Adjust contrast, clarity, and saturation

You use the Enhance adjustment controls to set the contrast, definition, saturation, and vibrancy.

If you want to adjust the difference between the dark and bright areas of the image, you can modify the Contrast parameter.

Figure. Image before and after a Contrast adjustment.

When you want to add a little clarity and definition to an image without adding too much contrast, you use the Definition parameter controls.

Figure. Image before and after a Definition adjustment.

You can change the value for the Saturation parameter to either give your image an extra burst of color or tone down the color palette by desaturating the image.

Figure. Image before and after a Saturation adjustment.

You use the Vibrancy parameter controls when you want to add a bit of punch to the image without affecting skin tones.

Figure. Image before and after a Vibrancy adjustment.

You can also brush the Enhance adjustment on specific areas of an image. For more information, see Apply brushed adjustments. For information about using the Enhance adjustment controls to set black, gray, and white tint values, see Remove unwanted tints from an image.

Adjust the contrast in an image

An image with very little midtone tonality is considered to have a lot of contrast, whereas an image with considerable midtone tonality is considered to have minimal contrast. Often, an image with too much midtone tonality looks flat. Adding contrast to the image can add depth to it. However, you add contrast to the image at the expense of detail in the midtones, so a little contrast goes a long way.

  1. Select a photo.

  2. In the Enhance area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, use the Contrast parameter controls to modify the contrast between light and dark colors in the photo.

    Figure. Contrast controls in the Enhance area of the Adjustments inspector.

    A value below 0.0 decreases the contrast in the image. A value greater than 0.0 increases the contrast.

Note: If you’re trying to retrieve detail in a high-contrast image, you should use the Highlights & Shadows controls. For more information, see Preserve highlight and shadow details in an image.

Adjust definition in an image

The Definition parameter is useful for adding local contrast (adding contrast only to the areas of the image that need a contrast adjustment) as well as reducing haze.

  1. Select a photo.

  2. In the Enhance area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, use the Definition parameter controls to add clarity and definition to the image.

    Figure. Definition controls in the Enhance area of the Adjustments inspector.

    A value greater than 0.0 increases the clarity in the image.

Change the saturation of an image

Increasing the saturation of an image can make the colors appear more pure, and many people like the effect of an image whose colors are more saturated than they would appear naturally. However, you can easily oversaturate an image. In the process of making the colors more pure, subtleties in shades of colors disappear, often resulting in reduced detail in the image. To ensure that visual elements aren’t unnecessarily lost, pay attention to the details in your image as you increase saturation.

  1. Select a photo.

  2. In the Enhance area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, use the Saturation parameter controls to add a burst of color to an image, or remove color from an image.

    Figure. Saturation controls in the Enhance area of the Adjustments inspector.

    A value below 1.0 decreases the color saturation in the image, and a value above 1.0 increases the saturation. A value of 0.0 removes all color from the image, making it grayscale. A value of 4.0 increases the saturation by 400 percent.

Adjust vibrancy in an image

The Vibrancy parameter applies saturation to the image in a nonlinear manner. Colors that are already saturated are left alone, while saturation is added to all other colors. In addition, the Vibrancy parameter takes skin tones into account, leaving them untouched. This allows you to take a portrait and desaturate the image except for the skin tones.

  1. Select a photo.

  2. In the Enhance area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector HUD, use the Vibrancy parameter controls to adjust saturation in the image without affecting skin tones.

    Figure. Vibrancy controls in the Enhance area of the Adjustments inspector.

    A value below 0.0 decreases the color saturation in the image, and a value above 0.0 increases the saturation of the nonsaturated colors. A value of –1.0 removes all color from the image, making it grayscale except for any skin tones.

For information about adjusting the tints in an image, see Remove unwanted tints from an image.