Increase Shadow Slider Effect in ACR? I just became aware of this section and am highly impressed with the level of discussion. I posted this in Chit-Chat some time ago and got no...

davefales Loc: Virginia

I just became aware of this section and am highly impressed with the level of discussion. I posted this in Chit-Chat some time ago and got no usable advice.

Try again here:

More than 2 years ago, when I was just beginning my knowledge trek with ACR7 and CS5, I watched a Kelby video in which the expert showed a trick for doubling the amount of shadow correction slider. At that time I did not understand the value of that trick. Now there are times where I want more shadow correction than 100%.

I seem to remember that it involved point and click outside the image working area. Anyone here know what it might be?

Searcher Loc: Kent, England

davefales wrote:

I just became aware of this section and am highly ... (show quote)

I have not found any way to do this with Shadows, however you can use the exposure slider to get double effectiveness when the brush is used. Not a lot of point though, because the exposure brush (doubled) will paint everything to blown out white at one end or jet black at the other.

Obviously you have a reason for wanting this, can I ask what you are trying to achieve?

R.G. Loc: Scotland

davefales wrote:

.....I seem to remember that it involved point and click outside the image working area. Anyone here know what it might be?

My guess would be using a radial filter that's so large it encompasses the whole frame. You would want feathering set to zero, and you would have to invert to get it to modify the inside of the ellipse. It wouldn't double the effectiveness of a single application of the shadows slider, but it would be a quick way to add a second application.

davefales Loc: Virginia

Searcher wrote:

Obviously you have a reason for wanting this, can I ask what you are trying to achieve?

Thanks for the reply, searcher. I find some images can use more general shadow work, as opposed to painting it in with the brush tool (which is my current method.) But I do remember seeing a trick that allowed you to double the effectiveness of any of the basic panel sliders.

davefales Loc: Virginia

R.G. wrote:

My guess would be using a radial filter that's so large it encompasses the whole frame. You would want feathering set to zero, and you would have to invert to get it to modify the inside of the ellipse. It wouldn't double the effectiveness of a single application of the shadows slider, but it would be a quick way to add a second application.

Thanks for the suggestion, RG. Don't radial filters have a gradient nature?

R.G. Loc: Scotland

davefales wrote:

Thanks for the suggestion, RG. Don't radial filters have a gradient nature?

Not if the feathering's set to zero.

Searcher Loc: Kent, England

There is a way, use the slider in the Basic panel to increase/decrease shadows to plus or minus 100%, now pop down to the tone Curve panel and again increase/decrease the Shadows slider, now go back to the Basic panel and fine tune.

The effect appears cumulative though the 2 x 100% are certainly not double the effect, I guess they work on a logarithmic scale.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Searcher wrote:

...use the slider in the Basic panel to increase/decrease shadows to plus or minus 100%, now pop down to the tone Curve panel and again increase/decrease the Shadows slider, now go back to the Basic panel and fine tune.....

I got the impression that the sliders in the Tone Curve section weren't so selective in the range that they target, and when you use them you lose more contrast compared to using the sliders in the Basic section.

Searcher Loc: Kent, England

R.G. wrote:

I got the impression that the sliders in the Tone Curve section weren't so selective in the range that they target, and when you use them you lose more contrast compared to using the sliders in the Basic section.

Yes, you are right. What you can do is to change the point curve to "medium contrast" and this will allow the shadows to be altered with less of the lighter shades changing. I prefer to use the clarity slider for this sort of thing, but I still can't envisage the scenario where the shadows slider in combo with the others in the basic panel is insufficient.

There must be a requirement otherwise Adobe would not have programmed it this way and nor would the OP be asking how to do it.

I have reread Kelbys book on LR3 (2 years old), and he makes no reference to effect stacking there, but a Google search did find cumulative effect stacking for the Exposure and Sharpening tools.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

There have been times when I've been trying to correct a difficult exposure and found that one application of the Shadows slider seemed to be insufficient. You can supplement it with the Blacks slider, but sometimes their combined effectiveness isn't enough, and I like to have the Blacks slider for anchoring the black level when you make other lightening adjustments. My usual answer in that scenario would be to find a way to apply a second adjustment of the Shadows slider - usually using the Adjustments brush.

kubota king Loc: NW , Pa.

Another option I use in PS CC is to open camera raw , use the shadow slider or any other slider to its fullest . Click ok , reopen the camera raw and use the sliders of choice again .Tommy

davefales Loc: Virginia

Thanks for all the suggestions. Now I'm going to partially answer my own question. I looked at a Kelby video about Advanced ACR. He shows a method that allows you to use the better features of the 2012 engine (particularly the clarity slider), right click on the layer and choose "New Smart Object via Copy". That creates a new de-linked layer that can be switched to the 2010 engine where the fill slider is stronger than the 2012 shadow slider.

It is still not the video I originally saw Matt Kloskowski give the tip.

CajonPhotog Loc: Shreveport, LA

I did this: Take the layer to the ACR filter, adjust the shadow slider all the way down?left. Click OK, then CNTRL +J to jump a copy, then change it's blend mode to multiply. Would that work for
what you want to do?

birdpix Loc: South East Pennsylvania

The way to do it is to use the targeted adjustment brush to paint in +100 in the shadows slider. Then click on "new" and do it again. Every time you click "new", you get the effect on top of what you just did. This is what I see in LR which is ARC in a little different format. I assume you have the "New" feature available. I seem to remember this was one of Matt Kloskowski's tips I saw several years ago.

davefales Loc: Virginia

CajonPhotog wrote:

I did this: Take the layer to the ACR filter, adjust the shadow slider all the way down?left. Click OK, then CNTRL +J to jump a copy, then change it's blend mode to multiply. Would that work for
what you want to do?

Thanks, Cajun - I prefer to handle shadows in ACR.