Intermediate Contrast Adjustments

Exposure does have an effect on contrast, but generally it’s governed by the lens, film and lighting.

Contrast can also be controlled through the chemistry, materials, techniques and algorithms used in  processing and printing. Digital images are processed either in the camera or the lightroom, so contrast adjustments can be made at the time of exposure or during post-processing. When you adjust the contrast in a digital camera, you’re altering how the raw image from the sensor is processed just before it’s saved to memory.

Contrast is the relationship between the light and dark tones of an image. The further apart these values, the more contrast or separation the image is said to have.

Vibrancy is an attribute of color that is also related to contrast. Images with more contrast are naturally more vibrant. Generally speaking, a lens with higher contrast will also render more vibrant color. However, digitally, we can control contrast without affecting vibrancy.

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Curves
Undoubtedly the most powerful tool for adjusting contrast. As many as fourteen points can be placed on a curve, creating fifteen independent areas of contrast control. This control can be expanded to each of the image’s color channels as well. Knowing how to use curves properly can make or break an image. It’s easy to severely damage the tonal structure of an image by using complex curves, so they’re not for the faint of heart.

Contrast can be controlled independently of vibrance by using the Luminosity blend mode.

Vibrance can be controlled independently of contrast by using the Color blend mode.