An excellent tutorial on how to use your Levels tool from 'House of Retouching'

[JBW]

Apparently I had no idea how to use the levels tool.

http://blog.phaseone.com/levels-the-...mpaign=w32_IQP

[billtils]

There's quite a good tutorial on this obscure () web site too: https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/levels.htm

[JBW]

There's quite a good tutorial on this obscure () web site too: https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/levels.htm

indeed there is but when you learn as slowly as I do more than one teacher comes in handy

[dje]

Brian I use the Levels control in PS more than any other adjustment. It's a very convenient tool to readily tweek the black and white points and the mid point control is very good for removing that slightly washed out look you sometimes get in an image (particularly landscapes).

Dave

[Manfred M]

Brian - I'm with Dave on this and this is definitely the first thing I do whenever I open a file; use the levels tool to set the black point, white point and mid-point. There are a few times I won't use it, and those are circumstances where either the camera has gotten it right or when more serious surgery is required and I use curve adjustments (by colour channel) instead.

Using the levels tool properly gives your images good dynamic range and probably influences how good your image colours are more than just about any other adjustment.

[James G]

the first thing I do whenever I open a file; use the levels tool to set the black point, white point and mid-point.

Brian +1 from me,

[DanK]

I agree that it is extremely useful, and the lack of a simple levels tool is my major complaint about the tonality controls in Lightroom. I would much rather start with that than any other tonality adjustment. You can get reasonably close with LR, but it is not the same.

[dje]

the lack of a simple levels tool is my major complaint about the tonality controls in Lightroom. You can get reasonably close with LR, but it is not the same.

Yes that omission has always puzzled me too. The midpoint slider in the PS Levels tool is a gamma power law adjustment and you can get something similar by dragging the mid-point of the Curves adjustment in LR/ACR but it's not the same.

Dave