How to Apply Photoshop Auto Levels

The Auto Levels command in Adobe Photoshop CS3 is a great way to automatically correct tonal values in a photo. Instead of manually adjusting the color levels, you can automatically brighten and even out the colors. If you need to, you can then manually adjust the levels. Follow the steps below to apply Photoshop auto levels to bring the true colors out in one of your photos.

Things You'll Need

• Adobe Photoshop CS3

Instructions

1. Start Adobe Photoshop CS3 and open up a photo from your files that has dull colors or other tonal issues that need to be corrected.

2. Click to select the layer that includes the photo you want to apply the auto levels to from the "Layers" palette. The layer will be highlighted when it is selected.

3. Choose the "Image" menu, point to "Adjustments" and click on "Auto Levels" the colors in the photo will automatically be corrected.

4. Select the "Image" menu, point to "Adjustments" and click on "Levels" to open the "Levels" dialog box. In this dialog box, you can change the input and output levels to tweak the auto levels you just applied to the photo. This allows you to get the exact tonal levels that you are looking to achieve for your photo.

5. Click the "OK" button to close the "Levels" dialog box and return to your photo.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't see the "Layers" palette on your Photoshop desktop, choose the "Window" menu and click on "Layers" to open it.

• The keyboard shortcut for applying auto levels in Adobe Photoshop CS3 is SHIFT+CTRL+L.