Using Basic Tone VS. Tone Curve to adjust Photos?

Can anyone answer why we have 2 curves which are allowed to be non-similar? Are both being applied to my image? Why does the slider curve not reset to Linear when i specify, but the point curve does?

southwestform  wrote After adjusting exposure, highlights, shadows, whites, and blacks, I achieve what I consider to be nice contrast. 1. Why would I now need to adjust my RGB curve to increase brightness/contrast with single points or with an S -Curve? Is this essentially doing the same thing as what I did previously? Is it just another way of doing basic exposure/contrast to an image? 2. Does it make sense to skip over the Basic Tone sliders and just do everything with the RGB curve in the Tone Curve panel? Thanks.

As has already been pointed out, they both do 'similar' things. In terms of tonal adjustments you can think of the Basic panel as a kitchen knife and the Tone Curve as a surgeons scalpel. The Tone Curve also allows you to apply very fine colour adjustments to individual colour channels whereas the Basic panel has no way of fine tuning colour other than using White Balance.

I recommend finding a few difficult images in your collection then spending time editing these images with both Basic panel and Tone Curve.

It seems to me that with the Tone Curve you can move the pivot point of an S-Curve.  Whereas using the Basic controls, while you can adjust contrast, you cannot move the center around which the contrast adjustment is taking place.

As I see it, the tone curve adjustment is there and available when/if you just can't quite achieve what is needed with the basic adjustments. Sometimes I find I can get a much more pleasing effect with an S curve. Not always, but sometimes.