Levels and curves decide whether your image feels flat or alive. Learn what each control is and you will shape the opposite, color and attention with the purpose instead of anticipation.
Aaron is coming from Ness with you ForkThis clear video moves through levels and curves in Photoshop so that you can see what really changes on the screen. You set the NACE set black and white points, nudge, and use the output level to lift the shade without blowing the highlight. Seeing similar moves in both tools, there is a rapid cut in confusion. You also see how a simple reset protects experiments so that you can try bold shifts without commitment.
NACE then shows why you earn by keeping your control when you want control in specific tonal zones. One click adds a point, two clicks form a classic S-vic, and suddenly, your dark darkness is while your bright pops are pop. He uses an on-image adjustment tool to target the ton directly. Click on a cheek, pull up, and lift the skin; Click on the jacket, pull down, and arrange the texture. This direct manipulation teaches you to think in the range, not sliders, which speeds up decisions and reduces targetless Twittings.
In theory, color becomes practical without drowning. You see how channel-specific moves in levels add Cyan to highlights or blue shade, and how can the curve be with fine control if you dig the digits. The NCE then examines a cool reality: when the target is a straight color balance, the color balance is faster and more comfortable than pushing the channels in the adjustment level or curves. This distinction matters when you want repeated results on a time limit. Keep the light and targeted tints decreasing for sculpture, when you are correcting the cast in shade, midtones or highlights, use color balance.
You also see a smart combo of masks with adjustment to lead the eye. Protects NCE highlights brightens the subject with curves, then uses levels with a shield mask to darken the sky and add mood to the top of the frame. This step is clearly read as it is non-destructive and easy to refine. He closes the loop by separating the sky by separating the sky and transferring its color through individual channels, creating a stild look that still respects in detail. You learn a pattern worth copying: adjust the light first to set the structure, then the weather with color in controlled areas, and always allow the mask to be lifted.
What you do not want to miss in the video are small habits that save hours over time. See how the NACE location to avoid banding gives the curve points, how far he pulls output blacks before the image looks foggy, and when he uses midpoint ideopper to neutralize an artist. Note how he resettates rapidly to compare the tricks, and how he balances global adjustment with simple radial or linear gradients. Those micro options add to a complete editing.
If you are deciding which tool to be committed to, learn overlap and then bend on each strength. When you want clarity without disturbance, the levels for clean black and white points and midtones are sharp. The curve is your accurate means when you require separate control over shadows, true midtones, and highlights, or when you want to keep the opposite local while keeping the global balance. Neither is “right” in all cases, and once you stop behaving as rivals you will work fast. Watch the video above for full randon from NACE.
