Darken specific areas

Last updated on 2 Jul 2025

Darken areas of an image with the Darken tool.

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Select Retouch > Darken  .

Tip

The Darken tool works directly on pixel layers for editing, and the changes made will be permanent.

Select the more menu   and adjust the following as needed:

  • Range: Select the tonal range to affect - Midtones, Shadows, or Highlights
  • Midtones: Adjust the middle range of grays.
  • Shadows: Target the darker areas. 
  • Highlights: Change the light areas.
  • Size: Adjust the size of your brush to control the area of effect.
  • Exposure: Control the exposure of the brush strokes.
  • Hardness: Control the size of the brush’s hard center.
  • Roundness: Specify the ratio between the brush’s short and long axes.
  • Angle: Specify the angle by which an elliptical or sampled brush’s long axis is rotated from the horizontal.
  • Protect tones: Minimize clipping in the shadows and highlights.

Paint over the area you want to darken.