Output Sliders

The sliders on the Output Levels bar below the histogram contain the Output Level controls. Use these controls to set the range of colors in the image.

• The white slider on the right sets the maximum value for the range.
• The black slider on the left sets the minimum value for the range.

You can use the Output Level controls to decrease the contrast in the image. For example, suppose that you set the minimum value to 100. A pixel with a color value of 0 is remapped to 100. Pixels with color values greater than 0 are remapped to the appropriate values. This has the effect of lightening the image and decreasing the contrast in the shadow areas.

Now suppose that you set the maximum value for the range to 200. A pixel with a color value of 255 is remapped to 200. Pixels with color values less than 255 are remapped to the corresponding values. This has the effect of darkening the image and decreasing the contrast in the highlight areas.

You can also set the maximum and minimum limits for the color range by setting the values directly in the Maximum and Minimum fields.

Example: To reduce contrast with the Output sliders:

1. Click the Histogram button in the Color Correction Controls panel to display the histogram.
2. Click the Master, Shadows, Midtones, or High-lights button to select the areas of the image that you want to modify.
3. Click the RGB, Red, Green, or Blue button to se-lect the channel that you want to work with.
4. Do one of the following:
• Position the cursor on the black slider below the Output Levels bar. Adjust the level until the value that you want to use as the lower limit appears in the Minimum field. This has the effect of lightening the shadow areas.
• Position the cursor on the white slider below the Output Levels bar. Adjust the level until the value that you want to use as the upper limit appears in the Maximum field. This has the effect of decreasing the brightness in the highlight areas.