<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/yFWHf.jpg" alt="original">
<img src="https://i.sstatic.net/x4sPP.jpg" alt="with curves filter"> </p>

<p>You could possibly use the <a href="http://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg-filters.html#curves">curves filter</a>. It has a <code>lighter</code> preset:</p>

<pre><code>ffmpeg -i input -vf curves=preset=lighter -c:a copy output
</code></pre>

<p>The red, green, and blue components can be adjusted separately. The following is the same as what the <code>lighter</code> preset uses:</p>

<pre><code>curves=r='0.4/0.5':g='0.4/0.5':b='0.4/0.5'
</code></pre>

<p>Additionally you can make your own curves preset in Photoshop, export it as an <code>.acv</code> file, and then the curves filter can utilize it:</p>

<pre><code>curves=psfile=/path/to/ps_curves_file.acv
</code></pre>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-26T06:07:30.790Z
Awesome, exactly what I needed
Vasilly.Prokopyev
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-21T01:28:23.077Z
Do you know why I get a warning when trying to run the filter with the values that the `lighter` preset is supposedly using under the hood? `Only one point (at (0.100000;0.500000)) is defined, this is unlikely to behave as you expect.`
Hashim Aziz
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-25T21:21:23.833Z
2015-11-01T20:24:07.877Z
2015-11-01T20:24:07.877Z
llogan
<p>I'm composing a video from set of 16bit tiff pictures. The pictures are very dark, and needs to be brightened. Currently I'm applying <code>-vf "mp=eq2=1.0:1.0:0.3:1.0:1.0:1.0:1.0:1.0"</code>
filter to make pictures brighter, as said <a href="http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/man/en/mplayer.1.html#VIDEO%20FILTERS">here</a>, but they becomes too "faded".</p>

<p>I used to rescale their histogram with "levels adjustment" operation in image editor to make them brighter, but now I need to make a video, not a single image file. Also, preffered way of applying such operations to image - is to applying it to each color band separatly, because they have different brightness attributes initialy.</p>

<p>Can I do something similar with ffmpeg?</p>

<ffmpeg><color-correction><filter>
Similar to "levels adjustment" brightness improvement with ffmpeg
Vasilly.Prokopyev
# Similar to "levels adjustment" brightness improvement with ffmpeg

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-11-25)

I'm composing a video from set of 16bit tiff pictures. The pictures are very dark, and needs to be brightened. Currently I'm applying `-vf "mp=eq2=1.0:1.0:0.3:1.0:1.0:1.0:1.0:1.0"`
filter to make pictures brighter, as said [here](http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/man/en/mplayer.1.html#VIDEO%20FILTERS), but they becomes too "faded".

I used to rescale their histogram with "levels adjustment" operation in image editor to make them brighter, but now I need to make a video, not a single image file. Also, preffered way of applying such operations to image - is to applying it to each color band separatly, because they have different brightness attributes initialy.

Can I do something similar with ffmpeg?

**Tags:** ffmpeg, color-correction, filter


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2014-11-25. Score: 20 | Accepted answer

You could possibly use the curves filter. It has a lighter preset:
ffmpeg -i input -vf curves=preset=lighter -c:a copy output

The red, green, and blue components can be adjusted separately. The following is the same as what the lighter preset uses:
curves=r='0.4/0.5':g='0.4/0.5':b='0.4/0.5'

Additionally you can make your own curves preset in Photoshop, export it as an .acv file, and then the curves filter can utilize it:
curves=psfile=/path/to/ps_curves_file.acv

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Awesome, exactly what I needed  
> **username_2**: Do you know why I get a warning when trying to run the filter with the values that the `lighter` preset is supposedly using under the hood? `Only one point (at (0.100000;0.500000)) is defined, this is unlikely to behave as you expect.`  

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