I love images like this (in this case, a film still) in which bright light is radiating out and sort of catching different points, even in a shadowy room – almost like it's trying to spill over.
I don't seem to achieve the same effect when only bumping up highlights and whites (although that's part of it) – the glow, as well as the image, doesn't seem quite as soft. Should I be lowering shadows and/or blacks at the same time? What about exposure? I see from the histogram both highlights and blacks are blown out.
Any thoughts appreciated.