Can I fix harsh lighting from flash?

[txtinman]

I took a few snapshots using the on camera flash and there are areas on the subjects face that are rather harsh and bright. I've tried using levels and curves in Gimp, but I've not been really happy with my results. Is there something I could try other than the methods I mentioned? I guess I'm asking the Gimp guru's also as I don't have Photoshop. The photos were shot in raw and I have Rawtherapee and Rawstudio for editing if someone has a suggestion for using either of those programs.

[OsmosisStudios]

An example photo would greatly help. Without seeing one I'd hazard a guess that you've "blown out" portions of the photo. This means that the area is pure white and has no detail left.

[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

An example photo would greatly help. Without seeing one I'd hazard a guess that you've "blown out" portions of the photo. This means that the area is pure white and has no detail left.

+1. On-camera flash is a pain. Did you use the popup flash or a speedlight? If using a speedlight on-camera, there are ways to diffuse it so it's not so flashy and harsh.