3.3

Chapter 17 Making Image Adjustments 337
Setting the Image’s Blacks
Shadow detail and the importance of visual elements in shadow vary from image to image.
In addition, some cameras are more capable of capturing shadow details than others. In some
photos, such as an image of a person’s face in the shadow of an alley, the shadow is the most
important visual element in the image. In other images, the details in the shadows have nothing
to do with the main subject of the image. For example, the shadow area of the image may
obscure trash that would otherwise ruin a pristine image. In Aperture, you use the Black Point
parameter controls to increase the threshold of shadow details in the image as well as crush the
blacks when necessary.
Note: The Black Point controls are not available for RAW decoding versions 1.0 and 1.1. To make
the Black Point controls available, reprocess the image. For more information, see An Overview of
the RAW Fine Tuning Controls on page 289.
To set the black point of the image
1 Select a photo.
2 In the Exposure area of the Adjustments inspector or the Adjustments pane of the Inspector
HUD, adjust the Black Point parameter by doing one of the following:
•
Drag the Black Point slider.
•
Click the left or right arrow in the Black Point value slider to change the shadow detail to
recover in the image by 5 percent increments, or drag in the value eld.
•
Double-click the number in the Black Point value slider, then enter a value from –5.0 to 50.0
and press Return.
Use the Black Point slider
and value slider to set
pure black in the photo.
Decreasing the value increases the amount of detail in the shadow areas by moving pure black
below the current black point. Increasing the value decreases the amount of detail in the shadow
areas of the image, eectively crushing the blacks by moving pure black above the current
black point.
The image’s black point is updated as you change the parameter value.