Closing Thoughts

My hope is that after you've read this chapter you'll have come to the conclusion that the Curves feature really isn't such a brain twister. And if you come out of it thinking of ways you might use Curves in the future, even better. The Curves dialog box is one of a handful of Photoshop features that separate the experts from everyone else. But there's no reason why you can't propel yourself into the expert category. Once you get comfortable with Curves (okay, it might take a while), you'll be able to do so much more than you can do with any other dialog box. And don't forget to take some time to work with the Histogram palette (and don't just use it with Curves) as well as the new Shadow/Highlight feature. They can give you that extra bit of versatility and control that can make a big difference with your next adjustment. So hang in there and stick with it. The initial learning curve might be somewhat daunting, but the fringe benefits are dynamite.