Help in PS: fixing exposure probs

cmason

So I took a pic that had overexposed areas. I had seen where you can merge two exposures (+/-) to get a good photo from masking. Not sure if it will work, but I create a version from RAW where I adjusted EV to minimize white over exposure, and another to minimize black underexposure. I want to merge/mask these.

How do I create a layer from a second photo? Any tips on masking? Are any 'automagic' methods to select areas?

wxwax

Open up both pics. Control-A one of them (this selects everything.) Control-C copies it.

Click on the other photo. Control-V pastes the first shot over the second shot. You now have two layers in your Layers palette.

Click on the Layer Mask button at the bottom of your Layers palette.

Select the top layer. Select your paintbrush. Set the opacity to 100%. Set your colors to the default Black and White. Select black. Paint over your top layer. You'll see it removes the top layer, shows the bottom layer. Change your color to white. Paint over the same places. See how it restores the top layer?

Play with brush size, opacity and hardness to fine tune your masking. Paint over the areas you want to reveal from the bottom layer.

cmason

wxwax wrote:

Open up both pics. Control-A one of them (this selects everything.) Control-C copies it.

Click on the other photo. Control-V pastes the first shot over the second shot. You now have two layers in your Layers palette.

Click on the Layer Mask button at the bottom of your Layers palette.

Select the top layer. Select your paintbrush. Set the opacity to 100%. Set your colors to the default Black and White. Select black. Paint over your top layer. You'll see it removes the top layer, shows the bottom layer. Change your color to white. Paint over the same places. See how it restores the top layer?

Play with brush size, opacity and hardness to fine tune your masking. Paint over the areas you want to reveal from the bottom layer.

Well dang...that was easy...Thanks!

Wonder why there isnt a 'create layer from image" command, which is what I was looking for.

This masking will be very time consuming I can see

Mike Lane

You can do the mask automatically.

http://studio.adobe.com/tips/tip.jsp?p=1&id=408&xml=phs8contrast

and

http://studio.adobe.com/us/tips/tip.jsp?p=1&id=102213&xml=phscs2at_pixelblend

gluwater

DanielB also mentioned a different way where you just use the luminosity from one layer and paste it on top of the other. I have seen other variations of this method but it works pretty well and is really easy.

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