witness Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 I have a photo taken outside at dusk without a flash. It is so dark you can barely make out the two people in the photo. What can I do to brighten it up and yet keep it looking "natural"? Thank you very much for helping novices like me!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixey Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Hi @Witness . Do you know about this link here which is a great help in searching for subjects like yours in PDN? Here is a thread that may be of assistance to you in brightening your dark photo: http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/topic/1187-can-i-lighten-a-photo-that-is-too-dark/ Quote How I made Jennifer & Halle in Paint.net My Gallery | My Deviant Art "Rescuing one animal may not change the world, but for that animal their world is changed forever!" anon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cc4FuzzyHuggles Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Hi. The thread Pixey linked you to mentions the basic adjustments to lighten images. (brightness/contrast, levels, and curves.)I personally like the curves+ plugin, as it sometimes does a better job in terms of quality.And although this tutorial is more about changing colors with curves, you still might find it useful : http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/topic/12191-rgb-curves-or-something-happened-on-the-way-to-purple/ Quote *~ Cc4FuzzyHuggles Gallery ~* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoltBait Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 You might also try this plugin: http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/topic/5578- It can do amazing things with dark photos. Quote Download: BoltBait's Plugin Pack | CodeLab | and a Free Computer Dominos Game Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nai Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Hi ! If you like the non-destructive way ( changes applied not directly on the pixels of the master copy ), here are what I can offer you ( step by step ): Method One : 1. Duplicate the image 2. Adjusts the brightness by adjusting the blending mode of the duplicated image. Change the blending mode from 'Normal' to 'Screen'. You can see that your picture appears brighter than the original one. Adjust the opacity of the layer to tweak it. Rename the layer to 'Brightness' so you can remember what are you doing, in case you want to keep the edited picture in .pdn format for long-term usage. 3. If you're unhappy with the contrast, duplicate the original image again. This time, change the blending mode to 'Overlay'. Adjust the opacity of the layer to tweak it. Rename the layer to 'Contrast'. Method Two : Using contrast mask and here are the link to the tutorial : http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/topic/28721-photo-contrast-mask/ Download the pdf. All the best ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ishi Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 I personally prefer the Levels adjustment too. Lowering the upper slider under "Input" makes good results. See what you can do with the other sliders under the Level adjustment tool. Curves+ is another favorite for this where you simply drag the graph for "Luminosity" a little upwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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