/27/2004 10:42:12 PM · #2


curves to entire image.

adjusted levels to make it lighter then faded it from top down so it's non existant at the bottom but fully there on the top.

little usm.
 12/27/2004 10:47:17 PM · #3


Duplicate layer set to screen.
 12/27/2004 10:59:55 PM · #4


Curves (increase brightness) with gradient mask (reveal in upper left and hide in lower right) then curves again with gradient nask on all but lower left (reduce brightness in nearest faces) and finally global curves.
 12/27/2004 11:20:04 PM · #5
Kinda the same as kirbics.

Did an auto levels to background. new layer with background, set to screen. Gradient adjustment layer (black on bottom), adjusted up to about 1/3 in the pic. Then placed another layer of the background set to screen above the gradient layer. I went back to the gradient layer mask area and painted in and out (black or white brush) some areas. About 5 minutes worth of time.
White wall could have been toned down a touch too...oh well.

Message edited by author 2004-12-27 23:22:52.
 12/28/2004 11:45:17 AM · #6
Wow! I'm not sure I know how to do what you guys have done (gradient masks and what not), but I'll give it a go...

Thanks for the help! (and one or more of you may get a PM cry for help soon) :-)
 12/28/2004 12:04:58 PM · #7
For those who use Digital Image Pro 10

Touchup > Exposure Autofix

Touchup > Exposure and Lighting
Shadows slider: 30
Midtones slider: 10

Touchup > Sharpen > Sharpen

Touchup > Reduce Noise
Luminant Noise Slider: 12

12/28/2004 12:13:28 PM · #8


Used Photoshop CS's "shadow/highlight" adjustment and then a quick autolevels. In the original full res image, this is a good project and should give you an excellent final pic.
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