RGB curves

RGB curves are tone curves per color channel: a separate curve for red, green and blue. Lifting or lowering a channel adds color to the light or dark parts of your photo. It's the go-to way to do color grading with curves.

For warm highlights and cool shadows (the classic teal-orange), lift the red curve in the highlights and the blue in the shadows. Small moves are enough, because color casts show up fast. The bottom of a channel controls shadows, the top controls highlights. RGB curves are the engine behind many film looks and cinematic presets.

Related terms

Tone curve Color grading Split toning Color balance Color wheels

Prefer a look in one click?

The presets on this site set these adjustments up for you as a starting point, which you then fine-tune to taste.

Cinematische looks (Cinemascope)

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