Operation Manual

180
Color
Last updated 9/13/2015
Tonal and image adjustments in camera raw files
Exposure Adjusts the brightness or darkness of an image. Move the slider to the left to darken the image; move it to the
right to brighten the image. The values are in increments equivalent to f-stops. An adjustment of +1.50 is similar to
widening the aperture one and one-half stops. Likewise, an adjustment of -1.50 is similar to reducing the aperture one
and one-half stops.
Tip : Hold down Alt (Option key in Mac) while moving the Exposure slider to preview where the highlights are clipped.
(Clipping is the shifting of pixel values to either the highest highlight value or the lowest shadow value. Clipped areas
are either completely white or completely black and have no image detail.) Move the slider until the highlights (not specular
highlights) are completely clipped, and then reverse the adjustment slightly. Black indicates unclipped areas, and color
indicates areas clipped in only one or two channels.
Contrast Adjusts the midtones in an image. Higher values increase the midtone contrast, and lower values produce an
image with less contrast. Generally, use the Contrast slider to adjust the contrast of the midtones after setting the
Exposure, Shadow, and Brightness values.
Recovery Attempts to recover details from highlights. Camera Raw can reconstruct some details from areas in which
one or two color channels are clipped to white.
Highlights Recovers detail in overexposed highlight areas of an image.
Shadows Recovers detail in underexposed shadow areas of an image.
Whites Adjusts the highlights in an image.
Blacks Adjusts the shadows and underexposed areas in an image.
Clarity Sharpens the clarity of edges in the image. This process helps restore detail and sharpness that tonal adjustments
may reduce.