Nikon Capture NX2 user manual Black and White Output Sliders, Black, Mid Point, and White Sliders

The luminosity histogram displays a bar graph representing the total number of pixels that appear at different levels of luminosity. The horizontal axis represents the luminosity level, while the vertical axis represents the number of pixels found at each luminosity level within the current image. The left side of the horizontal axis represents the darkest tones in your image, while the right side represents the lightest tones in the image, based on the active channel selected.

When the channel selector is set to the RGB option, the histogram represents lightness from black to white. When editing an individual channel, the histogram represents lightness from the absence of that color to

the maximum brightness of that color. The histogram is very helpful in determining how to adjust the settings within the Levels & Curves step.

Click anywhere on the curve to add an anchor point. Move the anchor point to alter the relationship of input and output values. Moving a point up makes objects of that value brighter, while moving a point down makes objects of that value darker. The curve is automatically adjusted to ensure a smooth transition between each point added to the image.

Anchor points can be removed by simply clicking and dragging the anchor point outside of the curve editor.

e Black and White Output Sliders

These two sliders enable you to set the maximum and minimum brightness levels of the image. By dragging the white output slider down, you darken the lightest luminosity level in the image, and by dragging the black output slider up, you lighten the darkest luminosity level in the image. These two sliders are often used if the darkest and lightest colors in the image should not be pure white (255, 255, 255) and pure black (0, 0, 0).

r Black, Mid Point, and White Sliders

The black, mid-point, and white sliders will automatically adjust the curve for you.

Black Point Slider

Move the black point slider to the right to set all luminosity values from the point you have selected to the left to complete black (or to the absence of the channel’s color when working on an individual color channel). This will redistribute all of the values to stretch the luminosity range to match the entire possible range of values. It is recommended that you move the black point slider all the way to the right to match up with the left-most information from the displayed histogram. This adjusts the current image so that the darkest values in the image match the darkest value that can be displayed in a digital file.

Mid-Point Slider

Move the mid-point slider either to the left or to the right in order to lighten or darken the mid-tones of the image.

184Chapter 20 — Adjust Menu Light > Levels & Curves