Can anyone tell me how to make my son's skintone look less blown out, without darkening the whole picture? Thanks!

I think it is called selective colouring. But you can use a mask and selectively apply that to just his light skin areas. Florida, hasn't that got a great deal of sunlight most of the year. I don't advocate tanning that much, have had several lesions removed myself most recent a BCC off of my right shoulder that used to get burnt a lot, but a little sunlight tanning isn't that harmful these days.

You can select the areas that you want to adjust individually have your tried that.

Ummm.... the skin tones aren't blown out at all in this picture. The only blown out highlight is on your son's head. You could try burning the spot down by doing this:

create a new blank layer
set the blending mode to soft light
select the paintbrush tool
choose a soft edged brush
set the brush opacity to about 30%
make sure the foreground color is black and then use the brush to burn down the highlight on your son's head

I think it is called selective colouring. But you can use a mask and selectively apply that to just his light skin areas. Florida, hasn't that got a great deal of sunlight most of the year. I don't advocate tanning that much, have had several lesions removed myself most recent a BCC off of my right shoulder that used to get burnt a lot, but a little sunlight tanning isn't that harmful these days.

You can select the areas that you want to adjust individually have your tried that.

It's funny you should mention that (about the sun) Peter, because my very best friend died of melanoma 3 years ago at age 36. So I'm glad that you are taking good care of yourself! It is very hard to stay out of the sun here, with all of the outdoor activities, but we do use sunscreen. Unfortunately, most of the damage to my skin was done 20 years ago... :(

As far as the picture, I will try the selective coloring/mask. This photo doesn't look as bright on screen as it does on the print- he's practically glowing on the print! hehehe So I don't want him to look tan necessarily, just normal! :D

Thanks for the help!

Ummm.... the skin tones aren't blown out at all in this picture. The only blown out highlight is on your son's head. You could try burning the spot down by doing this:

create a new blank layer
set the blending mode to soft light
select the paintbrush tool
choose a soft edged brush
set the brush opacity to about 30%
make sure the foreground color is black and then use the brush to burn down the highlight on your son's head

Thanks, I guess I should have looked more closely at the screen when I posted this, because it doesn't look bad at all on screen. But, when I print the pic, he is very bright! Thanks for your suggestion though, I will probably still need it! :)

If the goal is to make him look a bit more tan (or something similar), I might recommend using the Hue & Saturation tool. Try working the Cyan or Yellow maybe, and see if you can find a combination that suits you. In general though I agree he doesn't appear to have blown out skin tones here at all.

If the goal is to make him look a bit more tan (or something similar), I might recommend using the Hue & Saturation tool. Try working the Cyan or Yellow maybe, and see if you can find a combination that suits you. In general though I agree he doesn't appear to have blown out skin tones here at all.

I agree... it must be my printer, because when I look at the screen, the picture looks fine. Oh well, I'll just keep fiddling with it until it prints correctly. Thanks!


:)

This is the situation that the Highlights/Shadows option was created for. You can find it in the Image/Adjustments submenu.

I set the shadows adjustments at zero
Highlights at: Amount 38%
Tonal Width 50%
Radius 30px

This is the situation that the Highlights/Shadows option was created for. You can find it in the Image/Adjustments submenu.

I set the shadows adjustments at zero
Highlights at: Amount 38%
Tonal Width 50%
Radius 30px

Thanks Jim! I'll try that... hopefully I'll be enrolling in a PS class this fall.
:) I'll let you know how it prints... thanks again!

Hmmm... calibration. Do you mean that I should calibrate my monitor, my camera, or my printer? (Or maybe my eyes! LOL) Unfortunately, if you mean my camera, it's just a Kodak DC5000. Totally automatic. But I could probably handle the other two. Thanks! :)

I love Maui! From Florda, Hawaii is a long haul, but it's so worth it. Have a great time, and of course, take lots of pictures! ;)