diff --git a/src/MessageHandler/RenderImageMessageHandler.php b/src/MessageHandler/RenderImageMessageHandler.php
index 723123e..516a50d 100644
--- a/src/MessageHandler/RenderImageMessageHandler.php
+++ b/src/MessageHandler/RenderImageMessageHandler.php
@@ -107,12 +107,14 @@ final class RenderImageMessageHandler
 
         // Per-pixel adjustments run on the PHOTO before the white canvas is
         // composited under it — otherwise the bars dominate the histogram and
-        // the contrast stretch over-clips the photo content to white.
+        // would skew any auto-leveling toward white.
 
-        // Auto-levels: stretch the tonal range, clipping 1% at each end.
-        // Fixes underexposed/dark photos so the full palette range is used.
-        $photoPixels = $imagick->getImageWidth() * $imagick->getImageHeight();
-        $imagick->contrastStretchImage((int) ($photoPixels * 0.01), (int) ($photoPixels * 0.01));
+        // Auto-levels via normalizeImage (default 2%/2% clip). Empirically
+        // contrastStretchImage's args are quantum-range intensity thresholds,
+        // not pixel counts, and even small ints (>= ~1) collapse low-tonal-
+        // range photos to pure white. normalizeImage uses the image's actual
+        // 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.