Restoring Color in an Underexposed Cityscape

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An underexposed cityscape is salvageable. This tutorial takes the Camera Raw route: fix distortion with lens correction, use a graduated filter to hold the sky back and lift the foreground, brush in local temperature and exposure, then sharpen to finish — the whole workflow runs inside Online PS.

1 – Import the photo & the Camera Raw filter

1.1 Import the photo

Open Online PS → Open (or drag the file straight onto the page) and load your underexposed cityscape.

1.2 Enter Camera Raw (if it doesn't open automatically)

With the layer selected, click Filter → Camera Raw Filter in the top menu.

1.3 Set the parameters

In the Camera Raw window that appears, adjust the following values in order (make sure both the "Basic" and "Detail" tabs are showing on the left):

Temperature: 7200
Tint: +3
Exposure: +0.15
Contrast: +44
Highlights: -100
Shadows: +100
Whites: +60
Blacks: -30
Clarity: +44
Vibrance: +31

Click OK when you are done to return to the main workspace.

2 – Lens correction & graduated filter

2.1 Lens correction – vignette

In the top menu, open Filter → Camera Raw Filter → Lens Correction, expand Vignette and set Amount to -10.

2.2 Add a graduated filter

Still in the Camera Raw interface, switch to the Graduated Filter (the gradient-like icon in the toolbar on the right). Add one gradient, then set:

Temperature: -22
Exposure: -0.15

2.3 Confirm and return

Click OK to save the settings.

3 – Adjustment Brush (local temperature and exposure)

3.1 Open the Adjustment Brush

Choose the Adjustment Brush from the toolbar (press J to cycle through the tools), or click Filter → Camera Raw Filter → Adjustment Brush directly.

3.2 Set the brush properties

In the panel on the right, enter:

Temperature: +43
Tint: +34
Exposure: +0.20

3.3 Paint the target areas

Brush a few times over the shadows or the areas that read too cool, so they recover a natural light. Adjust the brush size and hardness as needed for the detail you are working on.

4 – Effects & centering the canvas

4.1 Add a vignette (Effects panel)

At the bottom of the Layers panel on the left of the main workspace, click Create new fill or adjustment layer → Vignette. Set Amount to -13 and Midpoint to 49.

4.2 Duplicate the layer and center it

Select the Background layer and press Ctrl+A to select the whole canvas, then click Align center (horizontal and vertical) in the options bar at the top. This makes sure every layer is centered relative to the canvas.

5 – Adaptive Wide Angle (lens distortion correction)

5.1 Duplicate the layer

In the Layers panel, select the current layer and press Ctrl+J to duplicate it.

5.2 Open the Adaptive Wide Angle filter

Click Filter → Adaptive Wide Angle in the top menu. In the dialog you can:

  • Use the default Auto correction mode
  • Manually adjust the Distortion, Horizontal and Vertical sliders as needed

This tutorial suggests keeping the default settings (a light correction only), then clicking OK.

6 – Final polish (crop, smudge, gradient fill)

6.1 Crop the frame

Choose the Crop tool (C) from the toolbar, drag the marquee to a composition you like and press Enter to confirm.

6.2 Smudge tool (Liquify)

Use the Smudge tool (R) and brush lightly over details that need softening — clouds or light trails especially — for a more natural transition.

6.3 Add a gradient fill layer

  1. At the bottom of the Layers panel, click Create new fill or adjustment layer → Gradient Fill.
  2. In the gradient editor that appears, choose a black to transparent gradient.
  3. Change Style to Radial and tick Reverse.
  4. Enter 297% in the Scale box and click OK.
  5. Back in the Layers panel, change this gradient layer's blending mode to Soft Light and set the opacity to 66%.

7 – Linear Light overlay (High Pass)

7.1 Stamp the layers

Make sure the topmost layer is a snapshot that merges all visible layers, then press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E (Windows) or Cmd+Option+Shift+E (macOS) to create a stamped layer.

7.2 Set it to Linear Light

In the Layers panel, change the stamped layer's blending mode to Linear Light.

7.3 Apply the High Pass filter

With that layer selected, click Filter → Other → High Pass, enter 2.0 pixels in the dialog and confirm.

7.4 Set Linear Light again

If the blending mode was reset after applying High Pass, set it back to Linear Light.

7.5 Final result

This step mainly increases detail sharpness while keeping the overall color balance intact. When you are done, fine-tune the layer opacity if needed (70%–85% is a good range) for a natural sharpening effect.

References

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