> PHOTOSHOP USER>^ FEBRUARY 2020[ 88 ]
Levels has some basic controls
in the form of two sets of sliders
with text fields for input. At the
very top of the Properties panel
(Window>Properties) is a histo-
gram, showing a representation
of each luminosity value’s relative
“strength” in your image.
In the bottom half of this
image, take a look at the gradient,
which goes from 20% to 80%
gray (as opposed to a pure black
of 0% and pure white of 100%).
I’ve treated the top half with a
Posterize adjustment layer to
make the distribution more clear.
The guides are there to show even
1/3 divisions.
Note: The Posterize function
here isn’t going to show 20% or
80% gray because of how it works.
Just pay attention to the size and
position of the bands and try to
ignore the quirks of Posterize.
Dragging the Levels sliders
beneath the histogram toward
the edges of the graph balances
out the columns. In this way, the
shadows and highlights have been
expanded, and the entire range of
gray values is more balanced. What
we’ve done is remapped the black
and white points with the Input
sliders, so that 20% gray becomes
“black,” and 80% gray becomes
“white.” I then ran Posterize again
on the corrected gradient.
The Output sliders control
the results of those endpoint
mappings, and can be used forcreative looks by limiting the amount of black or total brightness. The original intent
of the Output sliders was to control ink density for printing. Moving the Output
sliders redefines the total endpoints that the Input sliders map to on a range from
0 to 255.SCOT TVALENTINE
Photoshop Proving Ground
LEVELS MAGIC
By now you’re probably pretty familiar with Levels, but it’s worth digging into how this original Photoshop
tool actually works, and looking at some hidden features for getting even more oomph in your work.20%–80% gradient with Posterize adjustment
layer applied above itCorrected bandsHistogram on Levels Properties panelCorrected histogram