Tonal Adjustments

The process of modifying the luminance and color distribution of an image to enhance contrast, depth, and mood.

Key Elements

• exposure: The fundamental adjustment of light intensity.
• contrast: The range and scale of difference between light and dark values.
• highlights & shadows: Targeted manipulation of the brightest and darkest regions of the tonal range.
• Midtones: Adjustment of the intermediate luminance levels that define core texture and color.
• lightroom: The application of hue and saturation shifts to establish an aesthetic or emotional tone.

Tools & Workflows

• adobe-photoshop workflows:
  • Photoshop Camera Raw Filter: Color Grading for Photo Tonal Adjustments:
    • Utilizes the Color Grading tab within the camera-raw-filter for advanced color manipulation.
    • Leverages color wheels to apply specific color shifts to shadows, midtones, and highlights.
    • Tutorial source: PHLEARN (Aaron Nace).