Image filters (exposure, contrast) in Figma - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the exposure filter do to an image?

The exposure filter adjusts the brightness of an image by increasing or decreasing the amount of light. It makes the image look lighter or darker overall.

beginner

How does the contrast filter affect an image?

The contrast filter changes the difference between the darkest and lightest parts of an image. Increasing contrast makes shadows darker and highlights brighter, making details stand out more.

beginner

Why is adjusting exposure important in image editing?

Adjusting exposure helps fix images that are too dark or too bright, making them clearer and easier to see. It balances the light to improve the overall look.

intermediate

What happens if you increase contrast too much?

If contrast is increased too much, the image can lose details in shadows and highlights, making it look harsh or unnatural.

intermediate

Can exposure and contrast filters be used together? Why?

Yes, they can be used together to improve an image. Exposure adjusts overall brightness, while contrast sharpens the difference between light and dark areas, making the image more vivid.

What does increasing exposure do to an image?

A Increases color saturation

B Makes the image darker

C Blurs the image

D Makes the image brighter

Increasing exposure adds more light, making the image brighter overall.

What effect does increasing contrast have?

A Increases the difference between light and dark areas

B Makes shadows lighter and highlights darker

C Reduces the difference between light and dark areas

D Changes the image color tone

Increasing contrast makes dark areas darker and light areas lighter, increasing the difference.

Which filter would you adjust to fix a photo that looks too dark?

A Exposure

B Saturation

C Blur

D Contrast

Exposure controls brightness, so increasing it can fix a dark photo.

What is a risk of setting contrast too high?

A Image becomes blurry

B Image loses details in shadows and highlights

C Image becomes too bright

D Colors become dull

Too much contrast can cause loss of detail in very dark or very bright areas.

Which two filters are commonly adjusted together to improve image clarity?

A Blur and saturation

B Hue and brightness

C Exposure and contrast

D Sharpness and noise

Exposure and contrast together adjust brightness and the difference between light and dark, improving clarity.

Explain how exposure and contrast filters affect an image and why you might adjust them.

Think about light and dark areas and overall brightness.

Describe what can happen if contrast is set too high and how to avoid it.

Too much difference between light and dark can hide details.

Practice

1. What does the exposure filter primarily adjust in an image?

easy

A. The size of the image

B. The sharpness of the image edges

C. The color saturation of the image

D. The overall brightness of the image

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand exposure effect

   Exposure changes how bright or dark the entire image looks by adjusting light intensity.

2. Step 2: Compare with other filters

   Contrast changes difference between light and dark areas, not overall brightness.

3. Final Answer:

   The overall brightness of the image -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Exposure = brightness [OK]

Hint: Exposure means brightness, contrast means light-dark difference [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing exposure with contrast
• Thinking exposure changes color saturation
• Assuming exposure changes image size

2. Which of the following is the correct way to increase contrast in Figma's image filter settings?

easy

A. Set contrast slider to 0

B. Set exposure slider to a value less than 0

C. Set contrast slider to a value greater than 1

D. Set exposure slider to a value greater than 1

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify contrast slider usage

   In Figma, contrast values above 1 increase difference between light and dark areas.

2. Step 2: Differentiate exposure and contrast sliders

   Exposure affects brightness, not contrast; setting contrast to 0 removes contrast.

3. Final Answer:

   Set contrast slider to a value greater than 1 -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Contrast > 1 increases contrast [OK]

Hint: Contrast > 1 means stronger contrast [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using exposure slider to change contrast
• Setting contrast to 0 thinking it increases contrast
• Confusing slider values less than 0 as valid

3. If an image in Figma has exposure set to 0.5 and contrast set to 2, what is the expected visual effect?

medium

A. Image will be brighter with high contrast

B. Image will be darker with high contrast

C. Image will be brighter with low contrast

D. Image will be darker with low contrast

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze exposure value 0.5

   Exposure 0.5 means increasing brightness moderately (above 0 is brighter).

2. Step 2: Analyze contrast value 2

   Contrast 2 means doubling the difference between light and dark areas, so high contrast.

3. Final Answer:

   Image will be brighter with high contrast -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Exposure 0.5 = brighter, Contrast 2 = high contrast [OK]

Hint: Exposure > 0 brightens; contrast > 1 increases difference [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking exposure 0.5 darkens image
• Confusing contrast 2 as low contrast
• Mixing effects of exposure and contrast

4. A user sets the contrast slider to -1 in Figma but sees no change in the image. What is the likely cause?

medium

A. Contrast values below 0 are invalid and ignored

B. Exposure must be set before contrast works

C. The image file is corrupted

D. Contrast slider only accepts integer values

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand valid contrast range

   Figma contrast slider does not accept negative values; values below 0 are ignored.

2. Step 2: Rule out other causes

   Exposure setting or file corruption does not affect slider acceptance; contrast accepts decimals.

3. Final Answer:

   Contrast values below 0 are invalid and ignored -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Negative contrast ignored [OK]

Hint: Contrast slider values must be ≥ 0 [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming exposure affects contrast slider
• Thinking image corruption causes no change
• Believing contrast slider only accepts integers

5. You want to make an image in Figma look clearer by increasing brightness but without losing detail in shadows. Which filter settings should you choose?

hard

A. Increase exposure a lot and decrease contrast

B. Increase exposure slightly and increase contrast moderately

C. Decrease exposure and increase contrast a lot

D. Set exposure and contrast both to zero

Solution

1. Step 1: Increase brightness carefully

   Increasing exposure slightly brightens image without washing out details.

2. Step 2: Increase contrast moderately

   Moderate contrast increase enhances difference between light and dark, preserving shadow details.

3. Step 3: Avoid extremes

   Too much exposure or contrast can lose shadow details or cause harsh image.

4. Final Answer:

   Increase exposure slightly and increase contrast moderately -> Option B

5. Quick Check:

   Balanced exposure and contrast improve clarity [OK]

Hint: Brighten with exposure; keep contrast moderate for detail [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Increasing exposure too much losing shadows
• Decreasing contrast losing image depth
• Setting filters to zero causing flat image