How to Correct Exposure in Photoshop | Day 22

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Overexposed highlights and muddy shadows are two of the most common exposure problems, and in Day 22 of 30 Days of Photoshop, Aaron shows you how to fix both with a single technique. Using a Levels Adjustment Layer paired with the Blend If slider, you'll recover detail in blown-out highlights or dark shadows without affecting the rest of your image.

The key is targeting your adjustment to just the tonal range that needs it. With Blend If, you can make a Levels layer visible only in the shadows or only in the highlights, then push the contrast in that range as far as you want while the rest of the image stays untouched.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro to correcting exposure
00:50 Setting up a Levels Adjustment Layer
01:39 Using Blend If to target one tonal range
03:41 Refining shadow contrast with a layer mask
05:36 Correcting overexposed highlights
06:33 Applying Blend If to protect the shadows
07:16 Balancing contrast and opacity
08:33 Before and after, and wrap-up

THE STEPS
1. Add a Levels Adjustment Layer above your image
2. Drag the midtone slider to brighten shadows or darken highlights
3. Double-click the layer to open Blend If in Layer Style
4. Hold Alt/Option and drag the underlying layer sliders to isolate shadows or highlights
5. Fine-tune black and white points to add contrast in that range only
6. Use a layer mask to hide the effect from any areas where it looks unnatural
7. Lower the layer opacity to blend the correction in naturally

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