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Correcting Shadows, Highlights, and Colors

You can use the Shadows/Highlights function to correct areas in an image that are too dark or too light, without affecting areas that are already light or dark.

Adding Light to Shadows and Shadows to Highlights

You can use the Shadows/Highlights function to add light to shadows without adding light to existing highlights. This is useful if you have a photo of a person standing against a bright background, and the person is in shadow. It is also useful if you have a photo taken indoors without flash and most areas of the photo are shadowed, or a photo taken at night and some areas of the photo appear to be completely black.

At the same time, you can use the Shadows/Highlights function to add shadows to highlights without adding shadows to existing dark areas. This can be useful if some areas of your photo are overexposed. For example, a photo taken in bright sunlight so that some areas of the photo lack detail or are too bright.

To Add Light to Shadows and Shadows to Highlights:

Select the Selection Tool and click the photo.
From the Menu bar, click Adjustments | Light | Shadows/Highlights.

In the Editing window, on the Settings tab, set the options as described in the table below.
Press OK.

Shadows/Highlights Options

Lighten Shadows	Amount	In the Lighten Shadows area, drag the Amount slider to the left or right to select the amount of light to add to the selected pixels.
Lighten Shadows	Range	Drag the Range slider to the left or right to select the range of pixels to which you want to add light. Select a lower range if you want to add light to only the darkest areas in the photo. Select a higher range if you want to add light to most of the dark areas and some lighter areas in the photo.
Darken Highlights	Amount	Drag the Amount slider to the left or right to select the amount of shadow to add to the selected pixels.
Darken Highlights	Range	Drag the Range slider to the left or right to select the range of pixels to which you want to add shadows. Select a lower range if you want to add shadows to only the brightest areas in the photo. Select a higher range if you want to add shadows to most of the bright areas in the photo and some of the darker areas.

Adding Color to Pale Areas of a Photo

You can also use the Shadows/Highlights function to add color to a photo. This is useful if the colors in the photo are pale because of inadequate or excessive light. For example, you may want to add color to a photo if the sky is too pale. You can also add color to a photo to make the photo more dramatic. For example, you may want to add color to a photo of a sunset to make the colors of the sunset more vibrant.

To Add Color to Pale Areas of an Image:

Select the Selection Tool and click the photo.
From the Menu bar, click Adjustments | Light | Shadows/Highlights.

In the Editing window, in the Color Boost area, drag the slider to the left or right to add or remove color from the photo.
Press OK.

Tips for Adjusting the Shadows and Highlights in Your Photos:

You can make a photo look unnatural if you add too much light to shadows or too many shadows to highlights. For example, if you have a close-up photo of a person's face there will be shadows on the person's face. If you eliminate too many of those shadows, the person's face will look flat. Therefore, it is advisable to leave natural shadows and highlights in your photos.

The shadows and highlights in your photo will look more natural if you drag the Range slider to the right to select a greater range of pixels to change. For example, if you add light to only the darkest areas in the photo, you reduce the overall contrast in the photo.