Levels Effect
The Levels effect adjusts the tonal range of colors in your ASCII art using input and output level controls.
Parameters
Input Levels
Shadows Input
| Range | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0–255 | 0 | Values darker than this become black. Increasing clips shadow detail. |
Midtones (Gamma)
| Range | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0–100 | 50 | Values below 50 darken midtones, above 50 brighten them. 50 = no change. |
Highlights Input
| Range | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0–255 | 255 | Values brighter than this become white. Decreasing clips highlight detail. |
Output Levels
Output Minimum
| Range | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0–255 | 0 | Darkest result value. Increase to prevent pure black. |
Output Maximum
| Range | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0–255 | 255 | Brightest result value. Decrease to prevent pure white. |
Color Range
Controls which cells are affected:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| All | Apply to all cell colors |
| Text | Only affect text (foreground) colors |
| Background | Only affect background colors |
| Custom | Specify a custom color range |
Keyframing
All five parameters (shadows, midtones, highlights, output min, output max) support keyframe animation. Set different values at different frames to animate tonal changes over time.
Common Recipes
- Shadows: 20–40
- Highlights: 220–230
- Midtones: 50 (unchanged)
Clips shadows and highlights for stronger contrast.
Technical Notes
- Operates in RGB color space — each channel adjusted equally
- Processing order: input remapping → gamma correction → output clamping
- Values are clamped to 0–255