Color & tone: make the treatment support the image

Color and tone shape separation, emphasis and atmosphere. The default weight is 15%. Black-and-white, muted palettes, deep blacks and expressive color are assessed in the context of the photograph.

What REVIEWR grades here

• Color relationships and consistency of the treatment
• Tonal separation and where brightness guides attention
• Whether saturation, white balance and contrast support the intended effect

What strong work looks like

• The palette reinforces the photograph’s atmosphere
• Important subjects remain readable within the tonal treatment
• Skin, sky and other key areas suit the intended visual style

What can weaken the image

• A color cast that distracts from the subject without supporting the idea
• Lost tonal separation that makes important forms hard to read
• Global adjustments that create a problem while solving another

Check the change in a linked revision

Choose one issue from the critique and revise with that issue in mind. Use the improved-photo upload on the original critique; you can optionally explain what you changed. Compare both versions and their category feedback, then decide whether the change served the photograph. An unchanged score can still accompany a useful improvement.

The other categories