7. Image Adjustment Fundamentals

Everything in image editing eventually comes down to tonal manipulation—making some tones lighter and other tones darker. Tonal manipulation is one of the most powerful and far-reaching capabilities in Photoshop, and at first it may seem like magic. But once you understand what’s happening as you adjust the controls, it starts to look less like magic and more like clever technology. Your increased understanding and productivity should more than make up for any loss in your sense of wonder, however.

Tonal manipulation makes the difference between a flat image that lies lifeless on the page and one that pops, drawing you into it. But the role of tonal correction goes far beyond that. When you correct a color image, ...

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