Adjustments panel overview



The tools for making color and tonal adjustments can be found in the Adjustments panel. Clicking a tool icon both selects an adjustment and automatically creates an adjustment layer. The adjustments you make using the controls and options in the Adjustments panel create nondestructive adjustment layers. See About adjustment and fill layers.

For your convenience, the Adjustments panel has a list of adjustment presets that apply common image corrections. Presets are available for Levels, Curves, Exposure, Hue/Saturation, Black & White, Channel Mixer, and Selective Color. Clicking a preset applies it to the image using an adjustment layer. You can always save adjustment settings as a preset, which is added to the presets list.

Clicking an adjustment icon or a preset displays the settings options for the specific adjustment.

The Adjustments panel

For a video on the Adjustments panel, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4002_ps.

Apply a correction using the Adjustments panel

  1. In the Adjustments panel, click an adjustment icon or an adjustment preset, or choose an adjustment from the panel menu.
  2. If necessary, use the controls and options in the Adjustments panel to apply the settings you want.
  3. (Optional) Do any of the following:

    • To toggle the visibility of the adjustment, click the Toggle Layer Visibility button .

    • To return the adjustment to its original settings, click the Reset button .

    • To discard an adjustment, click the Delete This Adjustment Layer button .

    • To add another adjustment layer above the current one, click the arrow . This procedure returns the Adjustments panel to the display of adjustment icons and presets list.

    • To return to the current adjustments settings options from the adjustment icons and presets in the Adjustments panel, click the arrow .

    • To expand the width of the Adjustment panel, click the Expand View button.

Apply a correction to only the layer below

  1. In the Adjustments panel, click an adjustment icon or an adjustment preset, or choose an adjustment from the panel menu.
  2. In the Adjustments panel, click the Clip to Layer button . Click the icon again to make the adjustment apply to all layers below it in the Layers panel.

Save and apply presets using the Adjustments panel

The Adjustments panel has a list of presets for common color and tonal adjustments. In addition, you can save and apply presets for Levels, Curves, Exposure, Hue/Saturation, Black & White, Channel Mixer, and Selective Color. When you save a preset, it’s added to the presets list.

  • To save adjustment settings as a preset, choose the Save Preset option from the Adjustments panel menu.
  • To apply an adjustment preset, click the triangle to expand the list of presets for a specific adjustment and then click a preset. Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) a triangle to expand all presets.