How to Open Brightness and Contrast in Paint.NET

Adjusting the lighting and tonal balance of an image is a fundamental editing task in Paint.NET. This guide provides a straightforward walkthrough on how to locate and open the Brightness / Contrast adjustment dialog using both the top menu navigation and the default keyboard shortcut.

Method 1: Using the Menu Bar

  1. Open your image in Paint.NET.
  2. If you only want to adjust a specific part of the image, select that area using any of the selection tools (such as the Rectangle Select or Lasso tool). If nothing is selected, the adjustment will apply to the entire active layer.
  3. Click on the Adjustments menu located in the top navigation bar.
  4. From the drop-down list, click on Brightness / Contrast....

Method 2: Using the Keyboard Shortcut

For faster workflow, you can bypass the menus by pressing:

  • Ctrl + Shift + C

Once triggered, the Brightness / Contrast dialog window will appear on your screen. You can then drag the Brightness slider left or right to make the image darker or lighter, and move the Contrast slider to decrease or increase the separation between dark and light tones. Click OK to apply the changes or Cancel to discard them.