The tabular interface at the top of the window allows you to choose
the channel whose curve you want to edit. Click on "all" for
a bird's eye view of all the channels at the same time. Not only does
this give you the ability to track what you've done, it provides a graphical
Info Palette on steroids!
The round button with the triangle provides access to the Curves main
menu. There is much functionality there, but do keep in mind
that you can ignore it all, at least in the beginning, and focus on
the job of using just the curve control.
The Curve interface is the heart of
Curves. In this case the All tab is selected, so the four curves
for this color space are visible (minus in this case the optional master
curve).
The
info palette, giving the color values for the part of the image that
happens to be under the mouse cursor. See also eyedropper
sample points.
Running
down the row of buttons, we have:
RGB, wg-CMYK, Lab, and HSB
- select the current color
space in which you wish to curve your image data. RGB
and Lab are standard color spaces. Wg-CMYK is an idealized version
of CMYK, and HSB is an older color space useful for controlling
color saturation. Each of these color spaces has its own set of
curves, and, after setting your highlight,
shadow, and neutrals
you may switch between color spaces in your quest for the best looking
image.
Compare - when clicked, allows you to instantly
see your original, unedited image for comparison purposes.
Load...- load a Photoshop compatible .ACV
curve file. Highlighting a file in the Open File dialog gives you
an instant preview of what that curve file looks like - especially
if you have clicked on the All tab and can see all
the channels. You will also see how that particular curve would
change your image, instantly, without having to load the curve or
change your image. This operation is undoable.
Save... - save the current curve to a Photoshop
compatible .ACV curve file for later use
Reset - resets all the curves to their original
state. You may also use the curve right-click menu to reset just
one curve. This operation is undoable.
Cancel - exits Curves and returns to Photoshop without
changing your image.
OK - changes your image to reflect the current
curve settings, and returns to Photoshop.
The GCR combo-boxat
the bottom left corner allows you to select the amount of black that
is extracted into the Black channel during an wg-CMYK curve operation.
There are a lot of clever uses for this control - for now think of it
as a setting a balance for how radically you want to change your colors,
versus your shadow detail.
The resizeable margin is a simple and sometimes missed
feature. With it, you may expand your curve window as large as you like,
providing exquisitely accurate control point placement. If you're working
on a system with limited screen real estate, you may keep your curves
windowsmall and out of the way while you work with the image preview.
Whether or not you have a second monitor, expand Curvemeister as needed
to fill all the available space. Your choice.
The option button sets the curve
and image window options. Use these
to tailor Curvemeister to your particular workflow.
The tabular interface at the top of the window allows you to choose
the channel whose curve you want to edit. Click on "all" for
a bird's eye view of all the channels at the same time. Not only does
this give you the ability to track what you've done, it provides a graphical
Info Palette on steroids!
The round button with the triangle provides access to the Curves 
The
info palette, giving the color values for the part of the image that
happens to be under the mouse cursor. See also 
Running
down the row of buttons, we have: 
The 
The resizeable margin is a simple and sometimes missed
feature. With it, you may expand your curve window as large as you like,
providing exquisitely accurate control point placement. If you're working
on a system with limited screen real estate, you may keep your curves
windowsmall and out of the way while you work with the image preview.
Whether or not you have a second monitor, expand Curvemeister as needed
to fill all the available space. Your choice.
The option button sets the 