What is Levels Adjustment?
Levels is one of the most important tools in photo editing. It lets you fix “flat” or “washed out” images by remapping tones:
- Black point sets what should become pure black
- White point sets what should become pure white
- Midtones (gamma) controls the brightness of the middle values without crushing shadows or blowing highlights
It’s the fastest way to improve contrast and exposure without complicated editing.
How to use this Levels tool
- Upload one image (drag & drop, click to select, or paste from clipboard).
- Check the histogram to see where your tones sit (shadows → highlights).
- Adjust:
- Black point to deepen shadows
- White point to brighten highlights
- Gamma to brighten/darken midtones
- Click Auto for a quick baseline if you’re not sure where to start.
- Toggle Show original to compare before/after.
- Download the adjusted image (same format).
Everything runs fully client-side for privacy.
Controls explained
Black point
Moves the darkest tones toward black. Use it to add depth when an image looks gray or “foggy”.
Tip: Increase slowly — too high will “crush” shadow detail.
Midtones (gamma)
Adjusts the brightness of middle values.
- Lower gamma → brighter midtones
- Higher gamma → darker midtones
This is the best control for fixing “too dark” photos without blowing highlights.
White point
Moves the brightest tones toward white. Use it when highlights look dull or the image lacks sparkle.
Tip: If you push too far, highlights will clip (lose detail).
Histogram + Auto
The histogram shows how your image’s brightness is distributed.
Auto suggests:
- a black point and white point using light clipping (to avoid extreme outliers)
- a gamma that makes midtones look more balanced
Auto is meant as a starting point, not a one-size-fits-all final.
Show original
Instantly compare your edit against the original image.
Best use cases
- Fix washed-out photos (raise contrast with black/white points)
- Brighten low-light images (lower gamma slightly)
- Improve product photos (clean whites + better separation)
- Make graphics pop before applying effects (grain, matte, duotone, halftone)
Quick starting recipes
-
Washed-out / flat photo
- Black: +10 to +25
- White: 235 to 250
- Gamma: ~1.00 (then fine-tune)
-
Too dark photo
- Gamma: 0.70–0.95
- Small black/white tweaks after
-
Too bright / hazy highlights
- White: lower slightly (240–250)
- Gamma: raise slightly (1.05–1.25)
Performance & privacy
- Fast preview while you drag sliders (optimized preview rendering)
- Full-resolution export when you download
- No uploads: your image stays on your device the entire time
- Works great for quick corrections before other tools like Matte, Film Grain, Duotone, or Halftone
How it works
Levels remaps each RGB channel from the original range to your new range:
- Normalize each channel between your black/white points
- Apply gamma to reshape midtones
- Scale back to 0–255 and export
This is the classic, predictable levels workflow used in photo editors — just running entirely in your browser.
