.psd

This is an image I took from a DV workshop I recently taught.

OK, so perhaps this is old hat for everyone else, but I found a nice way to fix up images taken from a snapshot camera with shadows and a lot of the midtones too dark. Before coming across this tool I usually just lightened the midtones with levels and made a curves adjustment to try and bring back some of the details in the really dark areas. This would work alright, but the following is much better, it involves Image—>Adjustments—>Shadow/Highlight…

In this case the base values worked fine, but while adjusting other images from this workshop I taught I found them quote serviceable just adjusting what needed to be brought out more (meaning the Shadow or highlights).

With and without previewing the adjustment.

I used the history brush a little to darken shadows I wanted to keep subordinate and sharpened it a little. It makes a dark underexposed image at least somewhat decent. Hopefully this tip will be helpful :)