Operation Manual

Setting the Image’s Blacks
Shadow detail and the importance of visual elements in shadow vary from image to
image. In addition, some cameras are more capable of capturing shadow details than
others. In some photos, such as an image of a person’s face in the shadow of an alley,
the shadow is the most important visual element in the image. In other images, the details
in the shadows have nothing to do with the main subject of the image. For example, the
shadow area of the image may obscure trash that would otherwise ruin a pristine image.
In Aperture, you use the Black Point parameter controls to increase the threshold of
shadow details in the image as well as crush the blacks when necessary.
Note: The Black Point controls are not available for RAW decoding versions 1.0 and 1.1.
To make the Black Point controls available, reprocess the image. For more information,
see Working with the RAW Fine Tuning Controls.
To set the black point of the image
1 Select an image.
2 In the Exposure area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the
Inspector HUD, adjust the Black Point parameter by doing one of the following:
• Drag the Black Point slider.
• Click the left or right arrow in the Black Point value slider to change the shadow detail
to recover in the image by 5 percent increments, or drag in the value field.
• Double-click the number in the Black Point value slider, then enter a value from –5.0
to 50.0 and press Return.
Use the Black Point slider
and value slider to set
pure black in the image.
Decreasing the value increases the amount of detail in the shadow areas by moving pure
black below the current black point. Increasing the value decreases the amount of detail
in the shadow areas of the image, effectively crushing the blacks by moving pure black
above the current black point.
The image’s black point is updated as you change the parameter value.
511Chapter 17 Making Image Adjustments