Agenda
- Import & Cull in Lightroom Classic
- Develop Mode
- Adjustment Sync & Presets
- Local Editing & Retouching
- Exporting in Lightroom
All demo files used are available for download in the Workshop Assets Folder
Click here for Additional Resources
Main Keyboard Shortcuts
IMPORTING & CULLING
This is the process of adding images to your Lightroom library and using tags to select/reject images before you begin editing.
Taking time to cull unwanted photographs helps you edit and manage files more efficiently.
Importing & Culling Tips:
- Keep consistent organization!
- Do not move your files once you have imported-- Lightroom references to files in their location on your computer
- As you review photos, tag them (pressing 5 gives it 5 stars). You can filter all 5-star photos and do a second round of culling.
DEVELOP MODULE
Lightroom lets you make pinpoint adjusts to all aspects of your photograph. You can target exposure, contrast, specific colors, shadows, highlights, and much more. This entire process is non-destructive and terrific for batch editing.
Common Editing Tools:
- Crop: Pressing "R" on the keyboard will activate the crop tool, allowing you to straighten the image and cut out unwanted portions
- Temp: Adjust how cool or warm the image is overall. This corrects white balance issues. Use the eyedropper and click on a grey (neutral) part of the image to quickly correct color issues
- Exposure: Adjusts the overall brightness or darkness of the image
- Highlights: Changes the brightest parts of the image without changing your white point (the brightest pixels in the image)
- Shadows: Changes the darkest parts of the image without changing your black point (the darkest pixels in the image)
- Vibrance: Increases or decreases color intensity without affecting skin tone
- Saturation: Increases or decreases color intensity overall.
Adjustment Sync & Presets
A powerful function in Lightroom Classic is the ability to edit multiple images at once. Selecting more than one image (holding shift or cmd/ctrl and clicking on thumbnails) allow you to enable AUTO SYNC.
When Auto Sync is enabled, each edit you apply to the current image you are working on will be identically applied to all other selected images.
Lightroom Classic also has built-in presets which apply a series of adjusts with the click of a button. As you get more comfortable, you can even create your own or install 3rd party preset!
LOCAL ADJUSTMENTS & RETOUCHING IN LIGHTROOM
The majority of the develop mode is comprised of Global Adjustments. However, Lightroom also has a collection of tools that allow you to make changes in specific parts of the image as well retouch.
- Spot Removal: Click and drag on part of an image you would like to remove. The second circle that appears is the area being copied to replace where you selected.
- Red Eye Correction: Click and drag a box around the entire eye to remove red eye.
- Graduated Filter: Creates an adjustment that fades across a linear gradient. You can apply any basic adjustments with this tool.
- Radial Filter: Creates an adjustment that fades across a circular gradient. You can apply any basic adjustments with this tool.
- Adjustment Brush: Applies adjustments to the part of the image you paint on. Holding option lets you remove portions of your painting.
Any of these retouching and local adjustment tools can be used together and in multiple quantities. They are non-destructive so they can be removed or modified at any time!
Editing in Photoshop
When you're ready to do editing that requires Photoshop, press cmd/ctrl + E to send your file directly the application. After you've made your edits, you can save the file and it will be added back to your Lightroom library as a new image.
When might it be time to use Photoshop?
- Combining multiple files
- Adding text
- More complex editing
- Anything that requires layers, selection, and masks!
Exporting in Lightroom
Lightroom works non-destructively which means your original files are never changed. Every adjustment you make is saved to your Lightroom catalogue and applied on export.
When you export a file (or multiple files at once!) you will be able to choose the save location, file format, resolution, quality, and other settings for the image.
You can also create export presets and access them by right-clicking!
Credits:
Created with images by Yakobchuk Olena - "Side view smiling unshaven man looking at photo of funny dog in screen of computer while keeping camera. Work concept" • Uryadnikov Sergey - "She-bear and cubs. Brown bear cubs climbs a tree. Natural habitat. In Summer forest. Sceintific name: Ursus arctos." • Pixeltheater - "Agricultural hands showing harvested coffee berries" • Leohoho - "water drops gradient background" • TheDigitalArtist - "flooding surreal living room" • echosystem - "dock container export"