Mastering Adobe Photoshop Elements

Mastering contrast, color, sharpness, and clarity

Contrast, or more specifically, the lack of contrast, is often the most noticeable fault in many pictures. This is partly because cameras are designed to capture images in a lower contrast than we perhaps remember – and in doing so, they capture a slightly wider range of tones than if it was recording higher contrast from the get-go. I equate this effect with the difference between professional film and film bought over the counter in supermarkets. The supermarket products always looked superficially really good because they were super-colorful and quite contrasty. But they were no good for commercial photographers because they would not record valuable detail in the highlights – such as a white ...