Photoshop Elements / Levels /

Introduction

You can adjust three important parts of your photographs with a Levels adjustment layer:

1) Exposure

2) Contrast

3) Color

Be sure to check off as you go along.

1) Open a photograph.

2) Create a Levels adjustment layer.

Click the Create adjustment layer icon, the half-dark, half-bright, circle at the top of the Layers palette, and select Levels.

The Levels window will open.

After you close the above Levels window, you can reopen it.

Double click the Levels window thumbnail in the Levels adjustment layer.

Here's the Levels adjustment layer in the Layers palette.

The Levels window thumbnail is the graph-like icon.

The white window is the mask.

Again, double click the Levels window thumbnail to reopen the Levels window.

You can use anyone of four areas in the Levels window to adjust the exposure, contrast, and color.

• The Auto button changes the exposure, contrast, and color.

• The Channel mixer, at the top, is used to change the exposure and contrast on the red, green, and blue channels.

• The black, gray, and white sliders, under the black graph, are used to adjust the exposure and contrast.

The graph is called a histogram.

The black slider controls the shadows.

The gray slider in the middle controls the contrast.

The white slider controls the highlights.

• The three eyedroppers on the right side.

The middle eyedropper, the gray-point eyedropper, is used for color correction.

The black-point and white-point eyedroppers on the ends are for adjusting the shadows and highlights.

If you make a change, and want to undo it, click the Reset button in the Levels Window.

Now you're ready to try one of the methods.

The Hybrid Method is recommended, as it combines the best aspects of the other methods.

• Hybrid Method Recommended