In the Develop module, Control-click (PC: Right-click) on the background that surrounds the image to change it from medium gray to another value, such as light gray. The background density affects your perception of the brightness of the image you’re editing. If the background is too dark, you may find that the images you’re editing end up darker than you intended because your eye is using the background as a reference point. I actually prefer light gray because it gives me more consistent results when I view the images in other applications.

written by Tom Hogarty
“These tips originally appeared in the March/April 2009 issue of Layers: The How-To Magazine for Everything Adobe.”