Revision Date: 25 January 2023

Adjustments Menu

The commands in the Adjustments Menu modify the colorization of pixels.  Many common photo editing adjustments are available and all have associated keyboard shortcuts.

 Auto-Level

Auto-Level is used to equalize the range of colors in an image.

The adjustment attempts to bring images which are under exposed or over exposed (overly dark or bright) back within normal range.  Auto-Level has no configurable options and does not display a dialog.

 Black and White

This adjustment desaturates an image, removing all color information and rendering the image in grayscale.  The resultant image will be reinterpreted in black, white & shades of gray.

Black and White has no configurable options and does not display a dialog.

 Brightness / Contrast

This adjustment is used to make an image brighter or darker (Brightness), or to expand / contract the degree of difference between color tones (Contrast).

Brightness

To increase the overall brightness of an image, slide the Brightness control to the right. The image will appear lighter.

To decrease the overall brightness, slide the control to the left. The image will appear darker.

Contrast

Contrast determines the range of tones in an image. To make the color tones more similar, decrease the Contrast value by sliding the control to the left.  The colors will appear dull.

To increase the Contrast, slide the control to the right. The colors will appear more vivid.

 Curves

The Curves adjustment is used to adjust the luminosity and/or RGB (Red, Green & Blue) color curves of an image.

This powerful adjustment is covered in detail in the Curves section.

 Exposure

In photography, exposure is the amount of light which reaches the film or camera sensor. This adjustment increases or decreases the exposure of an image.  The resultant image will have the apparent lighting increased (making the image lighter) or decreased (making it darker).

 Highlights / Shadows

Adjusts the highlights and shadows of the image.

 Hue / Saturation

This adjustment is primarily used to change the saturation, or vividness, of the colors in an image.  The gamut of hues can also be rotated to render the image in a different palette while maintaining the same levels of contrast.

The adjustment also allows the modification of the images lightness, which is similar to the Brightness adjustment (see Adjustments > Brightness / Contrast above).

Hue

The Hue control rotates the colors used in the image. If you imagine the entire color range placed around the circumference of a circle, this control allows the current palette to be cycled around the circle. The differences between the palette colors will be retained.

Saturation

This control makes color tones more or less vibrant. If you're familiar with the color wheel in Paint.NET's Colors Window, this control changes colors as if they were selected from a larger or smaller color wheel.

The starting value of the Saturation control is zero. Increasing the value increases the saturation which makes the colors more vibrant.  Decreasing the value reduces the saturation, making the colors look more washed out.

Lightness

Lightness acts in a similar way to the Brightness adjustment (see Adjustments > Brightness / Contrast above). Use the Lightness control to alter the apparent exposure of an image.

The initial value of the Lightness control is zero. Increasing the value increases the Lightness and makes the image brighter.  Decreasing the value reduces the Lightness, making the colors look dimmer.

 Invert Alpha

This adjustment inverts the opacity value. Opaque areas become transparent and vice versa.  Applying the adjustment a second time restores the original image.

Invert Alpha has no configurable options and does not display a dialog.

 Invert Colors

This adjustment is very similar to a photographic negative. Colors are swapped for the hue found on the opposite side of the color wheel.  Black become White and vice versa for example.  Applying the adjustment a second time restores the original image coloration.

Invert Colors has no configurable options and does not display a dialog.

 Levels

This complex adjustment is used to adjust the color range and gamma index of an image.

A detailed discussion of this adjustment can be found in the Levels section.

 Posterize

This adjustment reduces the number of color values that each pixel can use. The effect gives an image a "posterized" or even a retro or "faux dithered" look.

Normally, each of the RGB (Red, Green & Blue) color channels has 256 possible values (0 through 255).  This adjustment limits the range from as few as 2 to a maximum of 64 possible values.

The RGB color channels can be manipulated independently if the ☐ Linked checkbox is unchecked. If the ☑ Linked checkbox is checked (as shown above) the controls are forced to use the same value.

 Sepia

This adjustment mimics an aged photograph by rendering the image in black & white, and adding a sepia tone. This can be used to give images an "aged" look.

Sepia has a single control which sets the intensity or strength of the effect.

 Temperature and Tint

Adjusts the Color temperature and Tint of an image. Color Temperature is the relative warmth or coolness of light, affecting all the colors in the scene. Different lights result in different color temperatures; some light makes the colors cooler, while others make the scene look warmer.