Contrast

Contrast is the distance between the dark and bright parts of an image. Low contrast looks flat and grey, like fog; high contrast looks punchy, with deep blacks, bright whites and snappy separation. Adding contrast pushes shadows darker and highlights brighter at the same time, pivoting around the mid-tones. It is the fastest way to make a flat shot feel intentional — but too much crushes shadow detail and blows highlights.

First used in: 1.1 · Meet the image