Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Step 11:
One thing we haven't talked about thus
far is the Auto Tone button (found above
the right side of the Exposure slider), and
even though it's a “one-click fix,” it actually
does a pretty decent job in a lot of cases.
It's especially handy when you've got a shot
that's really a mess (exposure-wise), and
you're not sure where to start fixing it. You
can at least give this try and see how
it does. If you don't like the result, just
press
Command-Z (PC: Ctrl-Z)
to undo
the Auto Tone. This one will surprise you
sometimes and do a brilliant job (and
sometimes it just totally blows your photo
out). So, it's at least worth trying, if for
nothing else than to give you a decent
starting place.
TIP: Resetting Your Sliders
You can reset any slider to its original
setting by double-clicking on the little
slider “nub” (that thing that you drag), but
I find it's easier just to double-click on the
name of the slider—that resets it, too.
Step 12:
Here's the image after clicking the Auto
Tone button. You can see that while it
doesn't do a totally kick-butt job, it
doesn't do a rotten job either (so it's at
least usable as a starting point, if you're
stuck about where to start). Sometimes
it works great, other times…not so much,
but at least it's usable. One thing to watch
out for: I can't explain why, but sometimes
when you use it, it will actually tweak the
image so it now has clipped highlights.
I know—ideally it should know better, but
sometimes it just doesn't, so keep an eye
out for that, and if it does clip your high-
lights, drag the Highlights slider to the left
until they go away.
Okay, these are the main sliders you'll use
to adjust your exposure. You'll find that
some images need just a single tweak, and
some need all four, but luckily now you
know what they do.
