Shadow and highlight enhancement refers to an image processing technique used to correct exposure.
The use of this technique has been gaining popularity,[citation needed] making its way onto magazine covers, digital media, and photos.
Recovering highlights with this tool, however, has mixed results, especially when using it on images with skin in them, and often makes people look like they have been "sprayed with fake tan".
You can also use an inverted black and white copy of the image as a mask on a brightening layer, such as Curves or Levels.
Several automatic computer image processing-based shadow recovery and dynamic range compression methods can yield a similar effect.