Photo correction

I have posted some corrected photos below this post. Correction takes a great deal of patience. In this tutorial I will demonstrate how a problem photo can be corrected.

Step 1 : I have opened this photo. You can see that it is very dark.

Step 2 : Let's try something basic first. Go to Image>Adjustments>Levels and click.

Step 3 : When the Levels dialogue box pops up (above) see the two slider marked with green. The White slider is to increase the light and the grey to increase the highlights. I have first dragged the white slider to the left (red arrow) then the highlights slider (blue arrow).

Step 4 : Since this image is very dark I will use the Levels again (Steps 2 & 3). This dialogoue box pops up again. Again I have dragged the two sliders to the left.

Step 5 : This is how the image now looks. The background can be made out. The figure still looks dark. Let's see if this can be corrected.

Step 6 : Click the Magnetic Lasso Tool from the flyout. You can see where the Magnetic Lasso Tool can be found. Click to select it.

Step 7 : But first we have to use the Zoom Tool (marked with red arrow) to zoom in to see the face in greater detail. Click the magnifying glass with the plus sign on top to zoom in.

Step 8 : I have zoomed in on the image using the Zoom Tool.

Step 9 : Now use the Magnetic Lasso Tool. Click and select till you come back to the first point where you began clicking. This will turn it into a selection.

Step 10 : The selection has been completed.

Step 11 : Press CTRL+ALT+D on your keyboard simultaneously. It will bring up the Feather Selection dialogue box. I have set the pixel feathering at 3. Click ok.

Step 12 : Double click on the 'Background' in the Layers/Channels/Paths pallette.

Step 13 : This dialogue box opens. Click ok.

Step 14 : Notice that the 'Background' has changed to Layer 0 (zero). The Background cannot be edited. But by converting it to a layer, which is what I have done, it's possible to edit it now.

Step 15 : Go to Edit>Copy

Step 16 : No go to Edit>Paste.

Step 17 : The 'marching ants' selection has disappeared.

Step 18 : Notice that in the Layers/Channels/Paths panel a new layer -- Layer 1 -- has been formed. It is the selection that has been cut and pasted here.

Step 19 : Now as in Step 2 and 3 bring up the Levels dialogue box. Drag the white slider and grey slider to the left. Click ok. Note that all change will take place in the layer you are working on i.e. the face that has been selected. The rest of the iamge is unaffected as it is on a different layer.

Step 20 : The face has brightened, but there is a mottled appearance.

Step 21 : Drag the Layer 1 to the New Layers button (the folded bit of paper icon) and it will make a copy. The Layer 1 copy has been made.

Step22 : Go to Filters>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask

Step 23 : When this dialogue box pops up the Amount (red arrow), Radius (green arrow) and Threshold (light blue arrow) have to be changed by dragging the sliders. Usually the Threshold is left at zero. But here I have increased the value. Click ok.

Step 24 : Go to Filters>Noise>Median.

Step 25 : When the Median dialogue box opens drag the pixels slider to the appropriate value. Here I have chosen 2 pixels. It will vary from image to image.

Step 26 : This is how the face looks. It is blurred.

Step 27 : Go the Layers/Channels/Paths pallette and reduce the opacity by dragging the opacity slider to the left (see the red arrow).

This is the finished image. I have used the steps described above to select the right arm and then the robe of the boy monk and corrected them too. Please remember that the values given are not absolute. They will vary from image to image. Each image is unique and should be treated as such. Bye for now.