Levels Adjustment
When you need to adjust the contrast in your photo the best tool for the job is 'levels'. In all flavors of Photoshop you can open the 'levels' window by using the keyboard shortcut ctrl+L in windows or cmd L on a Mac. Alternatively you can find it under enhance->adjust lighting in Elements or image->adjustments in Photoshop.
Although there is a separate 'brightness' & 'contrast' window, the 'levels' adjustment is a better option as you can really see what you are doing.
Here's a short video showing how it's done:-
If you are watching this on a tablet, you'll probably find it better to watch this video in full screen mode. Click on the little arrow icon in the bottom right of the player and rotate your pad to horizontal view.
If you enjoyed this page you might be interested in my eBook Learn Photography with Geoff LawrenceOther tutorials in this section
Introduction page.
Scaling your files.
Balancing those pixels.
A short video showing how to use the levels adjustment to control contrast.
A short video showing how to use the curves adjustment to control contrast.
Dealing with color casts.
An introduction to Adobe Camera RAW.
Advanced use of Adobe Camera RAW.
Using the unsharp mask.
Masking parts of your picture to edit certain areas.
How to build accurate layer masks.
A must for landscape and building photographers.
Using layers in Photoshop.
How to make a better job of changing images from color to black & white.
Playing with contrast and tones to give a more dramatic effect.
How to shoot and process HDR pictures with Photomatix Pro software.