How have great exposure but not blow out white pants?

[KevinCarter]

I'm in ACR, I got great exposure of a model. But if I make the white pants look good, the whole image is too dark. What do I do? thanks!
CS3
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MAC 10.4.11
CS3

[Dennis_Vied]

Try setting the exposure for the pants, and a little shadow/highlight for the darker areas. If that reduces the contrast too much, apply a little curve tweak.

[Walter_Kimmel]

In ACR you could try adjusting the exposure slider with the Alt Key held down, to the pint where your exposure looks good with no blown highlights, or just a few where the pants are.

Then move the Recover slider to the right until the pants look better. Try moving the Contrast slider a little to the left if necessary to bring back some more high-tone detail.

Alternatively, move the exposure slider until you see some detail in the pants, and then move the Fill slider to the right to brighten up the faces.

[KevinStecyk]

Another option might be to create two tif files from ACR. Use one file where the pants are the way you like them, and the other for everything else. Then in Photoshop, blend the two pictures together.

[Johan_Elzenga]

Originally Posted by KevinCarter

I'm in ACR, I got great exposure of a model. But if I make the white pants look good, the whole image is too dark. What do I do? thanks!

If the overall exposure is good, but the white pants are too bright, use Recovery to lower the brightness of the pants. From what you say, it sounds like you use Exposure to do this. Exposure changes the entire image, Recovery only darkens the highlights.

[larry_angier]

First, start with a proper exposure.

Set your camera to show the blown-out highlights (the "blinkies"). Shoot and check and if the pants are blinking, cut back a third or half a stop until it stops or just the wrinkles blink.

Next in ACR pop up the Brightness slider about 10-15 points higher. That will open your mid tones without blowing out the highlights, much like tweaking your curves but without having to go to another tab.

If your highs are still a bit hot, then push the highlight recovery higher.

It all starts at the camera and though a raw file can be tweaked to save the day, it is better and more efficient to ace the exposure when you press the button.

HTH,

[David_Buzzard]

I have this same problem with wedding dresses in the hot sun all the time. The problem is that exposure difference between the white pants and the rest of the scene is more than the camera can handle. Get the exposure for the pants as good as you can in your RAW converter, and then convert out to JPG, TIF, or whatever. In Photoshop, open up an adjustment layer and lighten the image to where you want it to be. With adjustment layers, Photoshop automatically puts a layer mask on the adjustment layer. Click on that (it will be the box on the layer menu to the right of the adjustment icon), select a soft edged brush, and paint over the white pants. That will paint away the adjustment layer on the pants and leave them at the original exposure value.

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