Using the Color Variations command

The Color Variations command lets you adjust the color balance, contrast, and saturation of an image by selecting previews that show the effect of different adjustments.

This command is most useful for average-key images that don't require precise color adjustments.

Note: You can't use the Color Variations command with images in Indexed Color mode.

To use the Color Variations command:

1. Do one of the following:
• To make adjustments to your entire image, choose Select > Deselect to make sure nothing is selected. If your image has multiple layers, select a layer to adjust in the Layers palette.
• To make adjustments to a portion of your image, make a selection in the document window. See Selecting pixels.
2. To open the Color Variations dialog box, you can either choose Enhance > Adjust Color > Color Variations, or click the Color Variations button in the Shortcuts bar.

The two thumbnails at the top of the dialog box show the original image (Before) and the image with its currently selected adjustments (After). When you first open the dialog box, these two images are the same. As you make adjustments, the After image changes to reflect your choices.

3. Select what to adjust in the image:
• Shadows, Midtones, or Highlights to indicate whether you want to adjust the dark, middle, or light areas.
• Saturation to change the vividness of color in the image.
4. Drag the Adjust Color Intensity slider to determine the amount of each adjustment. Dragging the slider to the left decreases the amount, and dragging to the right increases it.
5. With either the Midtones, Shadows, or Highlights option selected, do either of the following:
• To add a color to the image, click the appropriate Increase color thumbnail.
• To subtract a color, click the appropriate Decrease color thumbnail.

Each time you click a thumbnail, all thumbnails are updated.

6. With the Saturation option selected, click either the Less Saturation or More Saturation buttons.
7. To undo or redo adjustments made in the Quick Fix dialog box, you can do any of the following:
• Click Reset Image to start over and undo all adjustments you've set in the current Quick Fix dialog box.
• Click Undo once or multiple times for each successive adjustment you'd like to undo. You cannot undo the Reset Image option.
• Click Redo once or multiple times for each adjustment you'd like to redo that was undone.
8. To apply the adjustments to your image, click OK.