 Deb Brown |
OKAY..PHOTOSHOP EXPERTS. HELP! I would love it if someone who is fairly knowledgeable about Photoshop could tell me.... when I go to do an auto contrast or auto levels, why do SOME images appear enhanced and others are left unchanged? I think that some that are slightly underexposed are boosted more by the auto contrast/levels, right? Does it have something to do with how well you perfect the exposure at the time you take the image? Some of my images look like they need a boost, but nothing changes when I click the auto contrast/levels. Does using flash effect this? Hope I haven't throughly confused you all...it's just one of those things that I have tried with many different variables, and I can't pinpoint exactly what's happening. Thanks in advance!
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
All I can say is that based on the image, sometimes auto levels and curves will do fine. Sometimes it dosen't do any good. It's not a flash or exposure thing. Without flash, and with proper exposure, it may or may change. And it may or may not make an improvement. Better to learn to use the eye drop tool and set levels yourself.
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A C |
Auto contrast/levels very likely works based on the histogram. Learn to read the histogram and then make your own adjustments with Levels or Curves (I don't recommend using Contrast). You can view your histogram in camera and/or in Photoshop.
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anonymous |
You shouldn't use auto, do it yourself, sometimes auto contrast and colour can have a horrible effect on your photos!
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anonymous |
You shouldn't use auto, do it yourself, sometimes auto contrast and colour can have a horrible effect on your photos!
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Yeah, and sometimes it makes you stutter. Yuk Yuk!
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anonymous |
Shut up G R E G O R Y!!! LOL.... I was having computer issues.
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Paul Tobeck |
All that the Auto Levels setting does is spread the images information across the full range of the Histogram. Sometimes this helps, other times, if your image is fairly well spread out to begin with, you'll see no change. It's much better to open a Levels Adjustment Layer and do this yourself. If you look at the Histogram and you have gaps on either end, then your image is mainly composed of midtones and fairly flat. Take the little black triangles at each end and drag them inward to where they just start touching the edges of the "mountains". This spreads out the brightness of the image over the full range of lights and darks. To fine tune your adjustment, move the middle slider (the mid-tones) back and forth a little. You can adjust these until the image looks right, just don't move the outside sliders inside of the black area of the Histogram. Do that and you start to throw away image data. Cherylann is right about the Contrast setting. Using brightness/contrast to adjust your image usually throws away information, and tends to blowout highlights and muck up shadow details. Once that information is lost, you'll never get it back. Hope this helps!
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Deb Brown |
Thanks to all who responded. I appreicate you taking time to throughly comment. As a rule, I don't always use the 'auto'. And I always use my camera in the manual setting. My question was more out of curiousity....regarding if the changes the image, does that mean exposure was incorrect and if it leaves it unchanged, does that mean the exposure was correct? I will sometime do the auto contrast just to see what happens and then go into 'levels' and play with it myself. I do appreciate all the responses!!!!!
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