To edit contrast in Procreate, you'll primarily use the Curves tool which offers a flexible way to adjust the lightness, darkness, and contrast of your layers.
Here's how:
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Access the Adjustments Menu: Tap the "Adjustments" icon (the magic wand) in the top menu bar.
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Select Curves: Choose "Curves" from the list of adjustment options.
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Understanding the Curves Interface: You'll see a graph. The horizontal axis represents the input values (original brightness levels), and the vertical axis represents the output values (adjusted brightness levels). A straight diagonal line means no change.
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Adjusting Contrast:
- S-Curve: Create an S-shaped curve to increase contrast. Drag the curve upwards in the highlights (the brighter areas) to make them brighter, and downwards in the shadows (the darker areas) to make them darker. This steepens the difference between light and dark, thus increasing contrast.
- Reverse S-Curve: Create a reverse S-shaped curve to decrease contrast. Drag the curve downwards in the highlights to darken them and upwards in the shadows to brighten them. This reduces the difference between light and dark, decreasing contrast.
- Adding Nodes: You can tap on the curve to add nodes. The reference you supplied states you can add up to 11. These nodes allow for finer, more controlled adjustments.
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Making Adjustments:
- Lightness/Darkness: Drag a node up to increase the lightness of that tone range, or down to decrease the lightness (darken) that range.
- Contrast: Drag a node left or right to affect the contrast around that tonal range. Moving a point horizontally adjusts the influence of that point on the neighboring tones, essentially compressing or expanding the tonal range that the point is affecting, hence changing contrast in that region.
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Experiment and Refine: Play around with the curve to achieve the desired effect. Remember that subtle adjustments can often make a big difference.
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Layer Options: Consider using adjustment layers for non-destructive editing. This allows you to change your contrast adjustments at any time without permanently altering the underlying layer.
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Applying the Changes: Once satisfied, tap the Adjustments icon again to dismiss the panel and apply your changes.
In summary, Procreate's Curves tool offers a powerful and versatile method for editing contrast. By manipulating the curve and strategically adding nodes, you can precisely control the tonal range and create the desired visual impact.
