In the Adjustments panel, select the Exposure icon or an Exposure preset, or select Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Exposure.
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Adjust HDR exposure and toning
Last updated on
Sep 30, 2026
Apply Exposure adjustments or HDR Toning to control highlights, shadows, and midtones in high-dynamic-range images.
These adjustments help you manage tonal range in HDR images by working in linear color space. While primarily designed for 32-bit HDR images, you can apply both techniques to 16-bit and 8-bit images to create HDR-like effects.
Exposure adjustments work non-destructively through adjustment layers, preserving your original image data and allowing you to modify or remove adjustments at any time. HDR Toning provides a comprehensive set of controls in a single dialog, but it works directly on your image layer and requires flattened layers. Choose Exposure adjustments for flexible, non-destructive editing, or use HDR Toning when you need access to advanced tone-mapping methods like Local Adaptation or Equalize Histogram.
For more information about working non-destructively with adjustment layers, see Adjustment and fill layers.
Apply Exposure adjustment
Exposure works by performing calculations in linear color space (gamma 1.0) rather than your current color space. The adjustment includes eyedropper tools that adjust luminance values rather than affecting all color channels.
Configure Exposure settings
Ensure you have an image file (32-bit, 16-bit, or 8-bit) in RGB or Grayscale color mode and a flattened image with all layers merged for HDR Toning in Photoshop 2023 or later. Explore HDR exposure and toning adjustments directly in Photoshop to see real-time results on your images.
In the Adjustments panel, adjust the Exposure slider to modify the highlight end of the tonal scale with minimal effect on shadows.
Adjust the Offset slider to darken shadows and midtones without significantly affecting highlights.
Adjust the Gamma slider to modify midtone values using a power function.
To set specific luminance values, select an eyedropper tool: Set Black Point shifts the clicked pixel to zero, Set White Point shifts the clicked pixel to white (1.0 for HDR images), or Midtone makes the clicked value middle gray.
Tip
With 32-bit images, access the Exposure slider at the bottom of the image window for quick adjustments without opening the Adjustments panel.
Alert
Avoid selecting Image > Adjustments > Exposure, which makes direct adjustments to your image layer and permanently discards image information.
Apply HDR Toning
HDR Toning provides multiple tone-mapping methods including Local Adaptation, Equalize Histogram, Exposure and Gamma, and Highlight Compression. Each method offers different controls for managing conversion from HDR to lower bit depths.
Configure HDR Toning settings
If your image has multiple layers, select Layer > Flatten Image to combine all layers.
Confirm your image is in RGB or Grayscale color mode by checking Image > Mode.
Select Image > Adjustments > HDR Toning.
In the HDR Toning dialog, select a Method from the dropdown menu and adjust the available settings to control contrast, exposure, and tonal range.
Select OK to apply the adjustments.
Caution
HDR Toning permanently modifies your image layer. Consider duplicating your image or creating a snapshot in the History panel before applying this adjustment to preserve the original state.
For detailed information about HDR Toning methods and specific settings for Edge Glow, Tone and Detail, Color controls, and the Toning Curve, see High dynamic range images.
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