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ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 2.0
User Guide
Using the Equalize command
The Equalize command redistributes the
brightness values of the pixels in an image so that
they more evenly represent the entire range of
brightness levels. When you apply this command,
Photoshop Elements finds the brightest and
darkest values in the composite image and remaps
them so that the brightest value represents white
and the darkest value represents black. Photoshop
Elements then attempts to equalize the
brightness—that is, to distribute the intermediate
pixel values evenly throughout the grayscale.
You might use the Equalize command when a
scanned image appears darker than the original
and you want to balance the values to produce a
lighter image. Using Equalize together with the
Histogram command lets you see before-and-after
brightness comparisons.
To use the Equalize command:
1 Choose Image > Adjustments > Equalize.
2 If you selected an area of the image, select what
to equalize in the dialog box, and click OK:
• Equalize Selected Area Only to evenly distribute
only the selection’s pixels.
• Equalize Entire Image Based on Selected Area to
evenly distribute all image pixels based on those in
the selection.
Using the Threshold command
The Threshold command converts grayscale or
color images to high-contrast, black-and-white
images. You can specify a certain level as a
threshold. All pixels lighter than the threshold are
converted to white; and all pixels darker are
converted to black. The Threshold command is
useful for determining the lightest and darkest
areas of an image.
To use the Threshold command to convert images to
black and white:
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Image > Adjustments > Threshold.
• Create a new Threshold adjustment layer, or
open an existing Threshold adjustment layer. (See
“Using adjustment and fill layers” on page 101.)
The Threshold dialog box displays a histogram of
the luminance levels of the pixels in the current
selection.
2 Drag the slider below the histogram until the
threshold level you want appears at the top of the
dialog box, and click OK. As you drag, the image
changes to reflect the new threshold setting.
To use the Threshold command to identify
representative highlights and shadows:
1 Open the Threshold dialog box.
2 Select Preview.
3 To identify a representative highlight, drag the
slider to the far right until the image becomes pure
black. Drag the slider slowly toward the center
until some solid white areas appear in the image.
4 To identify a representative shadow, drag the
slider to the far left until the image becomes pure
white. Drag the slider slowly toward the center
until some solid black areas appear in the image.
These represent the darkest pixels areas in the
image.
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