Saving dark shots

[jonutah]

I recently went to the zoo and unfortunately it was very overcast so a lot of my shots turned out quite dark. Is there any way to save them without sacrificing the sharpness and the (would be) vivid colours of the animals?

Thanks heaps,
JU

[dn7elson]

I recently went to the zoo and unfortunately it was very overcast so a lot of my shots turned out quite dark. Is there any way to save them without sacrificing the sharpness and the (would be) vivid colours of the animals?

One of the benefits of shooting RAW is that you have a greater latitude to rescue poorly exposed shots. There are still possibilities for JPG saved images, but not as much as with RAW. With underexposed shots, you will likely see greater image noise, but still better than what appears underexposed.

It would be easier to offer specific suggestions if you posted an example of one of your images. Also, if you post the image, there will likely be several members that will spend a bit of time in Photoshop to show you what adjustments are possible.

There is a "Sticky" thread (at the top of the list) telling how to post images in the Share Photos forum: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=22582

[Scottes]

A couple of ways in Photoshop are listed in this Tutorial: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=35041. It is somewhat advanced but there are very good details in there.

Photoshop CS also has the Image... Adjustments... Shadows & Highlights tool. It's easier than curves above, I think, but has some possibility of screwing up the image if you over-do it. After using S&H I strongly recommend adjust contrast using either Levels or Curves.

Getting color back can be as easy as using Image... Adjustments... Hue/Saturation. Generally just using the Saturation slider will work. Don't forget to check out the different color ranges in the drop-down box. When you choose any color range you can then shoose the + eyedropper which will let you add color ranges to the selection. And I suggest that you frequently check & uncheck the Preview box to make sure you don't over-do it.


That would have been an excellent time to shoot RAW - you could have changed the exposure dramatically in a RAW converter.

[jonutah]

Just found out I need to have the pics publicly accessible to be able to post them. Any ideas on the best "free" servers to host them on?

I will have a shot at fixing some of them, and hopefully soon be able to post the one i hope to save the most. I absolutely love my DSLR but always seem to stuff the post processing :oops:

[Scottes]

I absolutely love my DSLR but always seem to stuff the post processing

Here's a start: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=34606

[santa]

open the image in photoshop. Select all. copy. paste. Now you have a new layer exactly in place over the first. Open the Layer Palette. Set the new layer to Screen. Duplicate that layer to make it even lighter. Add an image mask and paint it for areas you don't want to make lighter.

That's one basic technique.

[SoCal69]

Just found out I need to have the pics publicly accessible to be able to post them. Any ideas on the best "free" servers to host them on?

I will have a shot at fixing some of them, and hopefully soon be able to post the one i hope to save the most. I absolutely love my DSLR but always seem to stuff the post processing :oops:

Try www.fotopic.net I am sure others will have recommendations for sites as well.

[Motorsports Photo]

I recently went to the zoo and unfortunately it was very overcast so a lot of my shots turned out quite dark. Is there any way to save them without sacrificing the sharpness and the (would be) vivid colours of the animals?

Thanks heaps,
JU

If they did turn out dark, your camera needs some help or you had a priority setting way out.

Easiest way to turn them into decent shots is using LEVELS.

-Pete