In this section, you will explore two of Photoshop’s most powerful tools for adjusting tone, brightness, and contrast: Levels and Curves. Both allow you to refine how light and dark areas appear in an image, but each works in a slightly different way:
Levels is quick and straightforward, perfect for balancing exposure and making clean overall adjustments.
Curves gives you precise, point-by-point control over brightness and contrast, and even allows for advanced color grading.
By working through the tutorials, you’ll gain the ability to:
Improve the exposure of under- or over-lit photos,
Enhance contrast for more dynamic images,
Fine-tune tones in specific ranges (shadows, midtones, highlights),
Experiment with color shifts using RGB channels.
Mastering Levels and Curves will give you the foundation to control tone and color like a professional. These tools are used in nearly every Photoshop workflow—from photo retouching to creative composites—so the skills you gain here will power up all your future projects.
Show your command of Photoshop’s tone and contrast tools—Levels or Curves—by applying them to an image and explaining your creative choices.
Choose Your Tutorial
Pick one or both of the videos below on Levels or Curves.
Select or Supply an Image
Use a portrait or landscape with varied tones and contrast. This will help you see real differences in your edits.
Create the Poster Canvas (e.g. A3 or 11"×17")
Include two versions of the image side-by-side:
Before (original)
After (your edited version)
Apply the Tool with Intention
If using Levels:
Adjust shadows, midtones, highlights via the three sliders.
Optionally tweak individual color channels (R, G, B) for creative tint or color balance.
If using Curves:
Use control points to refine contrast precisely.
Experiment with an S-curve (for dynamic contrast) or inverse curve (for mood shifts).
Adjust RGB channels if you want a stylized color effect.
Add Explanations
Below your “After” image, write a two-line caption that explains:
Which tool you used (Levels or Curves), and
What effect you were aiming to achieve and how the adjustment helped.
Show Your Layers
Capture a screenshot of your Layers panel, clearly showing:
The adjustment layer used (Levels or Curves),
If edited, channel-specific adjustments,
And the applied settings visible in the Properties panel.
A PSD file containing your poster (editable).
A JPG export of the final poster with Before/After images and your caption.
You clearly show both Before and After states.
You apply either Levels or Curves meaningfully (not just random tweaking).
Your caption explains the tool choice and effects.
The Layers panel screenshot is visible and well-named.
The image demonstrates improved tone, contrast, mood, or creative style.
1. Levels Adjustment Layers
Allow quick control over Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights using three sliders.
Ideal for adjusting overall exposure and contrast effectively.
Includes input and output level sliders, giving you flexibility over tonal mapping and brightness limits.
You can even select specific colour channels (Red/Green/Blue) to subtly shift colour tone.
2. Curves Adjustment Layers
Offers deeper control: click to add control points and manipulate contrast or brightness at specific tonal ranges.
Curve adjustments can create S-curves (for stronger contrast) or flattened curves (for gentle, soft effects).
Just like Levels, you can select and adjust individual RGB channels, allowing precise control over colour balance and creative colour effects.
3. What’s the Difference — and Which to Use?
Levels is quicker and more straightforward—great for general tone adjustments and cleaning up image exposure.
Curves gives you finer control and flexibility—perfect for nuanced contrast changes or creative colour grading.
The verdict? Both work well. Use Levels for simplicity, and Curves when precision or stylistic control matters most.
Quick Comparison Table
Feature --- Levels --- Curves
Control method --- Sliders for shadows/mid/highlights --- Graph with movable control points
Exposure & contrast adjustments --- Good for overall tweaks --- Ideal for detailed tonal control
Colour channel adjustment --- Yes (via dropdown) --- Yes, with precise tonal targeting
Best for --- Fast, broad adjustments --- Precision & creative color work