I took this photo of a Snowy Owl a few weeks ago. The original was a nice shot but really too dark. I used a slightly different editing method than I have used in the past, just to see if it would work. Here is the edited photo:
ISO 320 50mm 0ev f/4 1/640
When I was shooting the photo I increased the ISO a bit because of all the shadows. I had my f-stop at a low number because I want to have the background mostly, but not completely, blurred. The lens I was using is a 50mm 1.8, but I went with an f-stop of 4 to make sure that the whole owl would be in focus. I also used a high shutter speed to stop any motion in the bird.
My original photo as you will see below is too dark. Because I shot in RAW I was pretty sure I could fix that in my post editing. I opened it in Camera Raw and adjusted the exposure to get a good exposure on the bird. This made the background too bright. So I opened my photo from Camera Raw into Photoshop as a “Smart Object” Once I had it open in Photoshop, in the layers panel I chose -New Smart Object via Copy. Then I double clicked on that new layer which actually opened it up in Camera Raw again. That version I changed the exposure to make the background correct and saved that. Once back in Photoshop, I had two layers, one with the owl at the right exposure and one with the background correct. On the background correct layer which was on top I put a mask, then I used a black paint brush to paint over the owl. This had the effect of revealing the correctly exposed owl that was the lower layer. Then I merged the layers. Then I did some sharpening and cropping. Here is the original image:
ISO 320 50mm 0ev f/4 1/640
What do you think? Beautiful bird isn’t it? This editing didn’t take too long and I was pleased with the results. Have you ever tried this method? I think it is pretty effective when you have a photo that really needs two different exposures. Are there other situations where you have found it useful? I love to hear what you think below.
Cheers!
I don’t do all the fancy stuff. But do agree it is a beautiful bird. 🙂
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🙂 I do have a soft spot for this bird.
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Posts like this give me courage to plunge forward with post-processing. Since I’ve been reading your blog I’ve begun shooting in RAW+JPEG and have just become comfortable working with the tone curve and adjusting brightness and exposure. This post gives fresh ammunition for some problem areas i have with the technology I’ve been shooting. Thanks for sharing your experiments and your process. Terrific owl, by the way.
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Thank you! this is a technique I just learn recently and I am pleased with by how easy it is to do. It is one of those things that sounds mor complicated than it actually is.
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Lovely result PJB
I think your smart Snowy Owl looks very alert and more defined somehow .
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I agree, but somehow owls almost always look wise, their huge eyes I think. I’m glad you like my edited version 🙂
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Very nice.
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Thanks!
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Good editing tips … brought up the light tones beautifully. I was shown a nifty little trick using PS to rectify light or dark tones using Levels in layers … by setting the object to be edited at it’s correct tone; command Control + I to invert and then using the brush to bring up the lower layer. Quick and easy, and very useful for exposure contrasts 🙂
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Thanks very much for leaving this tip. I will give it a try.
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Your editing came out wonderful…they are such a mysterious creature, aren’t they?
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Yes they are, and in this area it can be quite difficult to photograph them in the wild. You have to be in the right place and generally have a long lens 🙂
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It’s a beautiful bird and does look better in your edited version.
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Thank you 🙂
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Nice editing! I like the clarity.
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Thanks, I was quite happy with the clarity of the image as well.
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Beautiful!!! They are the cutest babies.
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Yes they are 🙂
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Beautiful bird and an excellent job, Amy, on the new, improved photo.
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Thank you, I’m glad you like the edit.
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This is an incredible shot. I’ve seen owls in the wild, but never a snowy owl.
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Yes, this one lives at a sanctuary. I’d love to see one in the wild too.
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Stunning!
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Thank you, this really is a beautiful bird 🙂
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