Exposure

The "Exposure" tool has been created for editing HDR photos. Still it may be also used for tonal correction of ordinary 8-bit images.

1. Open the "Color and Tone" dialog.
2. Apply the "Exposure" command.

   The dialog box that appears suggests adjusting the image tone with 3 sliders.

3. The "Exposure" slider mainly affects the image highlights.
4. The "Offset" parameter darkens the midtones and shadows.
5. At last, the "Gamma" slider adjusts the image gamma.

   NB If the sliders "stick" to the cursor, don't move it during a second after releasing the mouse button.

6. Click "OK" to apply the correction.

The adjustment appears in the Layers palette as a separate layer. So, you can mask unnecessary areas, reduce its opacity, etc..

Unfortunately, PSE won't let you to re-open the "Exposure" dialog and edit the adjustment settings.