EOS Rebel t2i photos look dark after uploading to computer

Been having a problem with photos looking darker when they are uploaded to my computer specifically the sky when sunny. They look fine on the LCD viewing screen, but once they are uploaded to my computer they look much darker. Is there a certain setting for uploading to a computer? Am attaching a photo, taken in full sunlight at 2 pm CDT

The photo looks very good to me. It appears that you got the exposure very close to correct. 1/500, f/5.6, 100, +2/3 EC is exactly 'sunny 16'. Perhaps the problem is that you have the brightness of your camera's rear screen turned up too high, making the on-camera preview look very bright compared to the actual photo.

Thanks, I guess the sky was what looked a little dark-ish than it actually was in the full sun. I was checking and I had something called "auto lighting optimizer on strong, and it's set on evaluative metering. Was using Auto white balance. Screen brightness is at 4

Jeff_W wrote in post #19002776
Thanks, I guess the sky was what looked a little dark-ish than it actually was in the full sun. I was checking and I had something called "auto lighting optimizer on strong, and it's set on evaluative metering. Was using Auto white balance. Screen brightness is at 4

I always turn off Auto-lighting Optimizer (ALO) and highlight-tone priority (HTP). If you know enough about photography to select your own exposure, both of those settings will mess it up. I'm not sure where '4' is on your camera's brightness scale. If it is in the middle, excellent. BTW, nice photo, and welcome to POTN.

Looks good here also

Thanks for the welcome and liking my photo! Is Peripheral illumination correction the same as HTP? The brightness I listed as "4" is one mark to the right of the center of the scale if that helps.

Only paid $200 for the camera body and an 18-55 and 75-300 lens with a new camera bag

Thanks!

Hi Jeff welcome to POTN. Are you shooting RAW or JPEG? What are you using to view your photos?

Jeff_W wrote in post #19002819
Thanks for the welcome and liking my photo! Is Peripheral illumination correction the same as HTP? The brightness I listed as "4" is one mark to the right of the center of the scale if that helps.

Only paid $200 for the camera body and an 18-55 and 75-300 lens with a new camera bag

Peripheral Illumination Correction is specific to each lens. It is Canon's attempt to alleviate the natural tendency for lenses to be darker in the corners of the frame. It is not the same as HTP, which endeavors to correct exposure if you photo contains a lot of white/light coloring. Think fine lace detail in a wedding dress. Leave HTP off, too. You'll be better off to make your own exposures. Cameras have a lot of technology, and no brains. If you can think, you can out-perform little tricks like ALO and HTP.

I like to keep my screen brightness dead-center. Sometimes that is not possible. Like when shooting trains in full sunlight. $200 for that setup sounds about right to me, especially if it is in good, working condition.

I shoot in JPEG, I view them in Windows Photo Viewer. I also have a freeware program, PhotoScape for any editing I may need to do

So leave the peripheral illumination correction off?? How do I turn off HTP? I never saw that in my on screen menus

Okay, if you're shooting JPEG and viewing in WPV then the in-camera view and computer view should be similar. I'm not sure if WPV is color managed or not(I've heard both), but the views should nevertheless be similar. I'm inclined to agree with PentaxShooter that the extra tick of brightness on in-camera screen might account for the difference that you are seeing. Perhaps your computer monitor is too dim? Is your computer monitor calibrated?

Jeff_W wrote in post #19002887
So leave the peripheral illumination correction (PIC) off?? How do I turn off HTP? I never saw that in my on screen menus

I always leave PIC turned on when shooting Canon lenses, and OFF for non-Canon lenses. Canon does NOT provide lens profiles (needed for PIC) for non-Canon lenses. PIC has no effect on raw (.cr2) files, ever. HTP should be in your menu system. I don't have a T2i, but it is in the RED menus on my 80D. On my camera it is listed as, 'Highlight tone priority'. For you own sanity, turn off ALO and HTP, and never ever touch them again. Ever. Never.

If you are interested in getting the most out of your camera, consider acquiring a program that can work with raw (.cr2) files. Lightroom is most excellent, but costs money. Digital Photo Professional (DPP) is free from Canon, but is a bit more, OK - a lot more, cumbersome to use. If you are happy with the JPG output from your camera, don't fall for the "you have to shoot raw" drivel. Is raw more powerful? Yes. Is raw necessary? No. If you get white balance and exposure correct in camera, you don't NEED to process raw files. I use Lightroom extensively with my FILM photography, which has no raw files.

Lastly, keep firmly in the center of your mind that I am posting how I do things. They are only suggestions. Ask 10 photographers any question, and you'll get at least 11 different answers. Take it all with a grain of salt, then go do what works for you.

PentaxShooter wrote in post #19002779
I always turn off Auto-lighting Optimizer (ALO) and highlight-tone priority (HTP). If you know enough about photography to select your own exposure, both of those settings will mess it up. I'm not sure where '4' is on your camera's brightness scale. If it is in the middle, excellent. BTW, nice photo, and welcome to POTN.

Actual HTP will not mess up a photo and in the newer bodies, it works quite well to preserve parts of the image for you.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #19003040
Actual HTP will not mess up a photo and in the newer bodies, it works quite well to preserve parts of the image for you.

The last time I used it, which I believe was on the 60D, I was shooting Manual mode and couldn't figure out what was going on with too bright exposures. I shut off HTP and got what I wanted. Please correct me if I'm mistaken, but if I know my shot is in the highlights, and expose accordingly, isn't HTP superfluous? Also, keep in mind that the OP is shooting a T2i, not one of the newer bodies.