- Maximize the Radius values. Left to its own de-
vices, the Shadows/Highlights command tends to
sharpen an image. To prevent an overly sharpened
effect, raise both Radius values—one under Shad-
ows and the other under Highlights—to 100 pixels.
A large Radius value distributes the effect, result-
ing in the smoothest possible transitions between
our friends the highlights, shadows, and midtones. - Modify the Tonal Width values. The two Tonal
Width options control the range of brightness val-
ues that Photoshop regards as shadows or high-
lights. Because our image consists of slightly more
shadows than highlights, we want to lightly nar-
row the definition of the former (the shadows) and
barely widen the latter. So reduce the Tonal Width
for Shadows to 40 percent and increase the Tonal
Width for Highlights to 70 percent. - Increase the amount of shadow. Having tempered
the shadows by decreasing the Tonal Width and
increasing the Radius, the dark shades can tolerate
a higher Amount value. Raise the Amount in the
Shadows section from 30 to 60 percent to increase
the brightness of the darkest colors in the photo. - Lower the Color Correction value. Much like the
Saturation value in the Hue/Saturation command,
the Color Correction option lets you adjust the
intensity of colors. For the most part, the colors are
fine in this image, though the reds in the rooster’s
beak are a bit too intense for my taste. Lower the
Color Correction value to +10 and leave the other
Adjustments values as they are. Figure 6-41 shows
the Shadows/Highlights dialog box with the final
values entered. - Accept your changes. Click the OK button or press
Enter or Return to apply your changes and exit the
Shadows/Highlights dialog box.
Figure 6-40.Figure 6-41.Compensating for Flash and Backlighting 213