Opening JPG Files In RAW Mode

In an earlier post I discussed how I used an umbrella as a reflector to throw some additional light back onto my subject's face. The result was not perfect, but will certainly contribute to a better rendition when it comes time to print. Reflecting on the photo session, I am reminded that I could have easily negotiated for some additional time to make the photo, but in my excitement, I was content to forgo the flash and place the open shoot-through umbrella on  the ground just out of the right edge of the frame. The result was the left frame, which shows detail in Ray's face, but not bright enough for my taste. The right frame is much closer to what I had in mind, and is the result of some judicious exposure control involving the shadows, the mid tones, and the highlights. 

Open In Camera Raw: I started the salvage operation by opening the JPG file in Camera Raw. It is  easy to find, located just below the Open command in the dropdown File Menu. 

The most striking feature is the appearance of large swaths of red and blue in the opened file. Interpretation is simple: Red indicates areas of over exposure, and the blue areas underexposure. So far as Adobe Elements is concerned, the red zones represent the highlights, and the blue regions represent the shadows. Now the information contained in a JPG file is nowhere near that of a true RAW file, so consider this a way to improve an image, not a way to recover a completely botched exposure.  

I have enlarged the sidebar to show the sliders you will be using. 

• Mid Tones: Drag the Exposure slider to the left or right until you get the skin tones where you want them. Don't worry if portions of your subject's skin turn red. AT least not yet. (+0,85)
• Highlights: Next drag the Highlights slider to the left until the (almost) all of the red highlights return to their original color. If large swatches of red are still present, return to the Exposure slider and move it to the left. (-100)
• Shadows: Finally drag the Shadows slider and watch how the shadows start to brighten. Be careful, though. If you slide it too far to the right, you may see your highlights begin to turn red. (+23)

When you're done adjusting the sliders, you should take some to admire the overall effect. Warning: That red shape in the back of Ray's truck is an orange Home Depot bucket. You may also notice some tiny red-colored highlights on Ray's hand. Fortunately they are very small, and I'll let them stay since they are neither distracting nor unexpected.

This post processing is very intuitive once you start using it. It can also correct white balance, and improve the intensity of the blacks and whites. It is well suited to my low-volume workflow. And while it is a slight improvement over the simpler Levels command, it does offer access to a variety of other adjustments, all in one application.

Would That It Were True: Klara, my editor's daughter-in-law, put this together based on a cell phone image of me actually  photographing the hive seen in my earlier post. It shows that getting "up close and personal" is just a phrase. For me, it's all part of the job.