Image Adjustments & Filters

Image Adjustments Overview

Image adjustments allow you to modify the tonal range, color balance, and overall appearance of your images. The Picify Editor provides both basic adjustments for quick fixes and advanced controls for precise corrections.

Access adjustments through the Filter menu or the Adjustments panel. For non-destructive editing, consider using adjustment layers that can be modified or removed at any time.

Brightness/Contrast

The simplest adjustment for improving image exposure and punch. Great for quick fixes and global adjustments.

Brightness

Controls the overall lightness or darkness of the image.

• Positive values: Lighten the image
• Negative values: Darken the image
• Range: -100 to +100

Contrast

Controls the difference between light and dark areas.

• Positive values: Increase contrast (more dramatic)
• Negative values: Decrease contrast (more flat)
• Range: -100 to +100

Hue/Saturation

Adjust the colors in your image by modifying hue (color), saturation (intensity), and lightness.

Hue

Shifts all colors around the color wheel.

• Range: -180 to +180 degrees
• Effect: Changes colors completely (e.g., turns red to blue)
• Use case: Creative color effects, correcting color casts

Saturation

Controls color intensity or vibrancy.

• Positive values: More vivid, intense colors
• Negative values: More muted colors
• -100: Completely desaturated (black and white)

Lightness

Adjusts brightness while preserving color relationships.

• Positive values: Brighten colors toward white
• Negative values: Darken colors toward black

Targeted Color Adjustments

Most Hue/Saturation controls allow you to target specific colors:

• Select a color range (Reds, Yellows, Greens, Cyans, Blues, Magentas)
• Adjustments only affect that color range
• Perfect for enhancing skies, foliage, or skin tones independently

Color Balance

Fine-tune the overall color of your image by adjusting the balance between complementary color pairs.

Color Pairs

• Cyan/Red: Add warmth (red) or coolness (cyan)
• Magenta/Green: Correct green or magenta color casts
• Yellow/Blue: Warm up (yellow) or cool down (blue)

Tonal Targeting

Apply color balance differently to:

• Shadows: Affect only the darkest areas
• Midtones: Affect middle tones (most common)
• Highlights: Affect only the brightest areas

Levels

Levels gives you precise control over the tonal range of your image using a histogram display.

Understanding the Histogram

The histogram shows the distribution of tones in your image:

• Left side: Shadows (dark tones)
• Middle: Midtones
• Right side: Highlights (bright tones)
• Height: Number of pixels at each brightness level

Input Levels

• Black point slider: Drag right to deepen shadows
• White point slider: Drag left to brighten highlights
• Midtone slider (gamma): Adjust overall brightness without clipping

Output Levels

• Limit the darkest and brightest values in the output
• Useful for reducing contrast or preparing for specific output requirements

Using Levels Effectively

1. Look at the histogram to identify issues
2. If there's a gap on the right, drag the white point left to the edge of data
3. If there's a gap on the left, drag the black point right to the edge of data
4. Adjust the midtone slider to fine-tune overall brightness

Curves

Curves is the most powerful tonal adjustment tool, offering complete control over the relationship between input and output values.

Understanding the Curve

• The diagonal line represents the tonal mapping
• Horizontal axis: Input values (original tones)
• Vertical axis: Output values (resulting tones)
• A straight diagonal means no change

Basic Curve Adjustments

• Brighten: Click the middle of the curve and drag up
• Darken: Click the middle and drag down
• Increase contrast: Create an S-curve (lift highlights, lower shadows)
• Decrease contrast: Create an inverted S-curve

Channel-Specific Curves

Work on individual color channels for precise color correction:

• Red channel: Add red by lifting, add cyan by lowering
• Green channel: Add green by lifting, add magenta by lowering
• Blue channel: Add blue by lifting, add yellow by lowering

Auto Adjustments

When you need quick results, auto adjustments analyze your image and apply corrections automatically.

Auto Tone

Automatically adjusts the tonal range by setting the darkest pixels to black and the brightest to white. Good for images that appear flat or lack contrast.

Auto Contrast

Similar to Auto Tone but preserves the overall color balance. Adjusts contrast without shifting colors.

Auto Color

Attempts to correct color casts by neutralizing the midtones. Useful for images with unwanted color tints.

Blur Effects

Blur filters soften the image or create motion and depth effects.

Gaussian Blur

The most common blur type. Creates a smooth, even blur in all directions.

• Radius: Controls blur intensity (higher = more blur)
• Use cases: Soften backgrounds, create glow effects, smooth skin

Motion Blur

Creates a directional blur that simulates movement.

• Angle: Direction of the blur (0-360 degrees)
• Distance: Length of the blur streaks
• Use cases: Simulate speed, create dynamic effects

Box Blur

A faster but less smooth blur algorithm. Useful for creating pixelated effects at low settings.

Radial Blur

Creates blur that radiates from a center point.

• Spin: Rotational blur around the center
• Zoom: Blur that radiates outward (speed effect)

Sharpen and Noise

Sharpen

Increases edge contrast to make the image appear crisper.

• Amount: Intensity of sharpening
• Radius: Size of the sharpening halo
• Threshold: Prevents sharpening of smooth areas

Unsharp Mask

Despite its name, this is a sharpening tool that offers more control than basic sharpen. The name comes from a traditional darkroom technique.

Add Noise

Adds grain or texture to an image.

• Amount: Intensity of the noise
• Uniform: Even distribution of noise
• Gaussian: Random distribution (more natural)
• Monochromatic: Grayscale noise only

Reduce Noise

Smooths noise while attempting to preserve edges and details.

• Strength: How much noise to remove
• Preserve Details: Balance between smoothing and detail retention

Artistic Effects

Posterize

Reduces the number of colors/tones, creating a poster-like effect.

• Levels: Number of tonal levels (2-255)
• Lower values create more dramatic, graphic effects
• Good for creating pop art or illustrative looks

Invert

Creates a negative of the image by inverting all colors. Each pixel becomes its opposite on the color wheel.

Threshold

Converts the image to pure black and white (no gray).

• Pixels brighter than the threshold become white
• Pixels darker become black
• Great for creating high-contrast graphics or masks

Desaturate

Removes all color, converting to grayscale while keeping the image in RGB mode.

Sepia

Applies a warm brown tone reminiscent of old photographs.

Vignette

Darkens the corners and edges of the image, drawing attention to the center.

• Amount: How dark the edges become
• Feather: Softness of the transition
• Size: How far the effect extends from corners

Adjustment Best Practices

• Start with global adjustments: Fix overall exposure and contrast before making local adjustments.
• Use subtle changes: Multiple small adjustments look more natural than one dramatic change.
• Check different areas: An adjustment that looks good in one area might damage another.
• Use adjustment layers: Preserve the original and maintain flexibility.
• Calibrate your monitor: What you see should match what others see.
• Take breaks: Your eyes adapt. Step away and return with fresh eyes.