This technique is actually pretty simple--we're going to build our own mask to selectively choose which parts of the photo to brighten. We'll just duplicate the photo in a second layer, erase the bits that don't contain the area we want to fix, and then increase the brightness of that partial top layer until we like the result. The two layers will blend together to give us a single, improved image.

Start by opening the photo you want to fix in Photoshop Elements, then duplicate it by choosing Layer, Duplicate Layer, and clicking OK. You should see two layers in the Layer Palette on the right side of the screen. At this point, you could right-click the layer called Background Copy, choose Rename Layer, and call it Top Layer so it's easier to keep track of. Since we have only two layers in this project, though, that's not essential.

Now, turn off the bottom layer--the one called Background--by clearing the eyeball icon to the left of the image thumbnail. You haven't deleted or damaged the layer, but (as we'll see shortly) if you erase bits of the top layer, you won't see the bottom layer underneath. It'll just look like a white, cross-hatched canvas.