A method of transforming the color appearance of a plurality of digital images includes receiving a plurality of digital images from a capture medium wherein each digital image includes a plurality of pixel values relating to at least three basic colors; calculating a color correction transform by using a non-linear adjustment that is independent of the digital images and which corrects an under-exposure condition as a function of the capture medium; and a linear functional relationship dependent upon the pixels of the basic colors, the linear functional relationship defining an exposure-level-dependent estimate of gray corresponding to the photographic response of the capture medium; and using the color correction transform to modify the pixels of the plurality of digital images wherein the pixels within a digital image are transformed with varying degrees of color modification as a function of exposure.