Free tool
Brighten Image: Lift Dark Photos Without Burning the Sky
Load one picture or a whole set and move five sliders while a before and after view and a brightness graph respond. The graph shows where the light actually sits, so you can lift the dark parts without washing out the bright ones.
Brightness graph. Dark is on the left, light on the right. Grey is the original, purple is the result.
Brighten
Save as
Every picture gets the same numbers. Hold the B key to see the original. Double-click a slider's name to put it back to 0.
Your pictures are changed in your browser and are never uploaded. Only your chosen save format and quality are remembered on your own device.
The photo that came out too dark
A product shot taken at the end of the day, a team photo in a dim room, a scan of a page that looks grey. In each case the fix is the same: bring the middle of the picture up and protect the ends. A single brightness slider often fails at this, because it lifts everything together and turns bright areas to flat white.
This page splits the job into five controls so each part can be adjusted on its own. Drop JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, AVIF or GIF files, or paste a picture. Use the Original and Brighter buttons to compare. If you hold the B key, the picture shows the original for as long as you keep it down.
What each slider does
| Slider | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Exposure, in EV | Multiplies the light in steps, as a camera does. Each step doubles or halves the amount of light |
| Brightness | Lifts the middle tones most and leaves pure black and pure white where they are |
| Shadows | Lifts or deepens the dark pixels, more for the darkest ones |
| Highlights | Pulls down or pushes up the light pixels, more for the lightest ones |
| Contrast | Adds an S curve for punch, or a flatter curve when the number is negative |
The effects are applied in that order. Exposure and brightness come first, then shadows and highlights, then contrast. Double-click a slider's name to put it back to zero.
Presets, Auto and the graph
- Dark photo is a starting point for underexposed pictures.
- Backlit lifts shadows and eases highlights, for a subject in front of a bright window.
- Washed out adds contrast to a flat, pale picture.
- Whiten paper brightens and adds contrast, which suits a photographed document.
- Auto reads the picture's own brightness spread and picks all five numbers, or leaves them at zero if the picture is already balanced.
The graph under the picture has dark on the left and light on the right. Grey is the original and purple is the result. If the purple shape piles up against the right edge, you have pushed too far and light areas are being clipped. Because one set of numbers is applied to every picture in a batch, Auto works best on a set of pictures taken in the same light.
Saving without losing the colours
The sliders work on a smaller copy of the picture so they respond at once, up to 1400 pixels. When you download, the full size file is processed again from the original with the same numbers. A JPG or PNG that carries an RGB colour profile is worked on in its own numbers and saved with the same profile. The way up recorded by the camera is applied to the pixels, so a phone photo does not come out sideways.
- Choose the format: the same type as the original, JPG, PNG or WebP.
- Set the quality for formats that use it.
- Download one picture, or all of them as a ZIP.
If the pictures are for a web page, brighten first and compress after. Our website speed optimization guide covers how large photos slow a small site.
What brightening cannot do
Detail that was never captured cannot be brought back. A shadow that is pure black in the file stays black however far you lift it, and a blown out white sky has nothing left to recover. Lifting very dark photos also makes noise easier to see. For best results, adjust in small steps, watch the graph, and stop when the picture looks natural.
Frequently asked questions
How do I brighten a dark photo without blowing out the highlights?
Raise exposure a little, then lift shadows and pull highlights down. The graph shows if the light end is getting crowded.
Can I brighten many pictures at once?
Yes. Add several files and every picture gets the same numbers. Download them one by one or as a ZIP.
What does the Auto button do?
It measures the picture's brightness spread and sets exposure, shadows, highlights and contrast. If the picture is already well balanced it leaves everything at zero.
How can I see the original quickly?
Hold the B key while the page is open, or use the Original and Brighter buttons above the picture.
Will my colour profile be kept?
A JPG or PNG with an RGB profile is processed in its own colour numbers and saved with the same profile again.
Are my pictures uploaded?
No. The work is done in your browser and your files stay on your computer.
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