Photoshop How To

Tony Northrup is an image-editing expert who says, “The most common portrait mistake we see is underexposing because of backlighting.” If this problem sounds familiar, fear not, because Northrup provides a simple solution in the 5-minute video below.

Northrup explains that sometimes you don’t even realize your subject’s face is underexposed until you crop out the background and check out the histogram. Then the problem is apparent and it’s time to get to work. Once you open up the brightness of your subject’s face it’s a simple matter to go back and readjust the background.

While this video illustrates the procedure for correcting underexposed outdoor portraits, Northrup also demonstrates how this technique is equally applicable to any outdoor scene backlit by a bright sky. You can find more helpful videos on the Tony & Chelsea Northrup YouTube channel. If you missed the Lightroom tutorial we posted last week on editing an image in just 20 clicks, be sure to take a look.