Brightness and Contrast Photo Filter

Brightness is the level of lightness (or darkness) in each image. Adding lightness can increase the visibility of the objects in a dark photo while decreasing it may increase the visibility of images in a light photo.

Contrast is the difference between the brightness level and the objects. You know those faded photos where people are becoming a part of the background? That is low contrast.

Step One

Select the image that you want to adjust. This step will activate the Picture Tools/Format tab on the ribbon.

Step Two

On the Picture Tools/Format tab, in the Adjust group, select Corrections.

Step Three

Choose from the preset options by clicking any thumbnail under Brightness/Contrast. The centre one is the default image. The grid of thumbnails shows the brightness from less to more going left to right. The contrast is less to more going top to bottom. To preview how your image will appear, hover your mouse cursor over any of the thumbnails.

Step Four

And if none of the presets hit the mark, click Picture Corrections Options to open the Format Picture pane.

Step Five

Use the slider for Brightness or Contrast to adjust the levels. Or enter a number (positive or negative) to be more precise.

Experiment with different levels to find the best look for your image. It is easy to return to the original photo in the Format Picture pane by selecting Reset. Or choose the middle option from the presets.