How To: Lighten and darken digital photos in Adobe Photoshop

We have no doubt that famed photographer Annie Leibovitz takes perfect photos right at the photo shoot that require minimal retouching. But for the rest of us, as it is for most photographers, the photo editing process is just as important as the photo taking process, if not more important.

Average and poor quality pictures have been turned into masterpieces by simply adjusting a few tones in the picture, or by adding a vintage, faded effect in Photoshop. It goes without saying, then, that if you want perfect and polished pictures, you must learn how to wield the magic wand that is Photoshop. Watch this tutorial to learn how to lighten and darken ditital photos.

Adobe Photoshop Elements lets you adjust light and shadows using the Shadows/Highlights feature. This tutorial helps you lighten shadows, darken highlights, or adjust midtones to increase contrast and make better digital photos.