Zone System curve
- Instructions -

File Type:  Adobe Photoshop^® Curves adjustment

File Extension:  *.acv
Purpose:  Shows Zone System mid-points on the master channel of the Photoshop Curves control.  Zone 0 and X are shown at points 0 and 255.  This control does not actually alter an image.  It just shows the approximate location of the Zone System mid-points on the Photoshop Curves control.

---

Download the File

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-zone-system.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.

After downloading, if prompted to Open the file or Close the download dialog box, close the dialog box.
 

Add the Curve

To add the Zone System curve to an image.

1. Create a Curves adjustment layer by clicking Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves.
2. Name the adjustment layer and click OK.  Any name can be used, but the name Zone System may be useful.
3. Click the Load button on the Curves dialog box.
4. Browse till you find the file.  The default name is tz-curves-zone-system.acv.
5. Highlight the file and click Load.  The Curves dialog box should look something like Figure 1A.
6. While the dialog box is open, if we hold down the left mouse key while mousing over the image, a floating ball will appear on the curve.  This floating ball tells us the tone of the area the cursor is currently over.  By seeing the ball's relation to the anchor points, we can easily determine the Zone the area is in.
7. Once finished, click OK to close the Curves dialog box.