Author: Tyler Jordan

Fine Artist, illustrator, web/graphic designer, photographer, chef...

Are you lazy? Perhaps curves and levels are a scary thing to learn in Photoshop? Fret no more. There’s an easy way to adjust your dark photos. It’s so easy it only takes a couple minutes. There are the right ways to fix an underexposed image and then there’s this way. I can honestly say without shame that I’ve used this method before. I’m not ashamed. In fact, I’d be willing to bet no one will ever know which image or images I’ve used this technique on, but because it’s the lazy way, it’s nowhere near perfect. Therefore, as I said, it’s not the right way, just an easy way that should look like this in the end:

Step 1

Start with your source image that’s underexposed.

Step 2

Now copy the background layer by pressing Ctrl+J. Now change the blend mode in the layers palette for this new layer to Screen. As you can see, it lightens up the whole image.

Step 3

As you can see, it’s still too dark. A scene like this would lead anyone to drink. Let’s lighten it up a little more by clicking Ctrl+J repeatedly until it looks right.

Step 4

It does a pretty good job of lightening up the whole bar here. Certain scenes would be done at this point. Pretty easy huh? The one issue you can run in to with this technique is certain bright sections of your image can get blown-out easily. To fix this, combine all the layers except the background layer by selecting all the layers except the background one in the layers palette clicking Ctrl+E to combine them. Now with this new combined layer selected, click on the add layer mask button at the bottom of the palette and use the brush tool (B) to draw over the blown-out highlights. This will bring the original image back through.

That’s it, you lazy person you. Now get back to watching more reality TV.

Nikola Mitic

9 sites

nice tutorial!
easy and useful :)

ceronumos

cool !

alison

thank you- great tip and awesomely easy!

Hector Romero

Wow, this was new for me. I have always used Levels, ShadowHighlight and even Exposure under Image Adjustments). Great tutorial. Thanks.

Craig Scott

Nice quick tutorial! I'd always used curves but this is a good quick fix for some images.

Bungust

Didn't know it. Tnx.

Tom

What about a tutorial for removing ISO points on dark images?

Travel photography

I'VE BEEN IN THAT BAR!! It's a hostel in Brugge, Belgium, and they have more than 100 different kinds of beer!!

design follow

thanks for this tut.

Ryan

Interesting approach! I'll have to try it sometime. Thanks!

Alexander

this is the most stunning tip i got for weeks! Your technique renders even better results with your test image than curves and levels would - with them the image gets flatter, losing contrast. And your little technique is super duper fast also!! Congratulations - tiny methods like yours are the ones that ease our lives in vain!!
Greetings
Alex

Julia

Thank u SO MUCH!!! It really helped me a lot!!! All geniuos is easy!!!

biceps

Mega helpfull, thx :o)

Tas

Great thing i would like to use.
My ps is in german and i dont understand this:
Now change the blend mode in the layers palette for this new layer to Screen.
Can you explain it to me so i can understand what it is in german? Thx ;)

Ferris Nguyen

Your tutorial is excellent. I have never seen anything like this. Noise is very minimal when use this method. Thanks.

Shamima Sultana

Nice tutorial...its helpful...will try it very soon.

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