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iPhoto 9.3.1 - Adjust Controls Messed Up

Has anyone tried editing (adjusting) their photos in iPhoto 9.3.1? I just tried it, and the sliders (e.g. white point, highlights, shadows) are giving really weird results. I'm starting to wonder if it's an incompatability between iPhoto 9.3.1 and the graphics card (ATI Radeon HD 5670 512 MB) in my iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010).


Here are two screenshot, showing what I see when I adjust the black and white point sliders. Look how unnatural the photo looks. This definitely wasn't the behaviour of these controls in iPhoto '09.


User uploaded file

User uploaded file

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.2), iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010) 12GB RAM

Posted on Jul 20, 2012 2:05 PM

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22 replies

Jul 20, 2012 3:33 PM in response to Reuben Feffer

You're messing with the histogram of color levels of the image, not the black and white aspect of the photo. That's natural what you get when you move those sliders that way. I downloaded the original file and tried it in iPhoto with the same results that you got. I also tried the same adjustment in Photoshop with the same results.


If you want to play with black and white use the Saturation slider.


This is one description of what the histogram/levels adjustments do (from Photoshop)

Levels overview

You use the Levels dialog box to correct the tonal range and color balance of an image by adjusting intensity levels of image shadows, midtones, and highlights. The Levels histogram is a visual guide for adjusting the image key tones.


OT

Jul 23, 2012 3:45 AM in response to Old Toad

Your screenshots prove that Apple have definitely changed the algorithms used in iPhoto's Adjust controls. Our two edited photos should look identical, but they're actually quite different.


It seems that with iPhoto 9.3.1 Apple have made the Levels controls more aggressive, and made the Highlights and Shadows controls less agressive. The Shadows control now seems to make EVERYTHING lighter, not just the shadows.


I used to love editing photos in iPhoto, but now with iPhoto 9.3.1 I hate it.

Sep 22, 2012 9:15 PM in response to Reuben Feffer

Make that 3 out of 70000000!

I had 8.1.2 on the macbook 13". The shadow adjustment slider used to work like a charm. It now (in 9.3.2) lifts everything: watch the whole histogram move to the right when you use the shadow slider. Apple has really bollocksed this one up, and what for? If it ain't broke don't fix it. I've sent a bug report to Apple because i agree, Reuben, this is a massive bug. Apple, are you listening?

Apr 24, 2013 6:59 PM in response to Reuben Feffer

I read that somewhere too, and it put me off getting Aperture. The old version of Aperture allowed you to adjust the behaviour of the shadow and highlight tools but now it has been "simplified". Getting back to iPhoto, there is no doubt that the new shadow tool causes much worse loss of contrast than the old one.


The first image set below shows the old shadow adjustment effect as settings 0, 11, 50, and 100. The effect I wanted was at 11: just a little shadow detail without losing the brooding look of the scene. For comparison I also snapped screenshots at 50 and 100. Even the weird HDR look at 100 retains some punch. Note that the right side of the histogram stays put.

User uploaded file

User uploaded file

The above is the new behaviour, also at 0, 11, 50, and 100. The new version of the tool is washing it out. The old settings are not numerically equivalent to the new, and so using the new tool the effect I wanted was at about 50. They may not look that different when downsized but the new tool is causing loss of contrast.


The effect is best illustrated when it is exaggerated, so compare old 50 with new 100 (which are roughly equivalent to my eye).

User uploaded file

User uploaded file

So there you have it, what was once good is now mediocre.

iPhoto 9.3.1 - Adjust Controls Messed Up

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