Step 1
Open up your picture that you wish to brighten. For this tutorial, we will be using the following photo:
Step 2
Duplicate your only layer and go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur on that new layer. Use the following settings:
Step 3
Now invert your image by using Ctrl+I on your keyboard, or by going to Image>Adjustments>Invert.
Step 4
Your last step is to change the blending mode of your top layer to Soft Light and your opacity to 75%. Your layers palette should look like this:
Finished Product
You're done! This simple brightening technique was useful in brightening the areas around the trees that were too dark before. This technique can be applied successfully to any image.
More Tutorials: 
