How to color grade a portrait and compare edits on Mac

Adjust a portrait's color, contrast, exposure and shadows in Color Grading Photo Editor, then compare your grade with the original.

8 stepsUpdated Nov 12, 2026Get Color Grading - Photo Editor

What you'll achieve: You will have a portrait with five visible correction settings and a split Before/After comparison of the original and edited photo.
What you need: Color Grading Photo Editor version 2.0 on Mac.
A portrait photo accessible to the Mac; this guide demonstrates one image at a time.

A portrait can change substantially with a few careful corrections. This walkthrough uses a warm, low-light example photo to demonstrate the Color Grading Photo Editor controls on Mac. The numeric values are a starting point for this example, not universal settings for every image.

1.Open a portrait photo
Use the folder button in the top toolbar to open a portrait. The photo fills the canvas, and its current working edit appears in the strip below.
Portrait imported into Color Grading Photo Editor with the Correction inspector visible.
2.Open the Correction controls
Select Correction at the top of the right-hand inspector. Keep the LIGHT and COLOR sections expanded so you can adjust their controls while watching the portrait.
Open portrait with Correction controls and Light and Color sections in the inspector.
3.Adjust the color temperature
In COLOR, set Temperature to 4500 K for this example. Watch the photo while changing the setting; the right value depends on the lighting in your own portrait.
Portrait editor showing Temperature set to 4500 K.
4.Increase vibrance gradually
Set Vibrance to 0.5. This brings more color into the example portrait. Check the skin tone as you adjust it, rather than choosing a number in isolation.
Portrait editor showing Vibrance set to 0.5 and Temperature set to 4500 K.
5.Refine contrast
In LIGHT, set Contrast to 1.04. The portrait now has stronger separation between its illuminated face and dark background.
Portrait editor showing Contrast set to 1.04 and the darker graded background.
6.Set the exposure
Set Exposure to 0.25 EV. Judge the face and the background together; your own photo may need less or more brightness.
Portrait editor showing Exposure set to 0.25 EV along with previous correction settings.
7.Recover some shadow detail
Set Shadows to 0.18. The inspector now shows the temperature, vibrance, contrast, exposure and shadow adjustments together.
Portrait editor showing Shadows at 0.18 and five cumulative color and light adjustments.
8.Compare before and after
Turn on View > Before/After. The left side shows the original and the right side shows the edited grade. Move the divider across the portrait to judge the change before you keep or export it.
Split comparison of original portrait on the left and color-graded portrait on the right.

After the last step

The comparison is in the editor; this walkthrough does not export a file.

Tips

These numeric settings are examples for the pictured portrait. Adjust them to suit the light and colors in your own image.
Inspect the face as well as the background after changing Contrast and Shadows.
The split comparison helps you decide whether the edit is an improvement; use File Preview separately to inspect a file before saving.
Watch outIncreasing Contrast can make dark areas harder to distinguish. Recheck shadow detail in the comparison.
Watch outThis guide ends in the editor's before-and-after view; it does not export or save a finished image.