Adjusting exposure in the Exposure tool

Adjusting exposure in the Exposure tool

The Exposure slider in the Exposure tool works like the camera’s exposure compensation dial, lightening or darkening the image and shifting the color and luminance values in the histogram to the left or right.

It is particularly efficient at recovering highlight or shadow detail from RAW files without introducing color casts or hue shifts over a range of -1.5 to +2 steps. However, adjustment can change the appearance of colors by altering the saturation.

The slider is continuously adjustable over a range of ±4 steps. However, exposure can be adjusted in regular values of 0.1 steps using the up/down keys or whole steps using the Shift modifier with the up/down keys. 

A special algorithm is adopted to prevent clipping when making extreme adjustments to previously processed files such as JPEGs, provided that new black and white points have not already been set using the Levels tool.

1. Select the image or images to be adjusted.
   
   
2. Go to the Exposure tool tab.
   
   
3. From the Exposure panel, move the Exposure slider to the left to decrease exposure and darken images. Move the Exposure slider to the right to increase exposure and lighten images.
   
   

In this tutorial, learn how to adjust exposure using the Exposure slider.

Applying Auto exposure

The Exposure panel includes an Auto exposure icon  in the title bar. The exposure correction is based partly on the original meter reading in the Exposure Evaluation panel and an average exposure based on the 18% reflectance of a middle gray card or mid-tone surface. It also adopts smart tech to prevent color casts or hue shifts. While it is useful as a starting point, exposure may be subject to creative intent and there are certain scenarios where it is suitable for.

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