How, When & Why I Use The Tone Curve

what, where, why?

The Tone Curve: maybe the most powerful tool found in Lightroom. In the most simple terms, the Tone Curve allows you to control the lightness and darkness of your photo, and affect its overall contrast levels. Just the slightest adjustments using it can completely transform an unprocessed image.

If you’re new to Lightroom, the Tone Curve panel can be found on the right directly below the Basic tools. If you hover over the different regions of the curve, you’ll see what will be affected in your photograph. The top right of the curve impacts the highlights, the middle impacts the midtones (lights and darks), and the bottom left the shadows. Start playing around with the different sliders and watch how the curve and your photograph change. 

how & why I use it

When I begin post processing, the very first thing I do is adjust these sliders, which is why I wanted my first Lightroom blog post to be about the Tone Curve. Why do I start here? Because even the most minimal adjustments can dramatically improve your photograph. Most importantly, I find that it helps prevent over processing down the line. 

This is something I learned in a photography workshop hosted by Chris Burkard - my favorite photographer and probably one of the most successful modern day photographers. Not only does Chris begin with the Tone Curve and spend most of his time there, his overall post processing adjustments are incredibly minimal. 

Chris Burkard discussing how he edited one of his most famous images. The majority of the edits happened within the Tone Curve.

This was eye opening for me as I’d become victim to the Instagram vortex where crushing your shadows and establishing a two tone gallery are the prerequisites for becoming a “good photographer.” Chris’s photos are among the best in the world, and I couldn’t help but admire how much he upholds the integrity of his photos and the story behind them. I learned to focus on simply enriching the tones, colors and mood that already come natural to the photograph - versus photoshopping a new reality or worrying about consistency in my Instagram gallery.

Why the Chris Burkard story and Instagram rant? Because I think it all comes back to the Tone Curve and keeping things simple. I believe spending most of your post processing efforts in the Tone Curve panel and saving the other tools for minor adjustments is the recipe for a beautiful photograph. I haven’t mastered it, and I’m not sure I ever will, but I’ve outlined some of the basics below to help get you started.

getting started

While it can look intimidating at first - especially if you’re new to photography and learning the difference between your highlights and shadows - making adjustments is fairly simple. 

An easy way to get started is by clicking the Tone Curve icon in the top left of the Tone Curve panel, and then clicking and dragging over the region of the photograph you want to adjust. For example, if you click over the darkest region of your image and start to drag the cursor down, you’ll see the shadow slider automatically move to the left. If you drag up, it will move to the right. Depending on where you put the cursor, you might even see more than one slider move as you drag up/down.

You can then start to adjust the sliders manually to make minor adjustments. If it’s easier for you to adjust manually from the beginning, that’s perfectly fine too.

the point curve

The Point Curve is another tool within the Tone Curve panel that you can use for advanced adjustments. While a more manual process, it can be fun to play around with as it gives you the ability to make granular tonal adjustments to any part of your photo. 

Note: There are unlimited presets available out there that come with Point Curve settings. While I don’t recommend simply copying these presets, they can be a great jumping off point for finding your own style.

To use the Point Curve tool, simply click the icon in the bottom right corner of the panel. The sliders will disappear and the curve will become Linear by default (the adjustments you made with the sliders will still be applied). You can then either use the drop down menu to change from Linear to Lightroom’s Medium Contrast or Strong Contrast curves, or you can build your own custom curve. This is as simple as clicking on points along the line and then dragging those points up or down. 

Click the icon in the bottom right corner of the panel [left image] to build custom curve [right image].

If you want to make your image brighter, click to make a point in the center and then drag up. Drag down to make it darker. If you want to get more advanced, you can make points in different regions (highlights, midtones and shadows) to adjust different aspects of your image. You’ll notice in the example below, the curve takes the shape of an “S”. This is a standard technique I’ll get into next.

the “S” curve

The “S” curve is a dependable technique used to darken the shadows - adding contrast - and lighten the brighter regions of the image. To do this, start by adding three points to the Linear line - one in the middle, and then one in the midway area of both the top and bottom regions [see example]. You can then drag each point up or down to make adjustments to the curve.

To end up with an “S” curve, begin by dragging the bottom point down (darkening your shadows) and then the top point up (brightening your highlights). If you want that popular “Instagram look”, try pulling up the point in the very bottom corner. This will add a fade to your shadows. You can do the same to your highlights by pulling the point in the very top corner down.

Play around with this until you find the look you’re going for. If you get stuck or frustrated, go ahead and find a preset pack to help you get started. FilterGrade.com has a ton of options and styles, and they won’t break the bank. There’s a lot of stigma around using presets, but I personally don’t have a problem with them if used for inspiration and as a way to get started (I’m guilty!) - versus a simple copy and paste.

get your hands dirty

The best way to get to know the Tone Curve is to dive in and start playing around. If you find a look that you like, remember that you can save individual Point Curve settings and apply them to future images. Just try not to get in the habit of applying and then calling it a day. Make adjustments based on the individual photo. Also remember to use BOTH the sliders and Point Curve to find the best look.

I admittedly have a passionate love/hate relationship with the Tone Curve. While it’s remarkable what it can do to your image, I can obsess over it for hours on end. If you ever find yourself in this situation - and I can pretty much guarantee you will - I recommend walking away from the computer and revisiting the image either in a few hours or the next day. It’s amazing what a fresh eye can see.