Brightness and contrast — Input checklist

Worked example

Decide first whether the photo is dim, flat or tinted, because brightness, contrast and warmth each fix a different problem.

Imagine a potter photographing a mug on a cloudy afternoon, a 3000 × 2000 px JPG. If the whole frame is dim, brightness is the first fix. If the mug looks grey and milky even though the exposure is fine, the picture is flat and needs contrast. If the white backdrop looks yellow or blue, you want Warmth. Naming the problem first stops you from pushing every slider at once.

Look for areas that are already lost. In a JPG, pure white sky or a glossy glaze highlight with no texture cannot be recovered, and a deep black shadow stays black. Zoom to 100% on the brightest and darkest parts and note whether any detail is visible there, because that decides how far you can safely go.

Pick a source taken under consistent light. A set of ten mug photos shot at different times will not match after one fixed adjustment. Start with the best-exposed picture, find numbers you like for it, and treat the other nine as separate cases.

The common mistake is judging on a laptop screen at full brightness or at night with the display dimmed. View the file on the screen your customers use, or at a medium brightness, and compare it with a known-good photo before you decide the image is too dark.

Underexposed photograph

Adjusted image; highlights inspected

Name the exact problem (dim, flat or tinted) first; one unclear complaint leads to over-editing.