Altering exposure using Photoshop

Make stressing out over mistakes a thing of the past

THERE ARE MANY enthusiasts who enjoy model and fashion photography. Some of you may have  experienced that your images lack sufficient facial highlights and flat shadows. Of course, understanding setting up studio lighting is essential in combating these effects, but you can also cheat using everyone’s favourite photo-editing software, Adobe Photoshop. Start by selecting the lighter areas of the model’s features, using tools such as the Magic Wand or Color Range command. The Marquee selection tools can aid you in cleaning up areas. Next, select Filter>Distort>Diffuse Glow. In the dialog box, decrease the Graininess value to zero, increasing the Glow and Clear Amount values for best effects. Once you are satisfied with your filter application, deactivate your selection and apply a Levels or Curves Adjustment layer to exaggerate all effects. If the edges of your effect are too harsh, then before applying Diffuse Glow, choose Select>Modify>Feather at a 20-pixel radius to soften.