diff --git a/src/MessageHandler/RenderImageMessageHandler.php b/src/MessageHandler/RenderImageMessageHandler.php
index f95a96c..5c41a69 100644
--- a/src/MessageHandler/RenderImageMessageHandler.php
+++ b/src/MessageHandler/RenderImageMessageHandler.php
@@ -28,6 +28,27 @@ final class RenderImageMessageHandler
         0x6 => [16,  160, 64 ],  // GREEN
     ];
 
+    // ── Render tunables ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+    // Tweak these to change how photos look on the panel; each value has the
+    // baseline it shipped with as a comment so we can rollback per-knob.
+    // git tag render-baseline-2026-05-14 captures the full known-working set.
+
+    /** modulateImage(brightness=100, SATURATION, hue=100). 100 = no change.
+     *  Baseline: 130 (+30% saturation, prevents desaturated photos collapsing
+     *  to dither noise). Experiment #1: 115 (+15%, less risk of garish faces). */
+    private const SATURATION_PCT = 115;
+
+    /** gammaImage(GAMMA). 1.0 = no change; >1 lifts midtones, <1 crushes them.
+     *  Baseline: 1.0 (no gamma pass). Experiment #1: 1.2 (gentle midtone lift —
+     *  faces and shadows climb out of the BLACK cluster). */
+    private const GAMMA = 1.2;
+
+    /** sharpenImage(radius=0, SHARPEN_SIGMA). Baseline: 0.8 (light). */
+    private const SHARPEN_SIGMA = 0.8;
+
+    /** Imagick dither method. Baseline: DITHERMETHOD_FLOYDSTEINBERG. */
+    private const DITHER_METHOD = \Imagick::DITHERMETHOD_FLOYDSTEINBERG;
+
     public function __construct(
         private readonly ImageRepository        $imageRepo,
         private readonly RenderedAssetRepository $assetRepo,
@@ -116,12 +137,21 @@ final class RenderImageMessageHandler
         // histogram percentiles and produces gentle, correct stretching.
         $imagick->normalizeImage();
 
-        // Boost saturation 130%.  Dark desaturated photos otherwise map almost
-        // entirely to BLACK with scattered noise dots from error diffusion.
-        $imagick->modulateImage(100, 130, 100);
+        // Midtone lift before the saturation + dither passes. Spectra-6's
+        // tonal range is squeezed (effectively ~3 bits per channel after
+        // dither); without a gamma push, faces and shadow detail get
+        // crushed into BLACK and the photo reads as too dark on the panel.
+        if (self::GAMMA !== 1.0) {
+            $imagick->gammaImage(self::GAMMA);
+        }
+
+        // Saturation boost. Dark desaturated photos otherwise map almost
+        // entirely to BLACK with scattered noise dots from error diffusion;
+        // too much saturation and skin tones go ruddy / sky goes synthetic.
+        $imagick->modulateImage(100, self::SATURATION_PCT, 100);
 
         // Light sharpen so edges survive the dithering scatter.
-        $imagick->sharpenImage(0, 0.8);
+        $imagick->sharpenImage(0, self::SHARPEN_SIGMA);
 
         // Now composite onto a white canvas of exact target dims so that any
         // aspect mismatch shows up as letterbox bars, not as a sliced crop.
@@ -161,7 +191,7 @@ final class RenderImageMessageHandler
         $palImagick->resetIterator();
         $palStrip = $palImagick->appendImages(false);
 
-        $imagick->remapImage($palStrip, \Imagick::DITHERMETHOD_FLOYDSTEINBERG);
+        $imagick->remapImage($palStrip, self::DITHER_METHOD);
         $palStrip->destroy();
         $palImagick->destroy();