Tone Curve in Camera Raw in Photoshop – Instructions

Tone Curve in Camera Raw in Photoshop: Video Lesson

            This video lesson, titled “Learn How to Use the Tone Curve in Camera Raw in Adobe Photoshop: A Training Tutorial,” shows how to adjust the tone curve in Camera Raw in Photoshop. This video lesson is from our complete Photoshop tutorial, titled “Mastering Photoshop Made Easy.”

Overview of How to Adjust the Tone Curve in Camera Raw in Photoshop:

            After making basic tonal adjustments to a camera raw image in Photoshop, you can then fine-tune the exposure, contrast, and color by adjusting the tone curve in Camera Raw in Photoshop. To adjust the tone curve in Camera Raw in Photoshop, you use the “Curve” tab of the Edit panel in the Camera Raw dialog box of Photoshop. To show the Curve panel, click the “Edit” button in the toolbar at the right side of the Camera Raw dialog box. Then click the “Curve” tab in the Edit panel to show its settings in the Curve panel to the left of the toolbar.

            The Curve panel shows the types of adjustments you can make in the “Adjust” section at its top. Below that is the large curve graph where you can make the adjustments for the selected type of adjustment and set the additional settings for those adjustments, which appear below the curve. By default, the “Point Curve” adjustment type is selected. However, you can also adjust the “Parametric Curve,” the “Red Channel” curve, the “Green Channel” curve, or the “Blue Channel” curve.

            The large graph shows the original, or “input,” tonal range values of your camera raw photo across its horizontal axis. The tonal range values start with shadows at the far left, followed by darks, followed by lights, and ending with highlights. Each tonal range is shown by a separate section. The vertical axis shows the changed, or “output,” tonal range values.

            For the Parametric Curve and the Point Curve adjustments, these tonal range values show black at the bottom and then gradually change to end with white appearing at the top. For color channel adjustments, the vertical axis instead shows the selected color’s complementary color at the bottom of the vertical axis and then transitions to the selected color channel’s color at the top of the vertical axis.

A picture of a user adjusting the tone curve in Camera Raw in Photoshop.

            Generally, to adjust the tone curve in Camera Raw in Photoshop for whichever adjustment type you select, click the curve at the position in the horizontal axis that represents the color tone range to adjust. Then drag upward to lighten the colors for that tonal range or drag downward to darken the colors in that tonal range. For color channel adjustments, dragging upward increases the selected color channel’s color and dragging downward increases its complementary color in that tonal range. This then changes the entire curve if editing the Parametric Curve or adds individual adjustments points to the curve if editing the Point Curve or any color channel adjustments.

How to Adjust the Parametric Curve:

            The Parametric Curve is a simple tone editing curve that is less precise than the Point Curve, but also helps prevent abnormal tones by restricting the tonal adjustments more than the Point Curve does. To adjust the Parametric Curve in camera raw photos in Photoshop, click the “Click to edit Parametric Curve” button to select that adjustment type. Below the large graph, you see three dots in a black and white gradient bar that represent the tonal ranges on the horizontal axis. If desired, to adjust the tones that appear within a tonal range, you can click and drag these dots left or right to adjust which tones appear within the “Shadows,” “Darks,” “Lights,” and “Highlights” tonal ranges.

            To then adjust the darkness or lightness of the colors in a tonal range, click the curve within a tonal range section in the horizontal axis and drag downward or upward, respectively. As you do that, note the corresponding tonal range slider below the large graph also adjusts, correspondingly. If desired, you can instead slide the “Highlights,” “Lights,” “Darks,” and “Shadows” sliders left or right to darken or lighten the colors in that tonal range, respectively. Changing the sliders also correspondingly changes the graph. For many photographs, the ideal tone curve that enhances image contrast resembles a very smooth, slight “S” or wave shape, and the middle of the curve often hits the center of the graph. There are some preset Point Curves that show this, so let’s next discuss the Point Curves.

How to Adjust the Point Curve:

            To gain more precise control over the tone curves of a camera raw photo in Photoshop, click the “Click to edit Point Curve” button above the graph in the Curve panel, if needed. To apply a preset point curve, select either the “Medium Contrast” or “Strong Contrast” choice from the “Point Curve” drop-down. You can then examine the changes these presets make to the tone curve, and you can see the points added to the tone curve if you hold your mouse pointer over the tone curve graph. To reset the Point Curve, select the “Linear” choice from the “Point Curve” drop-down, instead.

