PhotographyTips'n'Tricks

IMPROVE IMAGE CONTRAST by setting black and white points

You can use the Levels dialog box to specify black and white points within a photo. Targeting the darkest and brightest pixels in an image can help you restore image detail, tonal range, and contrast. After specifying new black and white points in an image, the full tonal range stretches out between the two settings to increase contrast. The result is often a dramatically improved image.

For example, when you target a white area in a photo, Photoshop Elements remaps and redefines the tonal information throughout the image, changing a dingy image into one with clearer white and black areas. All the other pixel values in the image also adjust in proportion to the new highlight values.

The eyedropper tools help you target colors for highlights, shadows, and neutral grays. Because the tools target color changes, they work best for color correction problems rather than exposure problems.The key to setting black and white points is first identifying representative shadows and highlights in your image.

This photo lacks contrast and tonal range, with no clear white
and dark pixels in the image.

• Click Enhance.
• Click Adjust Lighting.
• Click Levels.

The Levels dialog box opens.

• Click the Set White Point eyedropper.

• Click the whitest area in the image.

Photoshop Elements immediately establishes a new white point and adjusts other lighter pixels accordingly.

• Click the Set Black Point eyedropper.
• Click the blackest or darkest area in the image.

Elements immediately sets the new black point and adjusts the other darker pixels accordingly.

The photo now displays tonal range and improved contrast.

Caution!

Be careful where you click the Levels eyedropper tools. If you click the Set White Point eyedropper over an area that is not representative of white in your photo, for example, other lighter tones in the image are affected and may become overly whitened. This may result in a loss of detail in your image and an excessively contrasty image. The same problem can occur if you click an area that is not truly black with the Set Black Point eyedropper. Picking the wrong areas when setting the black and white points can result in strange and inaccurate colors.

Did You Know?

You can use the Set Gray Point eyedropper in the Levels dialog box to assign neutral gray colors in an image. This eyedropper is not available for grayscale images.