Curves...curves...curves... Get used to using curves instead of levels. Curves lets you adjust brightness, contrast, max luma, min luma, and color balance via channels - all in one dialog. When you use levels, apply a change - then go to color balance and apply a change, you destroy image data with each step. These are destructive processes, and if you can get all of the adjustments done in one application, you're much better off. As for auto curves: if you're working on an image that has the color balance really screwed up (for instance, a photograph taken under flourescent lighting with the green cast...) then clicking the Auto Curves button will get you into the ballpark very quickly. You can then tweak the color channels and the RGB composite separately to get the color and brightness/contrast right. Then you apply all the changes with one click. There are a couple of specific effects that I use the levels and color balance controls for... 98% of the time I only use curves. -sk