This chapter covers the very basics of working with Paint.NET adjustments. We will go over how to work with an image's brightness, contrast, color adjustments, and levels.
The following topics will be covered:
- Auto-Level
- Black and White
- Brightness/Contrast
- Curves
- Hue/Saturation
- Invert Colors
- Levels
- Posterize
- Sepia
The following screenshot displays all of the options under Adjustments:
The Adjustments feature (Alt + A) of Paint.NET will be your go-to area to make simple corrections to your images. This is your one-stop shop for all corrections and enhancements, particularly with photos.
The nine adjustments listed here can be used in various combinations as well, further enhancing images. So, with a little bit of creativity, you can take an ordinary photo and turn it into an awesome photo. And who doesn't like awesome?
The Auto-Level feature is a very easy way to fix dark and light areas in your photos, fixing them instantly with the press of a button. Let's say you take a photo in a heavily shaded area on a bright day. You love the photo, but everyone's eyes are too shaded, and there is bright glare in other areas. What Auto-Level does is bring the light and dark areas into a normal range.
It does this by finding the darkest pixels and the lightest pixels and averaging them out. It may make the dark areas too light and the light areas too dark or give the entire image a muddy tone. You can also use this feature if you use the Levels feature and select Auto.
You may now try using the Auto-Level option by performing the following simple steps:
- Open a photo of your choice in Paint.NET.
- Find the darkest area on the photo. Select one of the selection tools described in Chapter 2, The Paint.NET Workspace (Rectangle Select, Lasso, or Ellipse).
- Select your chosen area with the tool.
- Select Auto-Level.