How to Fix the Sun on Faces in Photoshop

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Image Credit: Wavebreakmedia Ltd/Wavebreak Media/Getty Images

No matter how successful a photographer may be, there's just no way to lasso the sun and move it just a few inches to the left, out of the faces of the people in the picture. Instead, designers rely on graphics programs such as Adobe Photoshop to fix overexposed or bright spots on faces. Photoshop offers far more controls and tools than Mother Nature, letting photo subjects shine on their own.

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Step 1

Open Photoshop. Click the "File" menu. Click "Open" or "Open Recent" to locate the picture with the sunlit areas to fix. Double-click the file name to open the image.

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Step 2

Click the "Magnify" tool, located at the bottom of the "Tools" pane, to zoom in on one face with sunlight to remove.

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Step 3

Click the "Lasso" tool and draw an outline around just the sunlit area.

Step 4

Pull down the "Image" menu, click "Adjustments" and select "Brightness/Contrast." Move the small "Brightness/Contrast" window to the side so you can see both the picture and the window.

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Step 5

Slide the "Brightness" bar to the left, making the number in its box negative. Watch as the skin becomes slightly darker. Another option is to slide the "Contrast" bar to the right. Write down the numbers in the two boxes and click the "OK" button.

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Step 6

Repeat the "Lasso" process on another area of the face and "Brightness/Contrast" but instead of sliding the bars, type the numbers into the boxes. This is to get the skin the exact same shade. Working on different people or different parts of the body may require using the slider bars, since the sun won't have hit everyone in the same way and skin tones may differ.

Step 7

Click the "File" menu. Click "Save As." Give the photo a new name and click the "Save" button.

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