/ docs
Open App

Levels Effect

The Levels effect adjusts the tonal range of your ASCII art colors using input and output level controls, similar to levels adjustments in image editing software.

Overview

Levels works by remapping the brightness values in your artwork:

  • Input Levels - Define which brightness values map to black, midtones, and white
  • Output Levels - Constrain the final brightness range of the result
Info

Levels only affects color values, not the characters themselves. Use Remap Characters to modify character content.

Using the Levels Effect

Open Effects → Levels from the menu

Adjust the sliders with live preview

Toggle preview to compare with original

Click Apply to commit or Cancel to discard

Input Levels

Input levels define how the source brightness values are mapped.

Shadows

RangeEffect
0No change (default)
1-254Pixels darker than this value become black
255All pixels become black

Increasing shadows clips the darkest tones to pure black, adding contrast to shadow areas.

Mid-tones (Gamma)

RangeEffect
0.1-0.9Darkens midtones
1.0No change (default)
1.1-3.0Brightens midtones
Info

The mid-tones slider is a gamma control. It affects midtones more than shadows or highlights, making it ideal for subtle adjustments without losing detail in extremes.

Highlights

RangeEffect
255No change (default)
1-254Pixels brighter than this value become white
0All pixels become white

Decreasing highlights clips the brightest tones to pure white, adding contrast to highlight areas.

Output Levels

Output levels constrain the final brightness range of the result.

Output Minimum

RangeEffect
0Allows pure black (default)
1-255Darkest pixels become this value instead of black

Use this to prevent pure black, useful for reducing overall contrast.

Output Maximum

RangeEffect
255Allows pure white (default)
0-254Brightest pixels become this value instead of white

Use this to prevent pure white, useful for creating a more muted look.

Workflow Examples

High Contrast Look

  1. Open Levels effect
  2. Increase Shadows to 20-40
  3. Decrease Highlights to 220-230
  4. Leave Mid-tones at 1.0
  5. Apply

Faded/Muted Look

  1. Open Levels effect
  2. Leave input levels at default
  3. Increase Output Minimum to 30-50
  4. Decrease Output Maximum to 200-220
  5. Apply

Brighten Midtones

  1. Open Levels effect
  2. Increase Mid-tones to 1.3-1.5
  3. Leave other values at default
  4. Apply

Timeline Mode

Apply Levels to all frames at once:

  1. Enable "Apply to all frames" checkbox
  2. Adjust parameters as desired
  3. Click Apply
  4. All frames receive the same adjustment
Info

Use Timeline Mode for consistent color grading across your entire animation.

Technical Notes

How It Works

The levels adjustment applies the following process to each color channel:

  1. Input remapping - Maps source values between shadows and highlights to the full 0-255 range
  2. Gamma correction - Applies the mid-tones gamma curve
  3. Output constraining - Maps the result to the output min/max range

Color Space

  • Operates in RGB color space
  • Each channel (R, G, B) is adjusted independently but equally
  • Values are clamped to valid range (0-255)

Performance

  • Fast processing for most canvas sizes
  • Timeline mode processes frames sequentially
  • Progress shown for large operations

Tips

  • Start subtle - Small adjustments often have noticeable impact
  • Compare often - Toggle preview to check against original
  • Input levels first - Set input range before adjusting output
  • Use with Hue & Saturation - Levels first, then color adjustments
  • Save first - Export a session backup before major changes