MACROMEDIA FIREWORKS 8-USING FIREWORKS Use Manual page 95

The Levels feature sets the darkest pixels as black and the lightest pixels as white, then
redistributes the midtones proportionally. This produces an image with the sharpest detail in
all of its pixels.
Original with pixels concentrated in the highlights; after adjusting with Levels
You can use the Histogram in the Levels dialog box to view the pixel distribution of a bitmap.
The Histogram is a graphical representation of the distribution of pixels in the highlights,
midtones, and shadows.
The Histogram helps you determine the best method of correcting an image's tonal range. A
high concentration of pixels in the shadows or highlights indicates that you could improve the
image by applying the Levels or Curves feature.
The horizontal axis represents color values from darkest (0) to brightest (255). Read the
horizontal axis from left to right: the darker pixels are on the left, the midtone pixels are in the
center, and the brighter pixels are on the right.
The vertical axis represents the number of pixels at each brightness level. Typically, you should
adjust the highlights and shadows first. Adjusting the midtones second lets you improve their
brightness value without affecting the highlights and shadows.
Adjusting bitmap color and tone 95