Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
When Adobe was developing the Clarity control, they had actually considered
calling the slider “Punch,” because it adds midtone contrast to your photo,
which makes it look, well…more punchy. So, when you see an image that needs
more snap or punch (I use it on almost every photo), then get some clarity.
Step One:
Here's the original photo, without any
clarity being applied. Now, because (as
I said above) clarity adds midtone contrast
to your photo, it makes the photo appear
to have had the midtones sharpened, and
that's what gives it its punch. But before you
apply any clarity, to really see the effects of
the slider, you should zoom in to a 1:1 view,
so head over to the Navigator panel and
click on 1:1 first to get you to a 100% view
of your image (shown below).
Step Two:
Now, just click-and-drag the Clarity slider
to the right to add more punch and mid-
tone contrast (dragging to the left actually
decreases midtone contrast, so you might
want to try a Clarity setting of -100 to
soften and diffuse a portrait). I apply
between +25 and +50 clarity to nearly
every photo I process, with the only excep-
tion being photos that I intentionally want
to be softer and less contrasty (so, for a
portrait of a mother and baby, or a close-
up portrait of a woman, I leave the Clarity
slider set to 0 or use a negative number).
For images that can really “eat up” the
clarity, like architectural shots (like the
one you see here) or sweeping landscapes,
I'll sometimes go as high as +75, but as
always, you just have to look at the photo,
apply some clarity, and see which amount
looks best to you. You can really see
the effect of clarity in the example here,
where I took the amount to 100, but as
I said, +75 is about my top end limit (if you
go too high, you'll sometimes see a dark
glow around the edges of your subject).
