Most often, when processing photographs, we try to highlight the central object or character against the background of the surrounding world. This is achieved by highlighting, giving clarity to the object, or by reverse manipulation of the background.
But there are also situations in life when the most important events take place in the background, and it is necessary to give the background image maximum visibility. In this tutorial we will learn how to lighten dark backgrounds in photographs.
We will lighten the background in this photo:
We won’t cut anything out, but will learn several techniques for lightening the background without this tedious procedure.
Method 1: Curves Adjustment Layer
![](https://i1.wp.com/lumpics.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Sozdanie-kopii-sloya-v-Fotoshope.png)
Method 2: Levels Adjustment Layer
This method is very similar to the previous one, so the information will be brief. This assumes that a copy of the background layer has been created.
![](https://i2.wp.com/lumpics.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Korrektiruyushhiy-sloy-Urovni-v-Fotoshope.png)
Method 3: Blend Modes
This method is the easiest and does not require configuration. Did you create a copy of the layer?
![](https://i0.wp.com/lumpics.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Smena-rezhima-nalozheniya-dlya-osvetleniya-fona-v-Fotoshope.png)
Method 4: white brush
Another simple way to lighten the background.
Method 5: Shadow/Highlight Adjustment
This method is a little more complicated than the previous ones, but it involves more flexible settings.
![](https://i2.wp.com/lumpics.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Punkt-menyu-Teni-Sveta-v-Fotoshope.png)
This concludes the methods for lightening the background in Photoshop. They all have their own characteristics and allow you to achieve different results. In addition, no two photographs are the same, so it is necessary to have all these techniques in your arsenal.
Our photos don't always turn out perfect. Sometimes the lighting sucks, sometimes a bad angle ruins everything. Agree, strangers and objects in the frame are unlikely to allow you to put an image on your avatar.
Surely you have often wondered how to make a white background in a photo? Today you can edit a photo in just a few minutes. All you need is a “Home Photo Studio”. By following the instructions below, you can easily learn how to process any photos.
Step 1. Download the utility
Before you start, you need a photo editor from the official website. Wait until the distribution downloads completely. Next, unpack the downloaded archive, after which the Installation Wizard will open. Based on its instructions, install the program components on your computer. For easy access to the editor, create a Home Photo Studio shortcut on your desktop. Launch the software and proceed to the second step.
Step 2. Upload a photo
Now you need to add the photo that you are going to edit. Click the "Open Photo" button. Find the picture in your computer's folder browser and double-click on it. As soon as it appears in the main window, you can start working. To learn how to create a white background in a photo, read on.
Step 3. Retouch
The first stage of working with photos is retouching. This means color correction, smoothing out wrinkles and much more. You can start by eliminating red eye. To do this, it is recommended to go to the “Defect Elimination” section. If you click on the pupils of the eyes one by one, you can thus color them in an acceptable color. To remove wrinkles and pimples, use the stamp tool located in the action panel on the left.
And if you want to improve image quality, then take a look at the “Enhancement Catalog” presets. Select from the suggested options the preset that you require - for example, improving saturation or highlight correction. Then simply apply the template with a double click.
![](https://i2.wp.com/homestudio.su/img/kak-sdelat-belyi-fon-na-foto_03.jpg)
Step 4: Change the background to white
It's time to figure out how to make a white background in a photo. The program has a special filter for this. To get to it, click Effects > Background Replacement. In the background selection column, select white. Next, you need to highlight the object in the photo using a dotted line. Once you succeed, double-click the selection. The area around the object will automatically turn white. After this manipulation of the background, you can apply masks or .
![](https://i0.wp.com/homestudio.su/img/kak-sdelat-belyi-fon-na-foto_04.jpg)
Step 5: Save the photo
All that remains is to save the photo in the format you need. Make sure to save all changes to the photo. After that, click File > Save from the main menu. Select an image format from the list: it can be JPEG, PNG, GIF, etc. Give the file a name and save it in one of the folders on your PC. You can also print the photo on paper of any format by choosing one of the options for placing the photo on a sheet.
