Using Adjustment Layers
You can use the Adjustment Layers section of the Layers pane to non-destructively adjust and add effects to your images in Edit mode. Adjustment layers stack in the Layers pane, allowing you to return to individual layers at any time and continue making adjustments to each effect. Each adjustment layer includes a mask by default.
By saving an image with adjustment layers as a .acdc file, you can re-open it in Edit mode and still adjust each effect individually at any time.
For best results, make all global adjustments prior to adding adjustment layers.
To Add an Adjustment Layer:
With an image open in Edit mode, do one of the following:
- Select an adjustment layer icon from the bottom of the Layers pane.
- Select an adjustment layer from the Add adjustment layer menu at the bottom of the Layers pane.
The adjustment layer will be added above your image in the Layers pane. The settings for your adjustment layer will appear at the bottom of the panel. Configure the settings as described below.
To Apply an Adjustment Layer to a Particular Image:
If you have multiple images in the Layers pane, you can restrict adjustment layers to a specific image.
To apply an adjustment layer only to the closest image layer below it, press the Clipping button.
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Clipping off |
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Clipping on |
You can apply multiple adjustment layers to one particular image layer by enabling all of their Clipping buttons.
Adjustment Layers and Settings
Exposure Adjustment Layer Options 
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Exposure |
Drag the slider to the right to increase exposure, or drag to the left to decrease exposure. |
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Contrast |
Drag the slider to the right to increase contrast, or drag to the left to decrease contrast. |
Levels Adjustment Layer Options 
- Use the color pickers to select colors to adjust in the layer beneath the adjustment layer.
- Use the buttons on the right of the Levels panel to select Luminance, Red, Green, or Blue as the channel to adjust.
- Use the arrows at the bottom of the panel to adjust the shadows, midtones, and highlights. Move the shadows arrow to define the blackest area of the image. Move the midtones arrow to define the midtone. Move the highlights arrow to define the whitest area of the image.
Curves Adjustment Layer Options 
Use the buttons on the right of the Curves panel to select the RGB, Red, Green, or Blue color channel to adjust.
Light EQ™ Adjustment Layer Options 
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Brighten |
Drag the slider to increase the brightness of dark areas in your image. |
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Darken |
Drag the slider to decrease the brightness of light areas in your image. |
White Balance Adjustment Layer Options 
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Temperature |
Adjusts the warmth of the correction, from blue to yellow. |
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Tint |
Adjusts the tint of the correction, from magenta to green. |
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Color Picker |
Select a precise color to adjust. |
Vibrance Adjustment Layer Options 
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Vibrance |
Drag the slider to the right to increase vibrance, or to the left to decrease vibrance. Increasing vibrance does not affect skin tone in an image. This is unlike saturation, which intensifies all colors equally. |
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Saturation |
Drag the slider to the right to increase saturation, or to the left to decrease saturation. |
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Hue |
Adjusts the hue of the image. Drag the slider to the right to increase or drag to the left to decrease hue. |
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Lightness |
Adjusts the image brightness. Drag the slider to the right to increase or drag to the left to decrease the image's brightness. |
Color EQ Adjustment Layer Options 
Choose the Saturation, Hue, or Brightness tab and adjust colors individually by dragging the sliders.
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Vibrance |
Drag the slider to adjust the vibrance of the image without affecting skin tones. |
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Saturation |
Adjusts from saturation to grayscale. |
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Hue |
Changes the color's hue. |
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Brightness |
Adjusts the light or dark tones in the image. |
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Color Picker |
Select a precise color to adjust. |
RGB Adjustment Layer Options 
Adjust the Red, Green, or Blue sliders to balance or heighten the RGB channels in the image.
Split Tone Adjustment Layer Options 
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Highlights Hue |
Drag the slider to the right to select a highlight color. |
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Highlights Saturation |
Drag the slider to the right to increase saturation of the specified color in the highlights of the image. |
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Shadows Hue |
Drag the slider to the right to select a shadow color. |
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Shadows Saturation |
Drag the slider to the right to increase saturation of the specified color in the shadows of the image. |
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Balance |
Drag the slider to the right to emphasize the highlight color; drag the slider to the left to emphasize the shadow color. For example if the slider is set to the maximum at 50, then full emphasis is applied to the highlight color; if the slider is set to the minimum -50, then full emphasis is applied to the shadow color. |
Add Color Adjustment Layer Options 
- Select a color to add to your image.
