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DPChallenge Forums >> Photography Discussion >> Bright street light in night pictures
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Canon EOS-40D
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
 05/21/2004 04:59:27 AM · #1
I have done some great night shots recently, but the street lights are far to bright due the longish exposure. (4 - 5 sec.)
Is there a easy way to tone this down in "PHOTOSHOP"?
or maybe already when taking picture?
I "think" I need the long exposure for the rest of the picture.
Thank you

Ruedi Schmutz
Fujifilm X100VI
 05/21/2004 05:06:50 AM · #2
An easy solution is to use twilight (instead of darkness) and underexpose the sky. That way you get a dark sky and less blowout around the lights. Full darkness and strong lights at the same time is to broad a range for the CMOS to catch.

Another solution could be to use a second (bracketed) underexposure for the lights and blend that with the original sky exposure. I don't know it software could do this well because of the huge difference in brightness. So you might have to do that by hand.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
 05/21/2004 08:14:45 AM · #3
You could take two shots in exactly the same position - one underexposed as Azrifel suggests and one to get your subject as you want it (regardless of the lights), then bring both shots into one Photoshop document. You can then edit your favoured areas of the shot with layer masks and save it as a composite.

Message edited by author 2004-05-21 08:15:38.
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