What post-processing tricks can be used to improve the quality of photos taken with the on-camera flash?

Question

I know that the on-camera flash tends to produce poor images in general (the subjects are washed out, and the light from the flash isn't very powerful). But... sometimes there's no other choice but to use the on-camera flash and hope for the best. So I'm wondering, what is the best way to recover these images are in post-processing?

My question is similar to this question about fixing blown-out highlights; however, I'm interested more in things I can do to improve the entire image quality -- so this might include things like better color balance, ways to make the subject look less flat, etc.

I'm interested particularly in answers that use tricks or techniques that aren't necessarily "obvious", but might be considered "tricks of the trade" by professional photographers (I assume they have to deal with this problem sometimes, too?) -- I have both Lightroom and CS5, and am reasonably proficient with their basic use, but I know I'm probably just scratching the surface of their power. So nothing's off-limits for this answer -- if you have a solution, but it requires 20 layers and 15 different brushes, I'm all ears!

Edited to add: Note that I'm asking about photos that I've already taken, so any preprocessing tips are not helpful to me. Additionally, I do have a bounce flash, but there are certain settings in which it's not useful (if, say, there's nothing to bounce off of!), and the only way to get any light into the frame is direct hard light. My question is about how to make the best of these less-than-ideal shooting conditions in post-processing.

Asked by David

Answer

Here are a few ways I have fixed washed-out photos be it from the flash or just in general.

• Adjust levels - I will slide the black slider to the right to darken the photo. Sometimes if only part of the photo is washed out I will use a mask on the levels to darken only what I want to. This masking can get complicated and I recommend looking up some tutorials.

• Curves is another tool I have used but can be a bit tricky.

• High Pass Filter to bring details into the image and sometimes helps the washed out look. For a tutorial on the high pass filter check here.

• Shooting in RAW and adjusting the sliders sometimes is all that is needed

• Burn to image to darken where needed. You can do this in Photoshop non-destructively by creating a new layer, filling the layer with 50% Gray (Hex is #808080) then change that layers Blend Mode to Overlay, Then Burn on that layer (Dodge will also work on the same layer)

• Create a black layer and change the blend modes to soft light.

• Duplicate photo and change blend modes to see what helps darken the photo. Again advanced masking is sometimes involved and experimentation is required to see if this will work for your photo and what blend mode will work.

• Use a plugin like Topaz Adjust to change the photo.

• PS Photo Filters can help.

• I will sometimes use a combo of the above.

• The biggest trick is experimentation with filters, settings, etc in PS to see what happens. But always remember...HAVE FUN! =>

These are all done in Photoshop CS5/CS6. I do not have any examples I can currently post or I would.

I hope some of these help!

Answered by Lynda

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