Recovering blown highlights

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Name
Paul
Edit My Images
Yes
Was out yesterday and took the shot below. A really bright sunny day and as usual I forgot to check histogram. Upon getting home I noticed a lot of blown highlights on the back of the subject. Is there a way to recover them or are they lost forever??

Or am I just nit picking and looking deeper into what is not visible.

 
If they are truely blown, as in the tone was outside of the range your camera could capture, then they will be gone forever. If you reduce the exposure in lightroom you will see whether it's actually lost or if there is information there...if it just looks like an off-white, greyish blob then unfortunately you've lost the detail.

I don't think it matters too much though, the picture is fine as it is :)
 
YZ4ySNZ.png


quick effort in Adobe elements. you should get better if you edit the RAW files if that is what you took the photo with
 
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Thanks Andy

I don't have Lightroom. might have a look in Nikon Capture to see if there is anything there.
Using Capture 1 but I'm still learning how to use it, only been 3 weeks now and it is a bit of a steep learning curve.
 
the one I use is Adobe elements 14 have a look on fleabay . I find it is the easiest to use. Later versions go up in price. On the adobe site i think they even do a free trail
 
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Elliot thats fine no problems with your thoughts. Maybe if you tried and posted your interpretation photo would give a better idea. I find is very hard to get exactly right without being there at the time. As i said it was a quick effort, if i spent more time may have been better
 
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Or am I just nit picking and looking deeper into what is not visible.
Sometimes you need to look at the wood and not the trees. Your picture is pretty good as it is with the very small amount of blown highlights.

It is a general rule that photographs are better without blown highlights but it is not an immutable law. Same with blocked shadows and sharpness.
Don't worry about them to the point of ruining your picture.
 
I think there's enough detail present not to worry too much - rather like reflections of the sun off a polished or white surface, you would expect it to be blown (as it would be in real life, where your eyes couldn't cope either).
 
thanks for all the replies and advice, seems I am being a bit picky, will just have to remember to check the histogram after the shot. I have also noticed you can show the blown highlights in camera which I did not know about.
 
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