The “Variations” dialog

The upper part (1) of the window is clear I think: “Original” and “Current image”.

“Original” stands for the original, and “Current image” represents the snapshot, that is after all the clicks that you have already performed by that time. If you want to go back to the original after all your clicks, then click on the Original box.

The same for the right part (2). “Lighter” and “Darker” seem obvious to me.

At the top right, we find four fields:
“Shadows”, “Midrange”, “Highlights” and “Saturation” (4). Plus, a slider “Fine” – “Coarse”. By default, the “Midrange” is checked and I think this is the best choice.

The “Midrange” refers to the average color, not too dark nor too light. “Shadows” are the darkest colors in our picture. And “Highlights” are for the lightest colors in our picture.

“Saturation” gives you an image, how should I say, a “vivid” mode.

We apply the colors fine or coarsely using the slider.

But what are all these things in the middle?

The only state that there is “more green”, “more yellow”, more this more that.

Well, nothing less is true.

If you click, for example, on the “more yellow” box, it means of course that you would like more yellow, but is also means that you want less blue.

So if we want less green, then we click the button “More magenta”.

But I hear you thinking that there are more colors than green, yellow, red, magenta, cyan and blue and that’s true.
To explain this I have the following chart:

See if our picture has too much of the color Cobalt in them.
Then, we need to add more color Orange.

How do we do it?

For this we click twice on “More Yellow” and twice on “more red”.

This all seems complicated, but this is not.

You must simply know the little graph from above.

For my example photo, I had a bit too much Red / Orange.

After all operations in the Variations window, it looks a little better.

I do have to say that I’ve made some changes in the “Midrange”, “Shadows” and “saturation”.

Save the image when you are satisfied.

Click on File – Save from the menu bar.

Or save the file under a different name, so you keep the original.

Click on File – Save As … the menu bar.

Before you start, you first create a copy of the original.

Featured Courses

• Downloading iPad Apps
• Lesson 1: Introduction to Publisher
• Lesson 65: File Formats