Open the image that you want to correct in Camera Raw. In the menu on the right side of the image will appear a histogram that represents the levels of exposure for the image. Briefly put, it is a graph of the image brightness. To get an ideal exposure level, the histogram should fall between the left and right sides of the graph and in most instances extend fully from the left to the right of the graph, left being dark or black and right being white or bright.
In the menu, you will see “Exposure”, “Recovery”, “Fill Light”, “Blacks”, and “brightness. If you move the “Exposure” slider, you will see that the entire histogram moves in the direction that you move the slider and the images reflects these changes. You are changing the exposure value of the entire image equally.
If the “Recovery” slider is moved right from its “0” left position, note that the image changes and darkens and the histogram compresses. This tool is useful for decreasing the width or spread from white and overexposed to a more manageable level.
Move the “Fill Light” slider up the scale from the left “0” position and you will see that primarily the darker portions of the images are affected and the histogram appears to compress, decreasing its “reach” from left to right with more effect on the left or dark side. Note that increasing the fill light appears to decrease the contrast of the image.
Adjust the “Black” slider right from its “0” value and you will see that the blacks and darks are much more subject to change than the lights and the histogram reflects this change as the left or dark side of the histogram graph is affected to a far greater degree than that of the light or right side. Note that the “Black” adjustments appear to increase the contrast of the image.
Moving the brightness slider from its right(lighter) or left(darker) from the center position will change the image either lighter or darker. This control is extremely useful if an images is grossly overexposed or has burnt out areas or “shiny noses”.
Adjusting one or a combination of these tools can produce a much more viewable image that is usually properly exposed and many photos that appear on first look to be not salvageable can be changed from Ugly Ducklings into Beautiful Swans.
There are several more tools in the Camera Raw arsenal that need to be explored. These tools will be discussed in a future article.
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