            To add points to the Point Curve tone curve graph, click on the point curve at the position in the color tone range on the horizontal axis that you want to change. Then drag upward to increase the lightness or drag downward to increase the darkness at that point. If needed, you can also click and drag a point left or right to adjust the tone range it changes.

            Repeat this process, as needed, to adjust the points you add to the tone curve. You can add up to 16 points to the tone curve. To select a point in the tone curve, click it to select it. Its “Input” and “Output” tone values appear below the graph. To delete a point in the tone curve, click it to select it. Then press the “Delete” or “Del” key on your keyboard.

How to Adjust the Red Channel, Green Channel, or Blue Channel Curves:

            Like the Point Curve, to edit the red, green, or blue color channel’s tonality, select either the “Click to edit Red Channel,” “Click to edit Green Channel,” or “Click to edit Blue Channel” button above the graph, as desired. Then click on the point curve at the position in the color tone range on the horizontal axis to change. Then drag upward to increase the color of the selected color channel or drag downward to increase its complementary color at that point. If needed, you can also click and drag a point left or right to adjust the tone range it changes.

            Repeat this process, as needed, to adjust the points you add to the tone curve. To select a point in the tone curve, click it to select it. Its “Input” and “Output” tone values appear below the graph. To delete a point in the tone curve, click it to select it. Then press the “Delete” or “Del” key on your keyboard.

How to Use the Point Curve Targeted Adjustment Tool:

            Alternatively, to set tone curve values in Photoshop by clicking and dragging on colors in the preview image, you can use the Point Curve Targeted Adjustment Tool. To enable the Point Curve Targeted Adjustment Tool, click the “Point Curve Targeted Adjustment Tool” button to the right of the tone curve adjustment types in the Curve panel to show the Point Curve Targeted Adjustment Tool toolbar at the bottom center of the preview image.

            To use the Point Curve Targeted Adjustment Tool, ensure the “Click to control Tone Curve” button at the left end of the toolbar is selected. Then click to the select the type of tone curve adjustment to edit from the tone curve adjustment types shown at the right end of the toolbar. Then hold your mouse pointer over the color whose tone you want to adjust in the preview image. A small color dot or label appears next to your mouse pointer, showing the color range of the selected color you are about to adjust.

            Click the desired color in the preview image and hold down your mouse button to show a colored bar and the color’s current location within the bar as an empty circle. The colors shown in the bar change, depending on the adjustment type you selected. Then click and drag left or right to change the location of the empty circle in the bar. Then release your mouse button when it is the desired tone. You can click and hold down again in the same initial location to double-check your adjustment in the color bar, if desired.

How to Temporarily Hide Tone Curve Adjustments in Camera Raw in Photoshop:

            To temporarily hide all the tone curve adjustments in the preview image in camera raw after changing these settings, click and hold down on the “eye” icon in the upper-right corner of the “Curve” tab within the Edit panel. This temporarily hides the changes in the preview image while you hold down on this icon so you can see the changes to the camera raw preview image. Simply release the mouse button to restore the visibility of the changes.

Instructions:

Instructions on How to Adjust the Tone Curve in Camera Raw in Photoshop:

1. To adjust the tone curve of a camera raw image in Photoshop, click the “Edit” button in the toolbar at the right side of the Camera Raw dialog box.
2. Then click the “Curve” tab in the Edit panel to show its settings in the Curve panel to the left of the toolbar.
3. The Curve panel shows the types of adjustments you can make in the “Adjust” section at its top.
4. Below that is the large curve graph where you can make the adjustments for the selected type of adjustment and set the additional settings for those adjustments, which appear below the curve.
5. By default, the “Point Curve” adjustment type is selected. However, you can also adjust the “Parametric Curve,” the “Red Channel” curve, the “Green Channel” curve, or the “Blue Channel” curve.
6. The large graph shows the original, or “input,” tonal range values of your camera raw photo across its horizontal axis. The tonal range values start with shadows at the far left, followed by darks, followed by lights, and ending with highlights. Each tonal range is shown by a separate section.
7. The vertical axis shows the changed, or “output,” tonal range values. For the Parametric Curve and the Point Curve adjustments, these tonal range values show black at the bottom and then gradually change to end with white appearing at the top. For color channel adjustments, the vertical axis instead shows the selected color’s complementary color at the bottom of the vertical axis and then transitions to the selected color channel’s color at the top of the vertical axis.
8. Generally, to adjust the tone curve in Camera Raw in Photoshop for whichever adjustment type you select, click the curve at the position in the horizontal axis that represents the color tone range to adjust.
9. Then drag upward to lighten the colors for that tonal range or drag downward to darken the colors in that tonal range. For color channel adjustments, dragging upward increases the selected color channel’s color and dragging downward increases its complementary color in that tonal range. This then changes the entire curve if editing the Parametric Curve or adds individual adjustments points to the curve if editing the Point Curve or any color channel adjustments.

