Pictius Free image editor in your browserAdjust color and exposure
Most photos that look dark, flat or slightly off-color need only a few adjustments. Pictius has the classic tools for the job: Levels and Curves for brightness and contrast, Hue/Saturation and Color Balance for color, and Shadows/Highlights for backlit shots. Apply them directly, or as adjustment layers that you can change or switch off at any time.
- Free
- No install, no account
- Images stay on your device
- Layers, masks and AI
Correct a photo step by step
Each adjustment opens a dialog with a live preview on the image; untick Preview to compare with the original.
- Open the photo with File ▸ Open… (Ctrl+O).
- Choose Layer ▸ New Adjustment Layer ▸ Levels… and look at the histogram. If it stops short of the right end, drag Highlights under Input Levels to where it ends; do the same with Shadows on the left. Midtones (gamma) brightens or darkens the middle tones. Auto sets them for you. Click OK.
- For contrast, add Layer ▸ New Adjustment Layer ▸ Curves… Click the curve to add points, then pull one in the shadows slightly down and one in the highlights slightly up: a gentle S curve. Double-click a point, or drag it out, to remove it.
- For color, add Hue/Saturation… to make colors richer or quieter, or Color Balance… to remove a cast: if the photo is too blue, move Yellow / Blue towards yellow.
- Click the eye of an adjustment layer to see the photo without it, or lower its opacity to soften it.
- Save with File ▸ Save (Ctrl+S) to keep the adjustment layers editable, or export the result with File ▸ Export As…
Which adjustment for which problem
- Too dark or too bright overall: Levels, Curves or Exposure.
- Flat and grayish: Levels, moving Shadows and Highlights in to where the histogram starts and ends, an S curve in Curves, or Image ▸ Auto Contrast.
- Dark subject against a bright sky: Image ▸ Adjustments ▸ Shadows/Highlights… Shadows Amount lifts the dark areas, Tone sets how far into the midtones it reaches, Radius sets the size of the area around each pixel that it looks at, and Color Correction keeps the lifted colors natural.
- A color cast from indoor light or shade: Color Balance, Photo Filter, or Image ▸ Auto Color (Ctrl+Shift+B).
- Dull colors: Vibrance raises muted colors more than those that are already strong, while Saturation raises them all equally.
Adjustment layers or direct adjustments?
Image ▸ Adjustments changes the pixels of the selected layer, or only the selected area if there is a selection. It is quick, and Ctrl+Z undoes it, but you cannot fine-tune it afterwards.
An adjustment layer changes everything below it without touching the pixels. Double-click its icon, or choose Layer ▸ Edit Adjustment, to change the settings at any time. Each one comes with a mask: press B for the Brush and paint black on the mask to hide the effect in an area, for example to brighten only the foreground. To limit it to the layer just below, use Layer ▸ Create Clipping Mask (Ctrl+Alt+G).
Shadows/Highlights, Replace Color, Equalize and the Auto commands are only available as direct adjustments. Duplicate the layer first with Layer ▸ Duplicate Layer if you want to keep the original.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Levels and Curves?
Levels sets the black point, the white point and the overall midtones with three sliders, which is enough for most photos. Curves lets you shape the response with as many points as you need, for example to add contrast only in the midtones, and works per channel too.
How do I brighten a dark photo without losing the sky?
Use Image ▸ Adjustments ▸ Shadows/Highlights…, which lifts the dark areas while leaving bright ones mostly alone. Another way is a Curves adjustment layer that brightens, with its mask painted black over the sky.
Can I adjust only part of a photo?
Yes. Make a selection before choosing an adjustment under Image ▸ Adjustments, and only the selected area changes. With an adjustment layer, paint its mask instead: white shows the effect and black hides it.
Can I apply the same correction to many photos?
Yes. Adjustments are recorded in actions with their settings. Record one in Window ▸ Actions and run it on a set of files with File ▸ Automate ▸ Batch… Keep in mind that a fixed correction suits photos taken in similar light.
Are adjustment layers kept when I save as PSD?
Yes. File ▸ Save a Copy as PSD writes them as native adjustment layers, and PSD files you open keep theirs.
Image editing guides
- Remove the background from an imageRemove the background from a photo in your browser: select the subject with AI, refine the edges with a layer mask and export a transparent PNG. No uploads.
- Remove objects from a photoErase unwanted objects, people or text from a photo: select them and use Content-Aware Fill, AI Fill, Spot Healing or Patch. Everything runs in your browser.
- Cut out hair and objects preciselyCut out people, hair, pets and products: start with Quick Selection or Select Subject, refine the edge in Select and Mask and output a layer mask or a new layer.
- Blur the background of a photoBlur the background of a photo to make the subject stand out: use Portrait Mode, or select the subject and apply Gaussian Blur to the rest. Free, in your browser.
- Resize an imageResize an image to exact pixels or a percentage with Image Size, choose the resampling method, and add or trim space around it with Resize Canvas. Free and private.
- Crop and straighten a photoCrop a photo to a ratio such as 1:1, 4:5 or 16:9, straighten a tilted horizon, fix perspective with Perspective Crop and trim empty borders. Free, in your browser.
- Upscale an imageEnlarge a small image with Super Resolution 2x, which doubles its size with smooth interpolation and sharpening, or pick an exact size and method in Image Size.
- Convert an image to another formatConvert images in your browser: open PNG, JPG, WebP, AVIF, GIF or PSD files and export PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF, SVG, PDF or TIFF with the quality and scale you choose.
- Images at the right size for social mediaMake images at the right size for Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and more: crop to a preset ratio or use Export for Social Media to resize and save in one step.
- Open and edit PSD files onlineOpen PSD files in your browser with their layers, groups, masks, adjustment layers and effects, see what is kept or approximated, and export PSD, PNG or JPG.
- Add text to an imageAdd text to a photo with editable text layers: set font, size, color and spacing in the Character and Paragraph panels, then add a shadow or stroke with Layer Style.
- Add a watermark to your photosAdd a text or logo watermark to a photo, set its opacity and blend mode, then record it as an Action and apply it to many images at once with Batch.
- Remove blemishes and red eyeRetouch portraits in your browser: remove spots and blemishes with Spot Healing and Healing, clone away distractions with Clone Stamp and fix red eye with one click.
- Layers and masks explainedLearn layers in Pictius: groups, blend modes, layer masks and clipping masks, adjustment layers, and .pictius project files that keep every layer editable.
- Batch edit images with ActionsRecord your edits once as an Action and play it on many images with Batch: resize, adjust, watermark and export them all in one go, right in your browser.