What does the Local Tone Mapping effect change?

Local Tone Mapping compresses and redistributes scene luminance to reveal usable shadow and highlight detail, while local contrast keeps the result from looking uniformly flat. The strength control determines how much of that treatment replaces the unedited appearance.

Which photos work best with Local Tone Mapping?

Choose Local Tone Mapping for architecture with deep directional shadows, backlit portraits, or landscapes with a wide exposure range when the source has clear detail and balanced exposure. Start with a lighter setting if it contains heavily clipped highlights, crushed source files, or flat illustrations that contain little recoverable tonal information.

Local Tone Mapping applied to the same source image — The same source image before and after applying Local Tone Mapping.

Original source image before Local Tone Mapping — The same source image before and after applying Local Tone Mapping.

Local Tone Mapping Lighting Effect Online

Local Tone Mapping creates more intentional exposure, local contrast, and light placement without changing the composition; tune the strength before exporting the finished image.

Upload a photo for the Local Tone Mapping effect

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Drop a file here, or click to browse

Supported formats include JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, SVG, HEIC, AVIF, TIFF, RAW, PSD. Maximum file size: 11 MB.

What you can do with the Local Tone Mapping effect

Review the available effect capabilities before you begin.

Apply the Local Tone Mapping effect to any photo
Fine-tune the effect strength to taste
Preview your photo live as you edit
Download your edited photo in high quality
Apply Local Tone Mapping to many photos at once

Use this effect

About the Local Tone Mapping effect

Local Tone Mapping redistributes luminance and local contrast with highlight and shadow protection. Its intensity control blends the processed output with the uploaded pixels, so the edit can remain restrained or become the dominant look.

How to use Local Tone Mapping

Upload a photo, adjust the Local Tone Mapping intensity, compare its processed preview with the source, and download the finished result.

Why use the Local Tone Mapping effect?

Local Tone Mapping, tuned to your photo

Use the intensity control to balance the Local Tone Mapping treatment with the detail and character of your original photo.

A fast Local Tone Mapping workflow

A reduced Local Tone Mapping preview keeps adjustments responsive. Free downloads are clean and web-size; Premium or a credit unlocks the original resolution.

Secure Local Tone Mapping processing

Local Tone Mapping uploads are processed on secure servers and automatically removed under the normal Pixoate retention policy.

How it works

Processing

Local Tone Mapping runs as a classic image effect and does not use an AI action.

Best for

Local Tone Mapping works best for architecture with deep directional shadows, backlit portraits, and landscapes with a wide exposure range, especially when the source is sharp and well exposed.

Less suited to: Local Tone Mapping is less reliable on heavily clipped highlights, crushed source files, or flat illustrations that contain little recoverable tonal information.

Ways to use Local Tone Mapping

Build architecture with deep directional shadows with the Local Tone Mapping effect.
Use Local Tone Mapping to prepare backlit portraits.
Try a lower-strength Local Tone Mapping treatment for landscapes with a wide exposure range.

Local Tone Mapping questions

What does the Local Tone Mapping effect change?: Local Tone Mapping compresses and redistributes scene luminance to reveal usable shadow and highlight detail, while local contrast keeps the result from looking uniformly flat. The strength control determines how much of that treatment replaces the unedited appearance.
Which photos work best with Local Tone Mapping?: Choose Local Tone Mapping for architecture with deep directional shadows, backlit portraits, or landscapes with a wide exposure range when the source has clear detail and balanced exposure. Start with a lighter setting if it contains heavily clipped highlights, crushed source files, or flat illustrations that contain little recoverable tonal information.