Image Rescue

This washed-out shot benefits from a mono conversion and added contrast

The starting image looks washed out – especially the reflection area that’s taking up two thirds of the image. To rescue it, we’re going to turn the photo into a semi-abstract black-and-white shot.

Working in Camera Raw (you could also use Lightroom), we’ll start by going to the Geometry Panel and using the Guided Uprights to fix the slightly skewed horizontals and

verticals 1 . With that done, we can convert the image to mono 2 by clicking the B&W button. A straight conversion doesn’t give us the bite we want, so in the B&W Mixer we can play around with the different colour channels to create the contrast that will really make this image work.

The reflection area is still a bit flat, so in the Masking Panel we can select a Linear Gradient, pulling it up over the whole area 3 , then boost the contrast 4 via the Blacks and Whites sliders.

If your colours look washed out, try removing them and emphasising tone instead.