Lightroom Tone Curve Trick for better photo edits!

The tone curve is the best way to add global contrast to your images...

Many photographers use the contrast slider, which is easy to use but often not a great way to add contrast. This slider adds global contrast to your image by brightening highlights and darkening shadows, but you can't customize how much the shadows drop while the highlights rise.

For this reason, the tone curve is a far more effective way to add contrast. Some photos may look better with just a slight adjustment to the highlights combined with a significant drop in the shadows, or vice versa. Regardless of what your image looks like, the tone curve will give you the most control over its overall look.

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[Zatore_]

There are times to use the contrast slider and times to use curves. Dont just tell people to do this with every photo and not provide good reasons for doing it. People will assume the contrast slider is bad or something and ignore it when it would actually work just fine. Curves are incredibly powerful and can mess up images way faster than the sliders.

[minor_shadow]

There is never a “NEVER DO THIS” or it wouldn’t be a thing.

[owenmckee]

that is exactly what the contrast slider does.

[factarchive]

100% agree, do this for all the value adjustments except exposure, controlling your transfer curve and exposure separately is very useful

[Thehackerguy]

I used the contrast slider to add back contrast when I have a flatter tone curve. Everything is a tool just take a week where you don’t use the contrast slider so you can understand tone curves better and work them back into your workflow.

[jpdj]

I would start with the tone curve, but adjust the black point and the white point. In the video, it seems as if at the left end of the diagram's X axis there are no pixels with that low X value. So sliding the black point horizontally right means you define a very dark grey as black. At the other end the same applies to white. By narrowing the raw value range you pull the entire image open and this looks like more contrast superficially. It also opens up gradation.
Works only if the dynamic range in the subject is smaller than the camera's contrast envelope (dynamic range in one shot).

[youritguy]

You are the only person that has said using the contrast slider is bad.. There are other photographers out there that have never made this bold statement before...

[muhdadib]

A question. Should i use the curves if I already use the sliders? I've seen people do both sometimes

[islandvideoviewer]

But can you tell me why it's better than the contrast curve?

[NikAndres_]

To whoever is learning photography, don't trust anyone who says "this is right" "always do this" or similar. In this case, extra red flag on the black lift saved as preset. Doing this without a purpose is not good for learning photography and the visual language.

[Zlap]

the position of the two points of the S is not exactly at the same place for every pictures !!!

[asdfgh]

Thank you for this. I just got my first proper camera, upgraded from a phone lol, and currently trying to learn to use post processing software. Super informative, thank you

[rolandkarlsson]

No - not to every photo. Making an S-curve emulates film. You get more contrast in the mid tones and less contrast at the ends. That is often nice. But not always. If you do not want every image to emulate film.

[LocalGuideClyde]

Ah the "curves are secret magic" cult. How do you think you'd go about programming a contrast slider?

[wa-at_alahf]

I would not suggest that for weddings 😊😊😊 and don't forget to save it as presets.

[Answersonapostcard]

You’re telling people how to edit a photo that you’ve never personally seen. This video is pure nonsense