Photo filters examples: color correction online

What color correction does

Color correction fixes the color and tone of a photo: it neutralizes a cast, recovers detail in shadows and makes skin look natural. Color grading goes further and adds a mood. The editor covers both with one set of adjustments, applied either to pixels or to an adjustment layer.

The photo filters examples below are recipes, not presets. Each one names the adjustments and the order to use them, so the same look can be repeated across a set of images.

Photo filters examples: warm film look

Start with “Photo Filter…”, choose a warm amber, keep the density low and leave “Preserve luminosity” on. Add a gentle S-curve in “Curves…”: lift the highlights a little and pull the shadows down. Finish with “Filter” → “Noise” → “Add Noise…” at a small amount to break up smooth skies. The result feels like warm film without hiding skin texture.

Photo filters examples: faded matte

In “Levels…”, raise the black point so the deepest shadows become dark grey. In “Curves…”, lift the shadow end of the curve. Reduce saturation slightly in “Hue/Saturation…” and add a touch of warmth with “Photo Filter…”. The image looks printed on matte paper: lower contrast, no pure black, soft highlights.

Photo filters examples: cool night

Open “Color Balance…” and push Shadows and Midtones toward blue, then add a little cyan to Highlights in “Curves…”. Mask the adjustment layer over faces so skin does not turn grey. A slight S-curve completes the look. Keep the blacks deep; a cool grade loses its edge when the shadows are lifted too far.

Photo filters examples: golden hour

Use “Photo Filter…” with a warm yellow-orange at low density, then raise “Exposure…” a little. In “Selective Color…”, add yellow to the reds and neutrals. Avoid heavy Saturation: warm light already looks rich, and “Vibrance…” is gentler on skin. If the sky turns orange, mask the effect away from it.

Photo filters examples: high-contrast black and white

Choose “Image” → “Adjustments” → “Black & White…” and move the color sliders: lower “Blues” to darken a sky, raise “Reds” for lighter skin. Then steepen the middle of the curve in “Curves…”. For a softer version, start with “Desaturate” and add contrast with “Levels…” instead. There is a separate guide to black and white photos.

Photo filters examples: soft pastel portrait

Lower contrast slightly in “Brightness/Contrast…”, lift the shadows in “Curves…”, and reduce saturation in “Hue/Saturation…”. Add a very light “Photo Filter…” in pink or peach. Keep the eyes and hair dark enough: pastel works when some detail still anchors the face.

Photo filters examples: clean product white

For a listing, the goal is neutral color rather than a mood. Use “Levels…” to set the white point on the background, check the item with the eyedropper, and remove a cast with “Color Balance…”. A per-channel “Curves…” adjustment cleans a slight tint. Keep the background white without clipping the product's highlights.

Photo filters examples: split toning

A split tone gives shadows and highlights different colours. Add “Layer” → “New Adjustment Layer” → “Gradient Map…”, set the gradient from a deep blue to a warm cream, then lower the layer opacity. For a subtler version, use “Color Balance…”: blue in Shadows, yellow in Highlights.

Split toning suits night streets, concert photos and product shots that need a consistent brand tint. Mask skin so it does not turn grey, and keep the effect on its own layer so it can be reduced later.

Curves and levels in practice

“Levels…” is the fastest way to set the black and white points. Drag the black input toward the first cluster of pixels and the white input toward the last; the image gains contrast without clipping. The middle slider moves midtones.

“Curves…” is more precise. The horizontal axis is input brightness, the vertical is output. An S-curve adds contrast: pull the shadow quarter down and the highlight quarter up. For a color cast, switch to the Red, Green or Blue channel and move the midpoint gently. Small moves are easier to correct than large ones.

Selective color, hue/saturation and vibrance

“Hue/Saturation…” shifts every color at once. To change one range only, use “Selective Color…”: choose Reds and adjust just the lips or a logo, which also suits product photos where one material must stay neutral. “Vibrance…” raises muted colors while leaving already saturated ones alone, which makes it gentler on skin than “Saturation…”.

If one color is wrong and the rest is fine, fix that range instead of the whole image. A mask on an adjustment layer limits the change to a single area.

Adjustment layers and masks

“Image” → “Adjustments” changes the pixels of the active layer. “Layer” → “New Adjustment Layer” creates a separate layer with the same controls and a mask. The original stays intact, the effect reopens on a double-click, and the mask decides where it applies.

Use a mask to keep skin neutral while the background goes cool, or to warm only the highlights. For a set of product photos, copy the adjustment layer into each document and the look stays consistent.

Blend modes for color

An adjustment layer can use any of the 27 blend modes. Soft Light and Overlay increase contrast; Color transfers hue while keeping the brightness underneath; Luminosity keeps color and takes brightness from the layer. A Color Fill layer in Color mode is a simple way to tint a whole photo.

A repeatable workflow

Crop and resize before grading, not after: cropping changes which areas compete for attention, and resizing decides how much detail survives.

• Fix exposure and white balance first; a neutral base makes every later choice easier.
• Set the black and white points with “Levels…”.
• Shape contrast with “Curves…”.
• Correct individual colors with “Hue/Saturation…” or “Selective Color…”.
• Add the look — “Photo Filter…”, “Gradient Map…”, noise — on its own layer.
• Compare with the original by toggling the top layer, then export.

Keeping a look consistent across a set

Build the look once as adjustment layers, then copy those layers into the next document. Short names help: “Curves”, “Color Balance”, “Photo Filter”. The same settings applied to photos from different cameras make a series look like one set.

Save the result as a .photo project if you plan to return to it; the layers stay editable. For delivery, use “File” → “Export As…” and keep a copy of the original next to the graded file.

Common color mistakes

• Correcting color before exposure: a dark photo can look cast-heavy when the real problem is brightness.
• Pushing “Saturation…” instead of “Vibrance…”: strong saturation clips skin and already bright colours.
• Skipping the white point: without it, a warm or cool cast stays in every later adjustment.
• Grading a flattened JPG twice: each save adds compression; keep a layered project and export once.

There is no preset gallery

This page does not offer a shelf of one-click filters. The adjustments are the product: every look above is a short recipe you can adapt. That takes more steps than a preset, but the result fits the photo instead of forcing one style onto every image.

Privacy and saving

The editor runs in the browser. Quick tools process files on the device; the full editor can save a .photo project to your cloud storage after sign-in. Export downloads a flat PNG, JPEG, WebP, BMP, GIF or TIFF.

On iPhone, Android and desktop

The page works in modern mobile and desktop browsers. Menus and panels respond to touch; a larger screen makes curve editing easier. Nothing needs to be installed.