I want to combine two developments from a RAW file into one. It is a waterfall scene and to get most of the frame as I want causes the highlights to blow out. There is detail in the original file, which I can save by underexposing when I process. How would you go about combining these two "exposures" into one image?
Pete D.
Posted by Keith Bauer on June 17, 2009 at 11:34 AM
Hi Pete:
Process the RAW file twice. Once to optimize for the highlights, and one to optimize the shadows. Save each of them off as a PSD file. Open the file optimized for highlights, then open the file optimized for shadows. Drag one of them onto the other to an image with two layers. Press and hold the shift key while draggin the image to make sure the images align. I'll assume for this description that you have the "Shadows" image on the bottom and the "Highlights" layer on top of it. So at the moment you only see the image optimized for highlights. Create an empty layer mask on the "Highlights" layer. Using the brush tool with a black brush, begin to paint on the layer mask to hide the parts of the "highlights" layer to allow the "shadows" layer to be visible where you have masked off the "highlights" layer. Just remember that with a layer mask, black conceals, white reveals. So anything on the layer that has a layer mask that is covered with black will be concealed, anything in white in the layer mask will be revealed.
Of course depending on the image, you may chose to reverse the order of the shadows and highlights layers to reduce the amount of masking that you need to do. You can of course do selections on the image, then fill the layer mask with black to conceal if there is an obvious selection that can speed up the process.
There are also techniques to do this utilizing Smart Objects, but I thought this process might be more straight forward to understand.
Check out Dr. Brown's Services for Photoshop. One of the scripts is called Place-a-matic, and will automate the setup for the procedure that Keith explained.
Basically from Bridge, you open the file and do your basic Camera Raw processing- either for highlights or shadows. Then click "done" instead of opening the image in PS. Back in bridge, under the tools menu, you will find Dr. Brown's services. If you run the script with only one image selected, it will automatically open your Raw file with a duplicate layer stacked on top and already aligned. You can then double click on the duplicate layer to get back into ACR and re-process for the other exposure.
Might sound a little long winded, but it makes this type of PS work a breeze, IMO. I use it on almost every single image I make.
It also works for multiple frames that need to be blended for increased DOF, or manual exposure blending. Oh, and its all done with smart objects, so you can go back and tweak your exposures at any point in your workflow, without permanent damage.
I tried the procedure described by Keith and the tutorial by David Clapp. That's what I was looking for. Thanks guys. I know it will take practice to get good at it, but I did give a shot on an image I recently posted. I hope you don't mind my posting it again here. The original post and the "shadows" exposure here was +0.5 processing from the RAW file. The "highlights" exposure was -1.0 from the RAW file. The straight +0.5 image is over in ES&S for now...
Discussion
6 repliesPete D.
Process the RAW file twice. Once to optimize for the highlights, and one to optimize the shadows. Save each of them off as a PSD file. Open the file optimized for highlights, then open the file optimized for shadows. Drag one of them onto the other to an image with two layers. Press and hold the shift key while draggin the image to make sure the images align. I'll assume for this description that you have the "Shadows" image on the bottom and the "Highlights" layer on top of it. So at the moment you only see the image optimized for highlights. Create an empty layer mask on the "Highlights" layer. Using the brush tool with a black brush, begin to paint on the layer mask to hide the parts of the "highlights" layer to allow the "shadows" layer to be visible where you have masked off the "highlights" layer. Just remember that with a layer mask, black conceals, white reveals. So anything on the layer that has a layer mask that is covered with black will be concealed, anything in white in the layer mask will be revealed.
Of course depending on the image, you may chose to reverse the order of the shadows and highlights layers to reduce the amount of masking that you need to do. You can of course do selections on the image, then fill the layer mask with black to conceal if there is an obvious selection that can speed up the process.
There are also techniques to do this utilizing Smart Objects, but I thought this process might be more straight forward to understand.
Hope that makes sense.
Basically from Bridge, you open the file and do your basic Camera Raw processing- either for highlights or shadows. Then click "done" instead of opening the image in PS. Back in bridge, under the tools menu, you will find Dr. Brown's services. If you run the script with only one image selected, it will automatically open your Raw file with a duplicate layer stacked on top and already aligned. You can then double click on the duplicate layer to get back into ACR and re-process for the other exposure.
Might sound a little long winded, but it makes this type of PS work a breeze, IMO. I use it on almost every single image I make.
It also works for multiple frames that need to be blended for increased DOF, or manual exposure blending. Oh, and its all done with smart objects, so you can go back and tweak your exposures at any point in your workflow, without permanent damage.
Give it a try. I bet you'll like it.
Pete D.