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Learn how to restore hidden details in areas such as overcast skies. This final outcome is natural with no halos or other defects.

How to Restore Hidden Highlights with Photoshop

Step 1

Open any image that you would like. In the image below, the sky is lacking details but not overexposed. This technique will not work with overexposed areas that are 100% white (#FFFFFF) because there is no data for it to restore from.

Step 2

In the Layers palette, click on the New Adjustment Layer button and then click Levels.

In the Levels tool, move the black input slider towards the right until you start to see the highlights being revealed. In the image used for this tutorial, you can now see the clouds in the overcast sky. Your image should have a silhouette effect.