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The Ultimate Guide to Duotones, Tritones & Quadtones
To help you recreate each look shown in this guide, we’ve included the exact Duotone curves used for every example.
For each image below, we exported the Photoshop duotone curve(s) as an .ado file. All curves are bundled together in a small download (about 12 KB) you can grab here or download the individual curve you need below. Download it, unzip it, and you’ll have a folder of curves ready to use.
How to use the curves in Photoshop
1. Download the curves bundle and unzip it.
2. Open your image in Photoshop and convert it to Grayscale if needed.
3. Go to Image > Mode > Duotone.
4. In the Duotone dialog, click Load…
5. Choose the .ado curve you want, and Photoshop will apply the exact settings from the example.
A couple quick tips
- These curves affect how each ink/channel builds across highlights, midtones, and shadows, so your results will vary a bit depending on the image and the paper it’s printed on.
- If you’re planning to print, it’s worth doing a quick proof (or test print) to confirm contrast and shadow detail.
