Modern-Day Photography

Optimal Contrast, Brightness, and Color Adjustments

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Introduction With any photograph, getting the right contrast, brightness, and color adjustments can make a huge difference in the way the picture looks. Published pictures often have a tint to the cyan or green, or are too contrasty or too bright. Below are examples of modern color photographs, some of which were released or published as processed pictures, that have been adjusted for monitor viewing. Otherwise, there is nothing wrong with the photograph, demonstrating how much a difference just ordinary processing can make.

(courtesy, Corel)

Example 1 Notes: I believe this was a picture that was released. It was a little yellowish, as if the slide was a few years old when scanned. It just needed a little touching up.

(courtesy, Corel)

Example 2 Notes: This is the same as the above, in many ways. It's sometimes hard to tell with pictures with a lot of green, but this one tinted cyan, as well as the black-point being too high.

(courtesy, Corel)

Example 3 Notes: This photograph had clearly faded (or was scanned incorrectly). The fading was corrected and colors put back. The result is quite nice, and shows how a nice picture can be transformed from being ordinary and into something fantastic.

(courtesy, Corel)

Example 4 Notes: This picture suffered from something that is almost unrecoverable -- during scanning or some processed, the black-point went too low and some data was lost. The picture was also faded and, although it is hard to tell, tinted to the cyan a little.

(courtesy, Corel)

Example 5 Notes: This is a perfect example of an ordinary picture turned into a real nice artistic picture. This looks like an aquaduct somewhere in Europe, and is not too compelling. But, when brought back to life -- no doubt as intended -- the red line in the trees against the blue sky and reflections in the water make this a very nice picture.

(courtesy, Corel)

Example 6 Notes: Another picture that looks somewhat ordinary until balanced. Once balanced, the picture becomes stunning.

(courtesy, Corel)

Example 7 Notes: This picture really shows how a picture can be transformed. The reds and deep hues are just not in the original, and it might be asked whether they were in the original before it faded. It's a hard question to answer, but when reducing the black-point to it's optimal place and adjusting the contast curves, the colors came out by themselves without any intervention.