Why Does Highlight & Shadow Sometime Work in Reverse?

IA
Posted By
i_am_jim
Jul 17, 2008
Views
434
Replies
12
Status
Closed
I’ve run into this several times, but never when I had time to ask about it.

This isn’t best image to illustrate this but here it is: http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/5955/hsgj6.jpg

I wanted to relieve the shadow areas a little of the image on the left. When I activated the Highlight & Shadow feature it immediately went to the image on the right. This is the default. 50% on the Shadows scale and 0% on the Highlights scale.

As you can see it darkened the dark areas instead of lightening them and reddened the picture overall. Why does it do this sometimes?

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S
stevent
Jul 17, 2008
What makes you think Highlight & Shadow should default to lightening instead of darkening?

As a default, it could only be one or the other…

…. or neutral.
DM
dave_milbut
Jul 17, 2008
Why does it do this sometimes?

because the shadow areas in that image are already kinda grey. it’s equalizing them. you can still adjust it.
GA
George_Austin
Jul 17, 2008
I can’t duplicate your result with any combination of slider settings, much less with default shadow amount 50% and default highlight amount 0. For those defaults, shadow details come out vividly for me whereas, as you’ve shown, the shadow details have been repressed in your example. Running the midtone contrast slider up further subdues the shadows and deepens the reds somewhat but not nearly to the extent you show. What default slider setting do you have for it?
MV
Mathias_Vejerslev
Jul 17, 2008
Whats your black clipping set at?
IA
i_am_jim
Jul 18, 2008
Here are my defaults, and I can’t remember changing them from the original: http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/7397/0063np2.jpg

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IA
i_am_jim
Jul 18, 2008
Here’s the image in the first panel:
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/3861/beforehssq5.jpg

use these settings:
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/7397/0063np2.jpg

and try it yourself.

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GA
George_Austin
Jul 18, 2008
I’m guessing that you’re applying Shadows & Highlights to a duplicate layer. If so, is that layer in a blend mode other than Normal? Maybe Overlay or Hard Light? In fact, I can come close to your result blending with a duplicate layer in Overlay without invoking S&H. I can also do so using an S-shaped curves adjustment anchored at the center, again with no S&H. Adding S&H in these instances doesn’t change much.

BTW—Cute composition, with the kid bawling in front of the Happy Holiday sign!
DM
dave_milbut
Jul 18, 2008
I was thinking the same thing george. in fact, i was thinking i could be me! 🙂
IA
i_am_jim
Jul 18, 2008
On Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:52:42 -0700,
wrote:

I’m guessing that you’re applying Shadows & Highlights to a duplicate layer.

Nope. Just the one and only layer. Did you try using H&S on the picture I linked to in my last post?
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/3861/beforehssq5.jpg

A friend tried it and got the same darkening
I got (he didn’t notice the reddening) .

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P
Phosphor
Jul 18, 2008
JIM! PLEASE!!!

Turn off your Auto-Quote feature, or AT THE VERY LEAST…edit out the email addresses of the people you’re responding to.

I made a polite request in your other recent thread, please read—>> Phos±four dots, "Is It Possible to Use the Arrow Keys to Rotate An Image?" #6, 17 Jul 2008 2:08 pm </webx?14/5>

It’s just the polite and cool thing to do.
GA
George_Austin
Jul 18, 2008
"…Did you try using H&S on the picture I linked to in my last post?"

Yes. With the same default slider settings you posted I got the normal, expected result—shadow details revealed—rather than the inverse response.
CB
charles badland
Jul 18, 2008
Does it still do this after trashing preferences?

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