If you are preparing an image for printing by a commercial press, you can set target values for shadows and highlights.
The values that you use depend on the ink percentages that the press can accommodate. For example, if you know that
the press can’t reproduce detail in shadows at an ink percentage greater than 90%, set the target value of the image
shadow to 90%. Similarly, if the press can’t reproduce detail in highlights at an ink percentage below 5%, set the
highlight value to 5% or higher.

When you set your highlight and shadow points, Photoshop

Elements compresses the tonal scale so that detail in

shadows and highlights is preserved rather than rendered as (“blown out” to) pure black or white.

Using Output sliders to set target values
A. Shadow point output slider B. Highlight point output slider C. Shadow and highlight eyedroppers

You can set target values in two ways:

•

Using the Output sliders in the Levels dialog box is the most straightforward way; however, the Output slider
doesn’t work if you have specular highlights in the image that need to remain as pure white. Specular white has no
detail, and so no ink is printed on the paper. For example, a spot of glare is specular white, not a printable highlight.

•

Using the shadow and highlight eyedroppers in the Levels dialog box.