How to correcting picture taken in hazy environments by using Adobe Photoshop
Pictures taken in early morning haze have a soft mood. Unfortunately, these photos do not reproduce all the details that were visible to the naked eye when the picture was actually taken.
In most cases, a slight correction in the contrast using the gradient curve ensures a clearer view. However, blindly optimizing the settings seldom delivers the desired results. It would be a better idea to determine exactly which tonal values should be intensified in the contrast and which should remain untouched.
BASIC SETTINGS: set fixed measuring points on the gradation curve. To do this, open ‘ Image|Adjust|Curves’. Then keep the (Ctrl) key pressed and click on those parts of the picture which need to be intensified. This sets appropriate grippers in the curve dialog- you now know where the curve needs to be adjusted. A simple S- curve is appropriate for increasing the contrast- pull the lower gripper downwards and the upper gripper upwards. Your picture will now appear sharper and fresher without losing their original character.
FURTHER CORRECTIONS:
The increase in gradation not only increases the contrast, but it also intensifies the colors of the picture in most cases. If required, you can even desaturate the picture slightly. Go to Image| Adjust| Hue| Saturation’ and pull the regulator for ‘ saturation’ slightly towards theleft till the original colors are restored. For further control, the correction can also be used as an Adjustment layer. This is advantageous since you can correct the changes at any time.
If the highlights appear burinign or the shadows appear overly dearkened as a result of this contrast correction, you should protect these parts of the image with a mask before editing. Masking allows selective changes to your image. Record the shadows and highlights with the function ‘Select|Color Range’. Click on the color reange to be protected with the eyedropper and determine its fuzziness . It is important to activate the ‘Invert’ checkbox. Photoshop will now use the mask when you click ‘OK’.
