Darken

The Darken tool tones an image by decreasing the brightness of colors. The effect is increased with each successive brush stroke. To quickly access this tool and switch between the Lighten, Darken, and Saturation tools press L.

The tool's parameters will be shown in a floating box over an image (by right-clicking the mouse) and also in the Settings Panel.

To change a parameter, enter a numerical value in the parameter's field and press Enter (Mac: Return) or adjust the slider.

• Size (1-1000). Size of the Darken brush.
• Hardness (0-100). The degree of softness of the tool's edge. The higher the value, the sharper the tool's edges are. At values near 100%, the boundary between the darkened area and untreated area is more distinct; at lower values there is a smoother transition between these areas.

"Ripening" Cranberries
Hardness = 40%	Hardness = 95%

• Strength (1-100). The amount the image is darkened. At a Strength value near 100% the colors are darkened near maximum.

  Strength = 30%	Strength = 95%

  The drop-down menu Range provides three methods for darkening an image.

  • Shadows. Dark areas are processed more strongly than light areas.
  • Midtones. Dark and light areas are processed equally.
  • Highlights. Light areas are processed more strongly than dark areas.

  Darkening an Image in Different Ranges:
  Shadows	Midtones	Highlights

To darken colors in a straight line, first select a starting point for the line by left-clicking over the desire point, then, while pressing Shift, move the cursor to the desired end point and release Shift. If Shift is not released, then new lines will be drawn to each point where the mouse is clicked.