G-force, what I've posted above is a very simplified version of just the initial de-clipping pass. There are 5 passes at shadow clipping in total and each one uses a 'new' RGB source (generated in the previous pass) as its target.

I've used a lot of curves adjustments, and numerous filters and third-party plug-ins, which would all require accurate translation to match up to what I have assembled in After Effects.

The example above is an easy port but it gets a lot more complicated after this step.

You_Too, I will at some point post a tutorial if I can figure out a way to present it. I have a full workload at the moment so it won't be happening for a while but I will aim to post some before/after shots.

G-gorce, if you have no objections, I could post a few samples in this thread. It might be easier if I post images and then answer questions about how the results are obtained.