how to make parts of a picture brighter using gimp?

Question

I have a photo that I am about to send off as a christmas card. It is a beach cruiser (bike) wrapped in christmas lights at sunset. The problem is I couldn't plug in the lights when I took the picture, but want to try to make them look like they're on. Can anyone explain, or point me to a tutorial, on how I can birghten the individual bulbs?

Answer 1

I don't think there is a good way to do this compared to turning the lights on to begin with.

However, I would use the dodge tool at a very small size and try lightening only the very center of each bulb.