Photoshop Tutorial: Increase Photo Contrast with Black and White Points

Contrast is one of the most important elements of photography. It helps to create a sense of depth and dimension in an image, and it can make your photos more visually stunning. There are a number of ways to increase contrast in Photoshop, but one of the most common and effective methods is to use the black and white points adjustment.

What are Black and White Points?

In Photoshop, black and white points are the two points on the tonal scale that represent the darkest and lightest shades of gray in an image. The black point is the value that corresponds to pure black, and the white point is the value that corresponds to pure white.

By adjusting the black and white points, you can control the range of contrast in an image. When you increase the black point, you are darkening the darkest shadows in the image. When you decrease the white point, you are lightening the brightest highlights in the image.

How to Increase Photo Contrast with Black and White Points

To increase photo contrast with black and white points, follow these steps:

1. Open the image you want to adjust in Photoshop.
2. Go to Image > Adjustments > Curves.
3. In the Curves dialog box, click and drag the black point eyedropper to the darkest shadow in the image. This will darken all of the shadows in the image.
4. Click and drag the white point eyedropper to the brightest highlight in the image. This will lighten all of the highlights in the image.
5. You can also adjust the midpoint of the curve to control the overall brightness of the image. A midpoint value of 0.5 will give you a neutral image, while values above 0.5 will make the image brighter, and values below 0.5 will make the image darker.
6. Click OK to apply the changes.

Tips for Increasing Photo Contrast with Black and White Points

• Start by making small adjustments to the black and white points. You can always add more contrast later if you need to.
• Use the midpoint slider to fine-tune the overall brightness of the image.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment with different values to see what works best for your image.
• If you are not happy with the results, you can always undo the adjustment.

Conclusion

The black and white points adjustment is a powerful tool that can help you to increase the contrast in your photos. By following the steps in this tutorial, you can learn how to use this adjustment to create images that are more visually stunning.