For many, Photoshop’s Histogram and Info Panels are mysterious, foreboding places never to be explored. To the enlightened, however, these panels possess information that sheds valuable light on the tonal and color information in their images. I find these panels absolutely indispensable.

I use the Histogram panel as a spyglass into an image’s tonal (brightness) values. As I correct an image, I typically use the histogram to ascertain three important bits of information––am I blowing out the highlights, are the shadows blocking up, and am I correcting with too heavy a hand? In other words, is the image beginning to show signs of posterization?

The Info panel is a wonderful tool for making decisions about color. Let’s use the panel to learn about how Photoshop handles color.