Help With a Common Problem?

[Michael_2010]

Looked over the rules quickly, so I'm not sure if this is the right way to go. But, what the heck.

Is there a simple way to adjust a bad blowout in a capture without messing up the rest of the photo? I know I am not the only one that runs into this problem occasionally and it would be nice to repair the image, if it can be done subtly.

This is one example that I would like to fix.

[Nicole]

You're in the right place, but there isn't actually anything in that photo I would fix or change. I think that the really bright areas simply work to tell me where in the scene the sun is.

[Michael_2010]

Really? Those two hot spots kind of glare at me and take away from the mood, or sumpin'. I don't want to do away with the highlight. Just tone it down a little without doing much to the rest of the picture.

[zona5101]

burn them down using a tool from photoshop, lightroom, gimp, etc...
basically add more exposure but only to a selected area of the image

[PrimeTime]

If you shot this in RAW, re-edit a copy of the raw image and drop the exposure untill you like the looks of the hot spots. Bring up this copy as a layer and make shure the layers are aligned. Add a layer mask set to hide all (black mask). Brush in with white over the hot spots(make shure you're brushing on the mask) and the layer with the lower exposure will show through. You can change the opacity and brush flow to get the effect you want. When you're done, add a 3 pix. blur to the mask to help blend it in.

[Michael_2010]

No RAW with this one. This was taken on one of my first outings with my DSLR and it was completely on autopilot.

I think I get the idea though and I might be able to do something with layers just using the jpeg as my base.

Thanks for the tips!

[Michael_2010]

So far, I have had no luck toning down those hot spots without making that area look cartoonish. One would think that would be a simple fix. In fact, it is such a common problem that it should be an item in an adjustment menu.

Oh well.......

[windrider86]

One t hing you can do is to use the clone tool. Set the blend mode to darken and start out at a very low opacity. Go over it several times until you get it to a level you like.
Persoanlly I like it tho

[klam]

Can create a darken curve w/mask(hide all) and then use a white radial gradient on the mask to reveal the darkend area. That way the transtion from dark to ligh is smooth.

[CheaperKings]

I love the image. I wouldn't change a thing...