# Need help processing overexposed image



## kpickel (Mar 24, 2015)

Hello!  I need some tips on how to properly process this photo.  I'm new at this, and I realize this photo is overexposed.  Is there anyway to bring back some detail in the sky?  It's so blown out!  I really want to try to rescue this image if possible.  I'm new to Lightroom, and I've tried playing around with fixing the sky.  But when I do, it effects the face too.  Ahhhh...HELP please!  

I've attached the image, but let me know if you're not able to view it.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!


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## clee01l (Mar 24, 2015)

Welcome to the forum.  Did you shoot RAW or JPEG?  If you have the 12-14 bit RAW file you can do quite a bit to recover blown highlights.  If you only have an 8 bit JPEG, not so much can be done but you can probably help the image a little. 
Without seeing the original file it is not really possible to do more than make a guess at settings 
You can post a copy of the original at https://www.wetransfer.com and send the link to [email protected] and I will take a look at the file and make suggestions.


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## kpickel (Mar 24, 2015)

*Thank you!*

Hello!  These images are JPEG unfortunately.  I followed your instructions below and sent them to you.  I sent you 2 photos the first time.  For the 3rd photo I sent you, it was shot at 1/1250 at f4.5 ISO 800 (which is way too high, I realize that now).

Anyway....I'm really only interested in saving the 1st and the 3rd image.  I would greatly appreciate any help you can offer!

Thanks!



clee01l said:


> Welcome to the forum.  Did you shoot RAW or JPEG?  If you have the 12-14 bit RAW file you can do quite a bit to recover blown highlights.  If you only have an 8 bit JPEG, not so much can be done but you can probably help the image a little.
> Without seeing the original file it is not really possible to do more than make a guess at settings
> You can post a copy of the original at https://www.wetransfer.com and send the link to [email protected] and I will take a look at the file and make suggestions.


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## Tony Jay (Mar 24, 2015)

Cletus is right - shooting raw is the key to recovering highlights in an image like this.
I have played with the image that you posted and the sky is well and truly blown.
It was however easy enough to recover a lot of detail in the white clothing however.
My settings are summarised in the screenshot below:





An easy way to deal with the problem of a darkish foreground subject and a very bright background is to use fill-flash while exposing for the background.

As an aside I know that certain portrait and wedding photographers aim to produce exactly the result that you have posted as a deliberate style. Because there is no interest value in the blown background the foreground subject stands out really well.

Tony Jay


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## acquacow (Mar 25, 2015)

If you wanna do more shooting in the sun, you'll want to read David Hobby's Lighting 101/102... http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

Understanding how light works and how cameras read/expose light (18% reflective grey) can really go a long way.

You'll wanna learn how to expose for ambient light, and then provide fill light on your subject to bring them up brighter (using either a flash or reflector)...

This will give you an evenly exposed image and you won't have blown out skies or subjects =)


That said, the skintones on the subject in your photo are just fine exposure and color-balance-wise... You may just want to try not shooting with their face in the shade... and hanging a sheet over them (or behind you, depending on sun position) to better diffuse light and soften up nose/chin shadows you're gonna have with direct lighting...  

-- Dave


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## clee01l (Mar 25, 2015)

Tony has covered all of the critical points  I was able to recover some of the detail in the white blouse using a medium contrast and Auto WB.  There is absolutely no color in the sky.  Usually decreasing the Blue luminance will bring back some color to the sky.  Decreasing the exposure 1 stop removed all clipping indicators But this does not help the sky when there is no color detail.  Your best hope for a photo such as this is to replaced the sky with a sky from another photo using PS or a similar application that can blend layers. 
Some other observations:


It appears that you focused in front of the subject and the subject is OOF while the gravel at her feet is very sharp.
The kit lens is not really up to the task for portraits at 18mm  The sweet spot on this lens is going to be about f/8.  The geometry is distorted at 18mm making the legs and the hips much wider than the rest of the figure. I would have recommended 35-50mm for a more pleasant portrait.
Compositionally, the center strip dominates the frame and the horizon biceps the frame at the middle. Remember the "rule of thirds".
Using a camera setting other than full auto will let you control the shot parameters  f/8 and 1/125s along with whatever ISO is needed to spot or center weighted meter correctly the subject.  This will still blow the sky, but the sky is not the subject.  If you frame your subject so that the sky does not dominate, you can easier live with a blown sky.  You can't accept a blown blouse or no definition between the blond tresses and the background.


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## kpickel (Mar 25, 2015)

Thank you everyone! This was my first run at this, and I can't wait to learn more as I go along. Guess I need to invest in a flash. Any suggestions for a flash? I have a Canon EOS SL1 DSLR. Would the built in flash have worked in this case?


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## Replytoken (Mar 25, 2015)

kpickel said:


> Thank you everyone! This was my first run at this, and I can't wait to learn more as I go along. Guess I need to invest in a flash. Any suggestions for a flash? I have a Canon EOS SL1 DSLR. Would the built in flash have worked in this case?



You can invest in a flash, but what you might want to consider is investing some time to learn about lighting, and how to light a scene.  A flash is just a tool, and if not used properly it will not really provide you with what you need.  Neil's web site has a ton of good information:  http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/ .

Good luck,

--Ken


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## Tony Jay (Mar 26, 2015)

kpickel said:


> Thank you everyone! This was my first run at this, and I can't wait to learn more as I go along. Guess I need to invest in a flash. Any suggestions for a flash? I have a Canon EOS SL1 DSLR. Would the built in flash have worked in this case?


Canon sell several good flash systems and so do several third-party manufacturers.
However, take your time and do a lot of research before you buy.
Look carefully, not only at your current requirements, but also at where your shooting may take you in the future.
This research will save you from expensive mistakes and repurchases.
(In principle this applies to the acquisition of all camera equipment.)

Ken has made the point that learning how to shoot in different lighting condition is also important. I would absolutely agree that a flash is not a magic bullet solution (see Ken's post) and learning how to shoot with flash is in itself a steep learning curve.

Tony Jay


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