Light
Shadows & Highlights
Shadows and highlights are separate controls for the dark and bright zones of a photo, so you can open up the shadows or rein in the highlights without moving the rest.
Every stop is a real Daydream Film render. Only the shadows setting changes.
Why it happens
Why adjust shadows and highlights separately?
Printers dodged and burned zones by hand. These four dials are that darkroom craft.
In Daydream
Provides precise control over different tonal ranges in your image, allowing you to separately adjust shadows, highlights, whites, and blacks for fine-tuned tonal control.
Up close
What does shadows & highlights do to a photo?
A tight crop from the full-size render. Left is −100 shadows, right is +100 shadows. Drag the line to compare.
What changes
- Shadows: Lifts or crushes dark areas
- Highlights: Recovers or brightens light areas
- Whites: Affects the brightest tones
- Blacks: Affects the darkest tones
The controls
How do you adjust shadows & highlights?
The dial above moves shadows, the only control that changes between renders.
| Control | Range | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Shadows | -100 to +100 | Darken or lift shadow areas |
| Highlights | -100 to +100 | Recover or brighten highlights |
| Whites | -100 to +100 | Adjust brightest tones |
| Blacks | -100 to +100 | Adjust darkest tones |
Base for every render: the Daydream preset at its defaults.
When to reach for it
When should you use shadows & highlights?
Lifting shadows and pulling highlights creates a ‘faded’ film print look.
Best for
- High-contrast scenes
- Faded film look
- Shadow detail recovery
- Highlight protection
Save the sky, keep the shadows.
Join the iOS Beta
Try shadows & highlights on your own photos. Join the iOS beta and shoot with Daydream Film.