- Use the Density slider to specify the strength of the added color.
Black & White Adjustment Layer Options 
Adjust the Red, Green, or Blue sliders to add color back into the black and white image.
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Brightness |
Adjusts the brightness of the colors in the image. |
Negative Adjustment Layer 
The Negative adjustment layer creates a negative out of your image. There are no settings for this adjustment layer.
Photo Effect Adjustment Layer Options 
Select a photo effect from the drop-down menu to change the look and feel of your image.
You can use your mouse wheel to quickly scroll through the photo effects.
Skin Tune Adjustment Layer Options 
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Smoothing |
Refines skin by suppressing texture detail. |
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Glow |
Increases the brightness of skin while subtly smoothing. |
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Radius |
Specifies the scale of the texture detail that is affected by the effect. A lower value enhances small details, while a large value enhances larger details. |
Sharpen Adjustment Layer Options 
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Strength |
Specifies the strength of the sharpening applied by increasing contrast around edges. |
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Radius |
Controls the number of pixels to adjust around each edge. Higher values increase the number of sharpened pixels and tend to bring out coarser detail, while lower values reduce the number of sharpened pixels and tend to bring out finer detail. |
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Detail |
Suppresses the halo, (the light border that forms around edges with extreme sharpening), by reducing its intensity. The higher the value, the stronger the reduction. |
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Threshold |
Specifies how different the pixel lightness values within an edge must be before the pixels within the edge are sharpened. Higher values sharpen only stronger edges but minimize the appearance of noise. Lower values sharpen both strong and weaker edges, but can increase the appearance of noise. We recommend you set the threshold to enhance edges while keeping background noise to a minimum. |
Blur Adjustment Layer Options 
Select the Gaussian or Directional button to select the type of blur. 
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Gaussian |
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Produces an even, smooth blur. |
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Strength |
Specifies the strength of the blur. Move the slider to the right to intensify the effect. |
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Directional |
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Produces a blurring effect that gives the illusion of movement. |
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Strength |
Specifies the strength of the blur. Move the slider to the right to intensify the effect. |
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Angle |
Specifies the direction of the blur effect. |
Noise Reduction Adjustment Layer Options 
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Luminance |
Removes the random variations of brightness in the noise. |
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Color |
Reduces the random variations of color in the noise. |
Clarity Adjustment Layer Options 
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Clarity |
Drag the slider to the right to enhance texture in the image. Drag the slider to the left to smooth out texture in the image. |
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Orton |
Drag the slider to enhance local contrast while subtly smoothing texture. |
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Soft Light |
Drag the slider to increase brightness while subtly smoothing texture. |
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Tonal Width |
Drag the slider to control the amount shadow and highlights are affected by the Clarity, Orton, and Soft Light sliders. Choose a value of 0 to restrict the adjustments to midtones. Choose a value of 100 to apply the adjustments equally in all tones. |
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Radius |
Drag the slider to control the scale of the texture detail being affected. Choose a value of 0 to enhance small details, or a value of 100 to enhance larger details. |
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Enhanced edge processing |
Check this checkbox to reduce the appearance of halos around edges with enhanced texture, and to minimize the softening of edges when texture is smoothed. |
Dehaze Adjustment Layer Options 
Drag the slider to adjust the strength of the contrast, detail, and color correction.
Gradient Map Adjustment Layer Options 
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Shadows |
Use the drop-down or the color picker to specify the color to be added to the dark parts of your image. |
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Highlights |
Use the drop-down or the color picker to specify the color to be added to the light parts of your image. |
Vignette Adjustment Layer Options 
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Strength |
Specifies the size and intensity of the vignette. |
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Distance |
Specifies the size of the clear area around the focal point in the portrait. Drag the slider to the left to reduce the size of the clear area. Drag the slider to the right to increase the size of the clear area. |
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Shape |
Specifies the shape of the frame. |
Posterize Adjustment Layer Options 
See Applying a Posterize Effect.
Threshold Adjustment Layer Options 
Use the slider to select a brightness level. All pixels brighter than that brightness will become white, and every darker pixel will become black.
Color LUTs Layer Options 
Select a Color LUT from the drop-down menu. Or press the Import LUTs button to import a new LUT to your list.