Increase the contrast of shadows like you would using a color ramp Is it possible to increase the contrast of shadows the way you would with a color ramp, but without effecting the colors themselves? I don't want hard edges, and color ramps allow you to have a middle ground

The reason I just want to affect the contrast of shadows, is that I would like to try combining higher contrast shadows with other types of shaders, or things like subsurface scattering.
You can use this setup to control the contrast of the shadows. In the image I provide, I mix the shadows with a texture, but you can use a color just the same. Also, because my example is for toon shading, I have the ColorRamp set to &quot;constant&quot;, you probably want something more like &quot;Linear&quot;, &quot;B-spline&quot;, or &quot;Ease&quot;. Lastly, the reason I multiplied it twice was to darken the shadows even further because they didn't turn out well in screenshots. Use as needed.