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Dan Rodney/3 min read

Shadows/Highlights

Shadows/Highlights Adjustment

1

Convert Layer to Smart Object

Layer → Smart Objects → Convert to Smart Object so the adjustment is non-destructive.

2

Image → Adjustments → Shadows/Highlights

Defaults often help; check Show More Options for fine control.

3

Brighten Shadows, Tame Highlights

Move sliders to recover detail from dark or blown-out regions.

4

Mask Out Unwanted Adjustments

Smart Filter mask paints black where you don't want the effect (e.g. sky).

Master Photoshop at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop's Photoshop Bootcamp covers retouching, compositing, color correction, and pro editing.

Discover how to brighten and balance your images using the Shadows/Highlights adjustment and Smart Objects in Photoshop with this detailed tutorial, including step-by-step instructions and helpful images.

Topics Covered in This Photoshop Tutorial:

Creating a Smart Object, the Shadows/Highlights Adjustment, More Masking Out Unwanted Adjustments

Exercise Preview

hershey trolley before&after

Photo by Dan Rodney

Exercise Overview

This image is way too dark—you can’t see the sign at all! We will use the Shadows/Highlights adjustment to make the sign legible and the image properly balanced. We’ll also learn about Smart Objects.

Creating a Smart Object

When possible, we like to use adjustment layers for color corrections. Oddly, the Shadows/Highlights adjustment we want to use is not an adjustment layer! However, Photoshop offers a different way to apply this adjustment non-destructively using Smart Objects.

  1. From the Photoshop Class folder, open the file Hershey trolley stop.tif.

  2. Go to Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object.

  3. In the Layers panel, change the name of Layer 0 to Hershey.

The Shadows/Highlights Adjustment

  1. There are many dark parts of the image that need to be lightened. Go into Image > Adjustments > Shadows/Highlights.

  2. Even the default options make the image look better, but we can tweak things more. At the bottom of the window, check on Show More Options.

  3. Play around with the settings to adjust the image as desired. If you need some advice, here are some settings we think look nice:

    Shadows
    Amount: 45%
    Tone: 57%
    Radius: 34 px
    Highlights
    Amount: 6%
    Tone: 73%
    Radius: 39 px
    Adjustments
    Color: +20
    Midtone: +5

  4. Click OK when done.

  5. Let’s see how much of a difference we made. In the Layers panel, under the Hershey layer, you should see the Shadows/Highlights adjustment listed.

  6. Click the eye eye hide show icon next to Shadows/Highlights a few times to see the before/after.

  7. Make sure the Shadows/Highlights adjustment is visible eye hide show icon before continuing.

Removing the Adjustment Where You Don’t Want It

There may be some parts of the image where you don’t like the adjustment. We’ll use the Smart Filter’s mask to hide it. That way we can un-hide it later if we decide we want the adjustment back.

  1. As shown below, in the Layers panel, click on the Smart Filters layer mask. The brackets around it indicates the mask thumbnail is selected.

    hershey select smart filter

  2. Choose the Brush tool brush tool.

  3. In the Tools panel, click the Default colors icon default colors white on top.

  4. Also in the Tools panel, click the swap colors icon swap colors.

  5. The Foreground color should now be pure black and the Background color pure white. It’s important to remember how layer masks work:

    • Painting with black = hide.
    • Painting with white = reveal.
    • Painting with a shade of gray = partially hide.

    Paint anywhere you want to hide the adjustment such as the shadow area of the trees on the right of the image.

  6. If you hid some of the adjustment and then realized you shouldn’t have, you can either go to Edit > Undo or paint with white to reveal the adjustment again.

  7. Nice—that looks so much better! You can close the file, saving if you wish.