Brainiac

Answered

affect shadows or midtones only in camera raw?

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
October 27, 2018
2 replies
1608 views

I like using the Camera Raw Filter in a Smart Object to edit exposure, highlights etc. for the flexibility of reverting back to th original file. However, I need to lighten the shadows and some midtones while leaving highlights alone. Can I do this using Camera Raw? I know the dodge and burn tools do this but I would like to make non-destructive edits to the image. Thanks!

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Correct answer davescm

Hi

The adjustment brushes have a shadow slder so can be set just to affect those dark tones. Leave the highlights & white at 0 and if possible exposure also at zero. If you can get sufficient shadow movement with just the shadow slider then increase the exposure on the brush slightly and if you need to compensate by reducing the highlights so the top end remains unaffected.

Dave

D Fosse

Community Expert

We need to avoid confusion here - the ACR Filter is not the same as the ACR Raw Processor.

So I assume you mean "Open as Smart Object" from ACR, which accesses the original raw file when opened?

Lightening shadows in ACR is easily (and very effectively) done with the Shadows slider. It will not normally affect the highlights. If it does, you may need to compensate slightly with the other tonal controls.

bartonlewAuthor

Brainiac

No, I don't think so. I am converting the layer to a Smart Object; then going to Filter>Camera Raw Filter - so applying the filter to the Smart Object, which is different (I think) than what you are saying, which is opening the Smart Object in ACR. As far as I can tell the Shadows Slider will affect the entire image, which I don't to do. As can be seen in the screen shot below, this image, stitched together from many files, is too dark along the top left center.

Conrad_C

Community Expert

bartonlew wrote
As far as I can tell the Shadows Slider will affect the entire image, which I don't to do. As can be seen in the screen shot below, this image, stitched together from many files, is too dark along the top left center.

The Shadows slider may affect the entire image, but it's heavily weighted to affect dark areas much more than light areas.

You can use Camera Raw to completely exclude lighter areas from an edit. First use a local adjustment tool (Graduated Filter, Radial Filter, or Adjustment Brush) to lighten the top left center (using Exposure, Shadows, Whites, or whatever works), and then apply the relatively new Range Mask option set to Luminance, and finally, use the Range Mask slider to restrict the edit to darker tones only. In this way the lighter tones in that area will not be affected by the edit.

davescm

Community Expert

The shadows slider will do this image wide - but don't forget that camera raw also has the local adjustment brushes so that you can target certain areas in your image.

Dave

bartonlewAuthor

Brainiac

Thanks. Normally I use the adjustment brushes as you suggest. But here, there are highlight areas mixed in with the shadows which are much too dark. Therefore, I would like to use something like the burn tool with shadows selected as the area to affect to make the darker tones lighter only. I think the shadows slider will affect the entire image. Therefore, it sounds like I may only have recourse to the dodge and burn tools for making destructive edits or alternatively using the local adjustments brushes with more precision than I would normally, individually going over areas skipping where there are highlights I don't want to be made lighter.

Noel Carboni

Brainiac

Thanks, I have not worked with masks before so I am getting up to speed understanding how they work watching J Kost youtube videos. But where is the "Properties" panel you are showing here where you adjust the exposure curve? I can't readily find it. Thanks.

Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves (which will be the layer with the mask as well).

-Noel

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