How to · 7 min
Shape a luminance Tone Curve
Place shadows, midtones, and highlights with control points.
The Tone Curve maps input luminance to output luminance. It is a single monochrome curve, not independent red, green, and blue curves. A point above the diagonal brightens that part of the range; a point below it darkens it.
The method
Step by step.
- Open Tone Curve and choose a starting curve: Linear, Gentle contrast, Deep contrast, Lifted blacks, Open shadows, or Soft highlights.
- Click the graph to add a point. Drag it carefully, or select a point and enter exact Input and Output percentages.
- Keep the curve smooth. For mist, try Gentle contrast and compare distant layers; for open shadows, lift the lower middle without raising the entire black floor.
- Use Amount to blend with the uncurved result. The graph displays the full-strength curve even when Amount is reduced.
- Toggle Enabled to compare while retaining the points. Reset curve returns to a linear starting state.
Keep this close
Control reference.
- Input → Output
- Where an existing tone is sent.
- Endpoints
- Control the black floor and white ceiling.
- Arrow keys
- Move a selected point by 0.1%; Shift changes the step to 1%.
- Delete
- Remove an interior point; up to 16 points are supported.
Closer to the controls
See the settings, not a reconstruction.
This detail is cropped from the real application capture above. Click to enlarge, then choose actual pixels to inspect the labels and sliders.
At your own pace
Try it.
Choose Open shadows, select the 40% input point, and try 46–56% output. Check whether the scene still feels naturally lit.
Watch for
The histogram is approximate preview context after Light, not a RAW histogram or a clipping meter.
Monochrome Lab Pro workflow guide. Interface details may evolve. Example settings are creative starting points, not automatic corrections.