Capturing Highlights and Shadows using Curves

[AFairley]

Another approach altogether is to open the image in Camera Raw or Lightroom and use the excellent tools for adjusting highlights and shadows in the Basic panel (Exposure, Recovery, Fill, Blacks) for achieving the end result you want, then export the image back to Photoshop. You can do this with TIFFs, PSDs, JPEGs and of course raw files. Making maximum necessary use of these tools at the raw processing stage of course vastly reduces the need for a lot of gymnastics in Photoshop afterward. Not to say the other techniques don't work, but try the easy way first - which in this area happens to also be highly effective a good part of the time.

This is absolutely correct, but I find I need to do more adjustments with masks in PS after getting the image as close as I can in ACR.  I find that with ACR, the different sliders affect the entire (or almost the entire) luminosity range, although to different degrees (so if I am adding fill, it also is having some effect, though smaller, on the mid-brights), whereas with masking I can adjust tones in a certain range without affecting the tones elsewhere at all.

[RFPhotography]

That's why adjustments like Fill and Recovery are cautioned to be used with a light touch and if something more extensive is required, another method is better used. 

[Mark D Segal]

That's why adjustments like Fill and Recovery are cautioned to be used with a light touch and if something more extensive is required, another method is better used. 

When you say "are cautioned" - who is doing the cautioning? I've found these adjustment can be effectively used over a wide range of settings - depending on what else you do in the same application to complement the adjustments.

[RFPhotography]

Here - http://www.earthboundlight.com/phototips/camera-raw-recovery-fill-light.html

Martin Evening in his Photoshop Lightroom book.

I've seen it written and recommended elsewhere as well but am not going to scour the internet looking for the sources right now. 

In my own experience, I agree.  I know that means nothing. 

[Alan Goldhammer]

Martin Evening in his Photoshop Lightroom book.

See the note on page 274 of the Lightroom 3 book.  He notes that the 2010 improvements to LR have changed things with respect to the problem that you note.

[Mark D Segal]

See the note on page 274 of the Lightroom 3 book.  He notes that the 2010 improvements to LR have changed things with respect to the problem that you note.

Indeed, and Bob Johnson, in that dated article, didn't really discuss this so much as a problem, but to advise quite cogently that one shouldn't try adjusting things beyond the limits of what the image itself can deliver. This seems sensible to me.

[RFPhotography]

I don't have his LR3 book but I still see problems when trying to push either Recovery or Fill. 

Mark, I think I'm saying the same thing.  Use judiciously and don't try to push too far.

Anyway, it's not worth getting into a urinating contest over. 

[Mark D Segal]

Anyway, it's not worth getting into a urinating contest over. 

Absolutely - I agree. All I was suggesting is that it's good to maximize the appropriate use of these tools before doing more esoteric stuff in Photoshop.

[RFPhotography]

All I was suggesting is that it's good to maximize the appropriate use of these tools before doing more esoteric stuff in Photoshop.

Absolutely no disagreement there, Mark.