How to Adjust the Parametric Curve:

1. To adjust the Parametric Curve in camera raw photos in Photoshop, click the “Click to edit Parametric Curve” button to select that adjustment type.
2. Below the large graph, you see three dots in a black and white gradient bar that represent the tonal ranges on the horizontal axis.
3. If desired, to adjust the tones that appear within a tonal range, click and drag these dots left or right to adjust which tones appear within the “Shadows,” “Darks,” “Lights,” and “Highlights” tonal ranges.
4. To then adjust the darkness or lightness of the colors in a tonal range, click the curve within a tonal range section in the horizontal axis and drag downward or upward, respectively.
5. As you do that, note the corresponding tonal range slider below the large graph also adjusts, correspondingly.
6. Alternatively, if desired, you can instead slide the “Highlights,” “Lights,” “Darks,” and “Shadows” sliders left or right to darken or lighten the colors in that tonal range, respectively.

How to Adjust the Point Curve:

1. To gain more precise control over the tone curves of a camera raw photo in Photoshop, click the “Click to edit Point Curve” button above the graph in the Curve panel, if needed.
2. To apply a preset point curve, select either the “Medium Contrast” or “Strong Contrast” choice from the “Point Curve” drop-down. You can then examine the changes these presets make to the tone curve, and you can see the points added to the tone curve if you hold your mouse pointer over the tone curve graph.
3. If needed, to reset the Point Curve, select the “Linear” choice from the “Point Curve” drop-down, instead.
4. To add points to the Point Curve tone curve graph, click on the point curve at the position in the color tone range on the horizontal axis that you want to change.
5. Then drag upward to increase the lightness or drag downward to increase the darkness at that point.
6. If needed, you can also click and drag a point left or right to adjust the tone range it changes.
7. Repeat this process, as needed, to adjust the points you add to the tone curve. You can add up to 16 points to the tone curve.
8. To select a point in the tone curve, click it to select it and show its “Input” and “Output” tone values below the graph.
9. To delete a point in the tone curve, click it to select it.
10. Then press the “Delete” or “Del” key on your keyboard.

Instructions on How to Adjust the Color Channel Curves:

1. To edit the red, green, or blue color channel’s tonality, select either the “Click to edit Red Channel,” “Click to edit Green Channel,” or “Click to edit Blue Channel” button above the graph, as desired.
2. Then click on the point curve at the position in the color tone range on the horizontal axis to change.
3. Then drag upward to increase the color of the selected color channel or drag downward to increase its complementary color at that point.
4. If needed, you can also click and drag a point left or right to adjust the tone range it changes.
5. Repeat this process, as needed, to adjust the points you add to the tone curve.
6. To select a point in the tone curve, click it to select it and show its “Input” and “Output” tone values below the graph.
7. To delete a point in the tone curve, click it to select it and then press your “Delete” or “Del” key.

How to Use the Point Curve Targeted Adjustment Tool:

1. To enable the Point Curve Targeted Adjustment Tool, click the “Point Curve Targeted Adjustment Tool” button to the right of the tone curve adjustment types in the Curve panel to show the Point Curve Targeted Adjustment Tool toolbar at the bottom center of the preview image.
2. To use the Point Curve Targeted Adjustment Tool, ensure the “Click to control Tone Curve” button at the left end of the toolbar is selected.
3. Then click to the select the type of tone curve adjustment to edit from the tone curve adjustment types shown at the right end of the toolbar.
4. Then hold your mouse pointer over the color whose tone you want to adjust in the preview image.
5. A small color dot or label appears next to your mouse pointer, showing the color range of the selected color you are about to adjust.
6. Click the desired color in the preview image and hold down your mouse button to show a colored bar and the color’s current location within the bar as an empty circle. The colors shown in the bar change, depending on the adjustment type you selected.
7. Then click and drag left or right to change the location of the empty circle in the bar.
8. Then release your mouse button when it is the desired tone.
9. You can click and hold down again in the same initial location to double-check your adjustment in the color bar, if desired.

How to Hide Temporarily Hide Tone Curve Adjustments:

1. To temporarily hide all the tone curve adjustments in the preview image in camera raw after changing these settings, click and hold down on the “eye” icon in the upper-right corner of the “Curve” tab within the Edit panel.
2. To restore the visibility of the changes, then release the mouse button.