How to Use the Curves Adjustment in Affinity Photo

Posted on 16th June 2023

What are Curves Adjustments?

Curves adjustments are a powerful tool that can be used to make global or selective changes to the tonal range and color balance of an image. They can be used to correct exposure problems, boost contrast, and add punch to an image. Curves adjustments can also be used to create special effects, such as increasing the appearance of shadows or highlights, or changing the overall color cast of an image.

How to Use Curves Adjustments in Affinity Photo

To access the Curves Adjustment tool in Affinity Photo, go to the Develop persona and select the Curves Adjustment tool from the Adjustments toolbox.

Once the Curves Adjustment tool is selected, a new adjustment layer will be added to the layers stack. By default, this layer will be named “Curves 1”.

To make changes to the image, simply click on the image itself to add control points. As you add control points, you’ll see a corresponding curve appear in the Curves Adjustment dialog box. The control points can be moved up or down to lighten or darken the tones of the image, or they can be moved left or right to change the color balance.

If you want to make global changes to the image, you can click and drag anywhere on the curve itself. For more precise control, you can use the control points at the ends of the curve.

To make selective changes to the image, you can use the Brush tool to paint the changes onto the image. Simply select the Brush tool from the toolbox, and then adjust the size and hardness of the brush as desired. Then, paint over the areas of the image that you want to affect.

If you make a mistake, you can always undo your changes by pressing Ctrl+Z (PC) or Cmd+Z (Mac).

Tips for Using Curves Adjustments

Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of Curves Adjustments in Affinity Photo:

  • If you’re not sure where to start, try using the Auto button in the Curves Adjustment dialog box. This will automatically adjust the curves based on the image content.
  • If you want to make global changes to the image, it’s often best to start with the control points at the ends of the curve. This will allow you to make broader changes without affecting the midtones too much.
  • If you want to make selective changes to the image, it’s often best to start with the control points in the middle of the curve. This will allow you to target specific areas of the image without affecting the overall tonal range.
  • Remember that you can always undo your changes if you don’t like the results. Simply press Ctrl+Z (PC) or Cmd+Z (Mac) to undo the last change.

Conclusion

Curves adjustments are a powerful tool that can be used to make global or selective changes to the tonal range and color balance of an image. They can be used to correct exposure problems, boost contrast, and add punch to an image. Curves adjustments can also be used to create special effects, such as increasing the appearance of shadows or highlights, or changing the overall color cast of an image.

With a little practice, you’ll be able to use Curves Adjustments to create stunning images that are sure to impress your friends and family.

The Curves adjustment in Affinity Photo is a very powerful tool that can be used to make a variety of global and local adjustments to an image. In this tutorial, we will take a look at how to use the Curves adjustment to improve the overall contrast of an image.

First, we will add a Curves adjustment layer to our image. To do this, go to the Layers panel and click on the “Create new adjustment layer” button. Then, select “Curves” from the list of adjustment layers.

Next, we will need to select the “Input” and “Output” drop-down menus. The “Input” drop-down menu will determine which pixels in the image will be affected by the adjustment. For our purposes, we will want to select “Luminosity” from the “Input” drop-down menu. The “Output” drop-down menu will determine where the pixels will be mapped to after the adjustment is made. We will leave this set to “Linear”.

Now that we have our Curves adjustment layer set up, we can begin making adjustments to the image. To increase the overall contrast of the image, we will need to drag the middle point of the curve upwards. As we do this, we will see the shadows in the image become darker and the highlights become brighter.

We can also make local adjustments to the image by adding additional points to the curve. To do this, simply click on the curve where you want to add a point and then drag it up or down to the desired level.

Once you are happy with the overall contrast of the image, you can fine-tune the adjustment by using the “Highlights” and “Shadows” sliders. The “Highlights” slider will lighten the pixels in the highlights, while the “Shadows” slider will darken the pixels in the shadows.

That’s all there is to using the Curves adjustment in Affinity Photo! By following the steps in this tutorial, you should be able to quickly and easily improve the overall contrast of your images.

The Curves Adjustment in Affinity Photo is one of the most powerful tools available for image editing. By understanding how to use the Curves Adjustment, you can make global or selective changes to the tonal range and color balance of your images.

In Affinity Photo, the Curves Adjustment is found in the Develop persona. To access the Curves Adjustment, simply click on the Develop persona icon in the Affinity Photo toolbar.

Once you have clicked on the Develop persona icon, the Curves Adjustment will be displayed in the Adjustments panel. To make changes to the Curves Adjustment, simply click and drag on the curve.

The Curves Adjustment is a powerful tool that can be used to make global or selective changes to the tonal range and color balance of your images. By understanding how to use the Curves Adjustment, you can take your image editing to the next level.