First, I'll clear the air on expense. Photoshop is expensive and may not be worth the $500 or so for the program so you can make a house look nicer. Don't buy something you can't justify. Get the free version.
Gimp, the opensource clone of Photoshop will do everything I'm discussing here. Don't let the name fool you. It's a full featured photo editor.
I have a photo of a house here that has the front in the shade- the sun is already headed down and I have no plan to go back to this house. Ever. I want one run here. My time is valuable.
OK, so like I said, the front of this house is shaded. The front door and windows look like a black hole and makes the home just a little less attractive.
Fix: Open the file and save in native photoshop or Gimp's equivalent format with a new name. I like to turn 8325.jpg into 8325r.psd.
- Create another layer and use the levels control to amp up the picture until the door and windows look better. The rest of the photograph will be washed out.
- Apply an inverse mask (look up masks in the documentation) This blocks everything you just did from view.
- Use the brush tool with soft edges and maybe 50% opacity and start brushing on the mask where the doors and windows are. This will brush away the mask in those spots revealing the properly "exposed" door and windows.
- Resize the brush and reduce opacity a little more, say 25%. Brush the entire face of the house that's in the shade and you'll also be brushing over the doors again at the same time.
- Click on the actual layer you've been exposing and make final adjustments to light levels and any other controls like maybe a high pass filter or contrast, etc.
- Touch up and save your new revised .jpg.
Before and after:
Be sure to visit my OC Photography on Pennycafe.
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