| The Shadow/Highlight tool is a powerful new feature for
Photoshop CS. It's also really quite simple to use. You can use it
to instantly correct shadows. For example here is a photograph where
the subject is dark.
In cases like this or where you didn't have a fill flash, just open the tool under Image: Adjustments: Shadow/Highlight.
Immediately when the dialog box opens there should be a change.
This tool can really work miracles and turn night into day. Just adjust the Shadows amount to get your basic image correction. You can also tone down the Highlights to balance the image out some more.
Remember you must be on the actual layer you want to adjust in the layers palette (have it highlighted/selected first). If you really want to prove that Photoshop was worth the price you paid for it, click Show more options to expand the dialog box to below the bottom of your screen. These options just give you more control over the specific and finite tonal adjustments to the shadows and highlights (best saved for the upcoming advancedphotoshop.com).
Now that you know how easy it is to use this powerful new adjustment (keep the other options hidden), just go through your scanned in or uploaded (digital) photographs and start by correcting ones that you forgot to use a flash on and work your way through your portfolio.
Here is another before and after.
You can see the video version of this tutorial on the Discover Photoshop: CS Features Bonus cd that comes with the Basic Photoshop DVD training (100's of video Photoshop tutorials).
You can always click the Preview on and off in case you get too
involved with minute adjustments and you need to compare the
original with the adjustment you're making (I do this all the time)
to get a before and after. Photoshop's power for image adjusting and
enhancing is unequaled.
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