Low-light conditions can result in underexposed photos that lack clarity and vibrancy, but you can easily fix this right in your phone’s native photo app. Let’s demonstrate how to bring life to your shadowy shots on iPhone and Android.
How to Fix Underexposed Photos on Your iPhone
iPhone users can utilize the built-in Photos app for basic exposure adjustments. Although the Auto feature can help, it adjusts the entire photo, whereas targeting just the underexposed areas with manual editing provides the best results.
Find your photo in the app, hit Edit, and follow these steps:
- Brightness: In the Adjust section, locate the Brightness slider. Since it brightens all parts of the image equally, increase it as much as needed to discern details. We’ll tone it back down later.
- Exposure: This slider focuses on highlights rather than the overall image. Adjust it to enhance brightness without overexposing.
- Contrast: Slightly increase the contrast to add depth, making your photo stand out. Avoid too much contrast as it could obscure parts of the image.
- Highlights and Shadows: Increase the Shadows slider to brighten dark areas. Experiment with the Highlights—if highlights are already bright, you may leave them as is or turn them down slightly.
- Re-adjust Brightness: Go back to Brightness and reduce it to achieve a natural-looking exposure.
You should now have a well-exposed photo ready for further edits such as color grading. If your photo still appears dull, increase Sharpness, Definition, and Brilliance for additional improvements.
How to Fix Your Underexposed Photos on Android
The process is similar when using Google Photos on Android. Manual editing is preferred here to precisely target underexposure without altering the entire image.
Find your image in the app, hit Edit, and follow these instructions:
- Brightness: In the Adjust section, increase the Brightness considerably to see image details better.
- Contrast: Increase it moderately for a balanced exposure between light and dark parts.
- Highlights and Shadows: Boost the Shadows to illuminate dark regions. Adjust the Highlights if needed, but usually only if bright areas aren’t overly exposed.
- Black point: Google Photos offers a superior Black point setting. For dark photos, decrease the Black point. If the image lacks contrast, slightly increase it.
- Re-adjust Brightness: Gradually reduce the Brightness for a natural exposure.
To enhance clarity and vibrancy, increase Pop and Sharpen. Your photo should now look brighter and more vivid.
Although advancements in smartphone cameras help, low-light conditions still pose challenges. Once you understand how to manipulate exposure settings effectively, editing underexposed photos becomes an easy task.