File Type: Adobe Photoshop® Curves adjustment
File Extension: *.acv
Purpose: Decreases contrast in the shadow and highlight areas.
Increases contrast in the middle tone areas.
Click the Download button. Follow your web browser's instructions for
saving this file onto your computer. Make sure you remember where you save
it. The file name is tz-curves-s.acv. If you rename the file, do not
change the extension. Leave it .acv. Photoshop does not require you
to save this file in its directory in order to use it.
After downloading, if prompted to Open the file or Close the download dialog
box, close the dialog box.
To apply the S curve adjustment to an image.
Figure 1A. Shadow Anchor Point
Figure 1B. Highlight Anchor Point
Figure 2. Layers Palette
- Create a Curves adjustment layer by clicking Layer > New Adjustment
Layer > Curves.
- Name the adjustment layer and click OK. Any name can be used, but the
name S Curve may be useful.
- Click the Load button on the Curves dialog box.
- Browse till you find the file. The default name is tz-curves-s.acv.
- Highlight the file and click Load. The Curves dialog box should look
something like Figure 1A.
- If desired, Ctrl + Tab (Command + Tab) until Input anchor 77, the shadow
anchor, is selected. See Figure 1A. By default, I have created a five
point adjustment. As we can see, the Input value is 77 and the Output value
is 72. Input value 77 is the mid point of Zone III. Zone III is where
discernable detail shows up in the shadow areas. To change the location
where contrast transitions, click in the Input text box and use the Up/Down
arrow keys to change the Input value. Decreasing the Input value on the
shadow anchor will reduce the shadow area where contrast is being lowered
and increase the middle tone area where contrast is being increased. Be
sure to keep the Output value for the shadow anchor less than the
Input value.
- If desired, change the amount of the adjustment by clicking in the
Output text box and use the Up/Down arrow keys to change the Output value
for the shadow anchor. The closer the Output value is to the Input value,
the less of an impact the adjustment will have.
- Ctrl + Tab (Command + Tab) until Input anchor 179, the highlight anchor,
is selected. See Figure 1B. By default, I have created a five point
adjustment. As we can see, the Input value is 179 and the Output value is
184. Input value 179 is the mid point of Zone VII. Zone VII is where
discernable detail shows up in the highlight areas. To change the location
where contrast transitions, click in the Input text box and use the Up/Down
arrow keys to change the Input value. Increasing the Input value on the
highlight anchor will reduce the highlight area where contrast is being
lowered and increase the middle tone area where contrast is being
increased. Be sure to keep the Output value for the shadow anchor
greater than the Input value.
- If desired, change the amount of the adjustment by clicking in the
Output text box and use the Up/Down arrow keys to change the Output value
for the highlight anchor. The closer the Output value is to the Input
value, the less of an impact the adjustment will have.
- Once all adjustments have been made, click OK to close the Curves dialog
box.
- Click the Curves adjustment layer in the Layers palette to highlight
it. Use the drop down box and change the blending mode to Luminosity. This
will confine the adjustment to changing tone only and will not affect any
colors in the image. See Figure 2.
- If the adjustment layer is not already the top layer in the Layers
palette, click and drag it to the topmost position.
