This tutorial will explain my way of using the curves adjusment layer to brighten and add contrast to an image. Open your image and select a curves adjustment layer from the menu at the bottom of the layers palette. You should see this. Click the small button on the bottom right to enlarge the view and make it easier to work with. (Fig. 1) Make sure you have your dialogue set up like mine. You can reverse the gradients by clicking them. I will explain things as they look here. The left side of the grid, (black) represents the shadows, or darkest parts of your photo, and the right side, (white) represents the highlights. The middle grey part would be your midtones. Note the three points I have marked, where the line intersects with the grid. These are the points we will be adjusting from. 1 for shadows, 2 for midtones, and 3 for highlights. Fig. 1 Adding contrast to an image is simply a matter of darkening your shadows and brightening your highlights (without losing detail). If your image needs brightening, do this first, by clicking point 2 at the very center of the grid, your midtones, and dragging it up and to the left. (Fig. 2) Fig.2 Now your image is brighter. You need to darken your your shadows by clicking and dragging the lower left point, point 1. I like to start by putting it back to it's original spot. (Fig. 3) Fig. 3 The final step is brightening your highlights, if needed. Be careful here, because it's easy to lose data by blowing the highlights. Look closely at the bright parts of your image when you do this, and be gentle. Drag point 3 up and to the right as needed. (Fig. 4) This is the final state of your curves adjustment. This is a very basic explanation. Experiment with picking different points and moving them further to see what happens. Pick the corner points and move them horizontally and vertically. Hopefully this will give you a better understanding of the curves dialogue and a basis to experiment and learn more. Fig. 4 Here's the before and after of the image I used. Click to enlarge. © 2004 MATT PERKO. VISIT HIS SITE HERE REPRODUCED ON EPASTURE WITH PERMISSION.

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