P: Make curves bigger

[Whitney Dunn]

It would be great if the curves panel in Lightroom was physically bigger. The current panel is too small. While it's easy to make big adjustments, fine tuning is difficult and imprecise. I've attached two screenshots showing the curves panel for Lightroom (LR 4 beta) and Aperture (3.2.2) for the same image. In Lightroom, I've selected a medium contrast curve; in Aperture, I've used the "auto" curve option. Physically, the Lightroom curve panel itself measures 160 pixels per side. The Aperture one is 260 pixels per side, 60% bigger linearly, and three times the area! (67,500 pixels versus 25,600.)Aperture's bigger curves panel gives three big advantages:-- it's easier to see the changes, particularly in relation to the linear slope;-- it's easier to make changes, particularly precise ones; and-- it's easier to either select a current point or make a new one without accidentally doing the opposite.I'd also say a bigger panel encourages you to use it: just grab a point and yank it, without worrying that you have to be pixel precise.

[Javier_Calzado]

I cannot believe this hasn't gone into LR development roadmap yet. Curves control area is way too small to really unleash the power of this feature that resides in precise and small changes, not big curves deviation which leads you to undesired extreme editing techniques.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Another vote for Larger Curves panel.
Make it identical to the significantly larger panel in Camera Raw.
Also, let the user adjust the points with numerical values like you can also do in Camera Raw

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

It's not comfortable to use such small curves. You need to hold down the [Alt/Opt] key to reduce curve movement to 1/10th strength.
But it can be more comfortable to use big "Tone Curve" panel.

[Todd Shaner]

One trick no one has mentioned here is to hold down the SHIFT key, which restricts control point movement to the Y axis. This useful if you want to enter specific control point values such as 22.0%/18.0%. Drag the control point to set the X axis value first and then hold down the Shift key to set the Y axis control point. The Shift key can be used in combination with the ALT/Opt key.

[LuxMirabilis]

Make the Curves frame fill its panel fully (see screenshot attached). As it stands now it is too small and has reduced precision in a small laptop screen.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I think Curves could be enlarged both within the panel, and enlarge proportionally to fill the panel if we enlarge the panel, too. I agree the interface is too small. I think they developed it for parametric curves, then threw in point curves without consideration for the need to be able to easily place and manipulate the anchors and the curve right inside that little space.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

A larger curves panel like in photoshop would be ideal for fine edits and should be a quick fix 

[Bob Somrak]

The curves box is bigger in Lr 7.5

[johnrellis]

Thanks, I missed that in the release notes: 
https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/help/whats-new.html#main-pars_header_760724008.

And the histogram has better contrast.  Better late than never!

LR 7.2:


LR 7.5:

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

YESSSS   please make curves panel bigger it is currently too small and inaccurate, would love to have more control when clicking. >>>> you can make it pop out of the panel so we can make it as big as we want.

[andrewg5381176]

Yes, 10 years after the original post requested a bigger tone panel I would also like to ask for this feature. A pop out panel would be awesome! Look how much space I have and I have this tiny little graph:

[sam_shone]

Hello,

I would like to add to this thread also. I've come to rely on the tone curve as one of most powerful tools for accurate colour grading as well as tone adjustments of images within Lightroom, but the size of the panel makes small accurate adjustments quite difficult. 

You can drag the develop panel to the left to give it more space on the screen, but the tone curve remains the same size. I understand that because it needs to remain square in shape this would require the tone curve section to scale vertically, but I dont see this being an issue? You can see how it currently looks from the screenshots.

I think this would massively improve the functionality of the tone curve.

Thank you!

[ralphlouzon]

I agree, Curves is a delicate tool to deal with and deserve more precision.
In Capture One we can extract the curve of the adjustments panel and to make it larger as long as necessary. Clever.

[marvinaustin]

This is no longer a question of curves in Adobe Lightroom/ACR, but of user demand for something. There is a great demand for the product - then what's the point in changing anything? After all, they still make a choice on a thing where nothing has changed)
In truth, there are no competitors. Which exist - that's just the way it is. I used both Darktable and rawtherapee and 3dlut creator. ACR/Lightromm - there is “the steering wheel! positioned correctly.”
Enlarging the coordinate grid is not very necessary. There are alt/opt etc keys.

[F1XX]

I agree, Curves is a delicate tool to deal with and deserve more precision.

LR Curves has always been clumsy tool. In PS Curves is much more flexible and you can bend it ways not possible on LR.

[Bappenlabapp]

I still want a bigger curve display - and the fact that you almost inevitably add another point instead of immediately dragging the edge when using the rgb parts of the curve is very unnerving. Any news on this?

Curves are dead someone wrote - I think curves are the hottest thing for developing!

[Giacomo Brescacin]

12 years later...still waiting

[F1XX]

For some reason curves dialog is so much more powerful in Photoshop. I wish LR curves tool was similar.

[Toastman3000]

@Giacomo Brescacin It's not AI or cloud based, so doubt this is on the list of improvements...