![](https://i1.wp.com/homestudio.su/img/kak-sdelat-belyi-fon-na-foto_05.jpg)
Quite often, for various reasons: whether it is the unprofessionalism of the photographer, the imperfection of the automatic adjustment modes of the camera equipment, or unfavorable lighting in which photography is taken, the final photographs turn out to be too dark. The situation can be corrected using Adobe Photoshop and its basic tools.
You will need
- - photo with a darkened background
- - a computer with Adobe Photoshop installed
Instructions
You will need
- - Photoshop program;
- - image.
Instructions
- Fixing a Dark Photo
How to lighten a photo using Photoshop
1. Select the photo with which to work and open it in Photoshop (I have CS2) as shown in Fig. 1.
Fig.1
Or first open Photoshop and there, through the “File” - “Open” menu, look for and open the required file.
2. This is what the photo looks like in Photoshop (Fig. 2) - dark, not colorful and with a gloomy gray background. This is what we will fix.
Fig.2
3. Let's move on to processing the photo. Open the menu “Image” - “Correction” - “Levels...” and move the rightmost (white) slider to the left, about ¼ of the scale. And click “Yes” (or “OK”, depending on which Photoshop)
Fig.3
At this stage we have illuminated the background. But, as you can see, in the corners of the photo the background is still sadly gray. And so, let's move on.
4. Open the menu “Image” - “Correction” - “Replace Color”
Fig.5
This is what the "Replace Color" menu window looks like:
Fig.6
Select the eyedropper with a plus sign and “poke” it on the dark gray areas of the photo (in the middle and in the corners).
Fig.8
This is roughly what you should get.
Rice. 9
Next, we work in this window with the “brightness” parameter. The scale slider needs to be moved to the right, but see for yourself what value it is. The photograph should not lose its “Face” there should be no unnatural shadows or severe loss of color. The background may not become white-white, but it will clearly become lighter, which is what we need. Click “Yes” and proceed to the next step.
Fig.10
5. Open the menu “Correction” - “Hue/Saturation”
Rice. 11
We work with the “Saturation” scale (we dabbled with “Brightness” in the previous steps). Here everything is just slightly move the slider to the right.
Rice. 12
This is what we got. Let's compare it to what it was originally.
To
After
But would you agree that it is better to immediately get a white background when shooting than to waste time on clipping the object? Moreover, in the case of “shaggy” objects this is very, very difficult. How to avoid unnecessary problems during processing and get a white background already at the shooting stage? It's very simple, everything is based on one single postulate:
The background should be overexposed by 1.5 - 2 stops.
Then it will become pure white, since it will simply go beyond the range of brightness that the sensor is capable of recording. Now the second question: how to technically implement this? There are several ways.
Method 1. Additional background lighting.
In order for the background to become white, it needs to be additionally illuminated, moreover, stronger than the object being photographed. Here's one lighting scheme I use when shooting subjects against a white background:
In this case, the background is illuminated by two softboxes to obtain the most uniform white field. At home, you can use, for example, a table lamp to illuminate the background. The lighting scheme for the object itself can be anything, depending on the shooting task. Example of a photo taken with background lighting:
Method 2. Using a background with light.
In this case, the light source is behind the background; the background material in this case works for transmission, and not for reflection, as in the previous example. This scheme allows you to make do with light sources of lower power, since losses during reflection are always higher than through transmission. For light sources to work effectively, the background material should not be too dense. This could be, for example, white fabric or milky-white plastic, plexiglass. The lighting diagram is given below. This technique is often used when shooting on a stage to illuminate the plastic background from below.
An example shot with a similar lighting scheme
Method 3: Using a softbox as a background.
This method can be considered a variant of the previous one. A flash with a softbox is used as a background. This requires almost minimal power as the light is directed directly into the camera. The disadvantage of this method is that when shooting large objects or people, softboxes of appropriate sizes are required. For small items it can be used at home.
I hope that now it will not be a problem for you to get a pure white background in a photo during the shooting process, without the use of graphic editors.