contrast is an element in any sort of design, from edits to artwork, and its importance doesn't waver regardless of what kind of design you are creating.

so why exactly is it important? it helps to not only organize the elements in your edit, but also to help distinguish the different parts. contrast helps draw your eyes to the more important aspects of the edit (typically the character). if everything blends together, then the edit stands out less.

its also important to note that contrast isn't *only* created using differing colors, however i will be explaining color contrast and how it can affect your edits in this post. contrast can also be created using size, texture, shape, etc.

the color contrast in different edits will differ depending on the theme you are going for, however no matter the theme of your edit you still want to be able to differ the focus point (your character) and your background. that tends to be harder in lower contrast edits because there is less of a difference in color values.

there is also issues when a lack of color contrast in an edit prevents visually impaired people from properly being able to see what you are creating.

so how can we go about implementing more contrast in lower contrast colorings? there are a few simple ways to do it. i'll be using kasumi as an example

i've created a very low contrast psd and slapped it on kasumi. as you can see with the no changes version, the colors blend together very much because of the lack of color contrast.

the easiest way to fix this (and without changing the colors) would be to sharpen the image. this creates bolder lines on the character and helps kasumi stand out a bit more from the background.

another option would be to simply adjust the layers. on the third kasumi all i did was add two adjustment layers and i created a bit more contrast.

so whats the best solution to fixing the problem? well in my opinion, it'd be both sharpening *and* adjusting the layers.

it maintains that low color contrast look, while also still making it so you can see kasumi.

there are multiple ways to add contrast using new adjustment layers, here's an example of three i could think of off the top of my head. curves, b/c (brightness/contrast), and levels.

using curves can be either quite complicated or quite easy depending on your goal and understanding of it. for creating (or removing) contrast, its pretty easy!

by dragging the top pin to the left, you can easily create more contrast

by dragging the top pin down, you can remove contrast

by doing it in the middle you can create a sort of mix of both.

brightness/contrast is pretty straightforward, just up the contrast value using the contrast bar. usually when i up the contrast i tend to turn the brightness down a little bit as well.

using levels is also relatively straightforward! by adjusting this bar you can easily add or remove color contrast.

you can use just one of these methods, a new method, or mix them! anything works! experimentation is a part of editing, it helps you to learn what works best for you. my guide is not an end-all fact book for how you *need* to do things, but rather advice and tips to help you get better and to make your designs look more appealing.