The Tonal Contrast filter is one of the last steps in my workflow. Before I use this filter, I adjust the global contrast, colors, saturation, and exposure. When adding contrast to an image, it is good to note that this sometimes has the effect of an increased of perceived saturation. If I know that I will be adding some contrast to the image, I tend to keep my saturation and vibrance sliders on the conservative side. When dealing with skies and clouds most of the contrast we want to affect will be in the highlight zone with some falling into the mid-tone zone. The majority of the adjustments will be made by tweaking those two sliders.<\/p>\n Too Much:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Too much and the image begins to turn into a watercolor on acid. Although, this maybe an effect that is pleasing to some, in most instances it can be taken too far. In this image I pumped up the highlight slider to around “60” and the mid-tone slider around “30”. The edges in the sky start to bleed out and cause some very defined lines. Since this result falls short of my goal, I am going to bring the settings down.<\/p>\n![\"Over](\"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads-old\/2009\/08\/img_7224_medicinelake_start.jpg\" "\\"Over")
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