Why use an adjustment layer?

Adjustment layers keep the original pixels unchanged and let you edit, mask, or reduce the correction later.

Can Photoshop restore clipped detail?

It can reveal data retained in the file, especially RAW, but it cannot recover exact information from fully clipped pixels.

How do I fix a blown out sky in Photoshop?

Select the sky, then reduce its exposure with Camera Raw or a Curves adjustment layer. Use a soft selection edge to keep the horizon natural. If the sky is fully clipped, choose between subtle tonal recovery and an explicit sky replacement.

How do I fix a washed out photo in Photoshop?

Set the white and black points with Levels first, then add a gentle S-curve in Curves to restore contrast before increasing saturation. Keep the changes on adjustment layers so you can reduce their strength later.

How do I fix backlit photos in Photoshop?

Use a subject mask to lift the darker subject and a sky or background mask to control the bright area. Feather both masks and compare the face, background, and edge transitions before flattening.

Photoshop guide

How to Fix Overexposed Photos in Photoshop

Build a non-destructive correction with Camera Raw and adjustment layers, then mask the changes where they are needed.

Photoshop before and after view of an overexposed photo

Use Smart Objects and adjustment layers

Start broad in Camera Raw

Use Curves or Levels for tonal precision

Restrict local changes with layer masks

Quick answer

Open the image as a Smart Object, use Camera Raw to reduce Exposure, Highlights, and Whites, then refine local areas with Curves or Levels adjustment layers and masks. Keep each correction editable so you can reduce its strength later.

Start with Camera Raw as a Smart Filter

Convert the photo layer to a Smart Object, then open Camera Raw Filter. Lower Exposure for the overall image and reduce Highlights and Whites for the bright range. This creates a broad, reversible base correction.

If the source is RAW, open it directly in Camera Raw and choose Open Object. RAW usually retains more tonal information than JPEG.

Camera Raw Filter exposure correction in Photoshop

Curves adjustment layer reducing bright tones in Photoshop

Use Curves for controlled highlight recovery

Add a Curves adjustment layer. Pull the upper-right portion of the curve down gently while anchoring the midtones. This reduces the brightest range without shifting the entire image by the same amount.

Use the layer opacity to reduce the correction if highlights become gray. A smooth curve generally produces cleaner transitions than several sharp points.

Set clean endpoints with Levels

Levels can reset the white, midtone, and black relationships after recovery. Move the middle input slider carefully to balance the frame, and use the output white slider only when the brightest values need a firm ceiling.

Do not compress the output range so far that the image loses sparkle. Use Levels as a finishing control, not a substitute for selective highlight work.

Levels adjustment for an overexposed image in Photoshop

Layer mask limiting an exposure correction in Photoshop

Paint the correction through a layer mask

Select the adjustment-layer mask and paint with a soft black brush where the correction should be hidden. Use a low brush opacity to build transitions gradually around faces, hair, skies, and windows.

Toggle the layer visibility and inspect the final before and after at normal viewing size and at 100 percent.

Fix a blown out sky without replacing it

For a white sky, start with a Sky selection and a Curves or Camera Raw adjustment that pulls the upper range down gently. Work only inside the selection so the foreground keeps its own exposure, and use a soft edge and a low-opacity brush to avoid a hard seam at the horizon.

If the sky has no detail at all, decide between a subtle tonal recovery and a full sky replacement. Replacement changes the scene and should be disclosed when it matters, while tonal recovery keeps the original sky but can only reduce the glare.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about how to fix overexposed photos in photoshop

Camera Raw is the fastest broad starting point. Curves and masks provide more precise local control for complex images.

Fix excessive brightness in your own photo

Upload the original image, compare the corrected exposure, and keep the version that looks natural.

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