In this post, I am going to take you through my typical editing process using Adobe Lightroom Classic. As a photographer, I have found that there are 8 essential tools that I use on a regular basis, some of which I use on every photo, while others are more situational. If you're interested in learning about these tools, then keep reading!
Step 1: Rating Your Photos in Lightroom
When it comes to editing your photos in Lightroom, the first step is to decide which ones are worth your time and effort. This is where the star rating system comes in handy.
To start, go through your photos and use the square bracket keys on your keyboard to add or take away stars. The right square bracket adds a star, while the left square bracket removes one. For example, if you press the right bracket key twice, you will add two stars to the photo.
It's important to note that you don't need to rate all of your photos right away. For now, you can start by giving your best shots a higher rating and leaving the rest at one star. This will help you narrow down your selection and make the editing process more manageable.
Step 2: Correcting White Balance
Once you have rated your photos, the next step in your Lightroom editing process is to correct the white balance. This is important as it ensures that your photos have accurate and natural-looking colours.
To get started, move into the Develop mode. On the right panel, you will see two sliders labeled Temp and Tint. These sliders control the white balance of your photo, and you can adjust them by dragging them left or right until the colours look right.
However, using these sliders can be quite imprecise, so Lightroom also provides an eyedropper tool to help you achieve accurate white balance. Simply click on the eyedropper tool, and then click on a white, grey, or black object in your photo. Lightroom will automatically adjust the colours in your photo so that the white objects appear white, the grey objects appear grey, the black objects appear black, and everything else has the correct colour balance.
To learn more about adjusting your white balance check out this video.
Step 3: Straightening Your Image
Straightening your image is an important step in ensuring that your final photo looks polished and professional. It's something that you might not always need to do, but it's worth checking your images to make sure they are straight.
To start, open the crop tool in Lightroom. Once you have the crop tool open, look for the straighten tool, which is located at the top of the toolbar. Click on it, and then draw a line along the edge of your photo that you want to be straight. Lightroom will then adjust and crop your image accordingly.
It's important to note that when you straighten an image, you might lose a small part of your photo due to the cropping. To avoid losing important parts of your photo, it's best to try to get your image straight when taking the photo. However, if you do need to straighten your image, this tool will help you do so easily and accurately.
Step 4: Adjusting Exposure
Adjusting exposure is a crucial step in Lightroom editing as it can dramatically change the look and feel of your photo. While it might not be necessary for all photos, it's worth checking to see if the exposure needs to be adjusted.
In Lightroom, the Exposure panel contains several sliders that can be used to adjust the exposure of your photo. These sliders include Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, and Blacks. Each slider has its own function and can be used to achieve different effects in your photo.
To get started, have a play around with the sliders until your image starts to look good. Adding a bit of one slider and removing a bit of another is a good way to achieve a balanced look. Remember, the goal is to create an image that looks natural and pleasing to the eye.
If you want to learn more about changing your exposure sliders, let me know in the comments below.
Step 5: Using Auto Masking
Auto Masking is a new and powerful tool in Adobe Lightroom that can help you make precise adjustments to specific parts of your image. Use it on an as-needed basis. It is particularly helpful when you need to make adjustments to a specific part of your photo.
To use Auto Masking, click on the masking tool in the toolbar, and choose the type of mask you want to create.
Auto Masking is a powerful tool that can help you create precise edits to your photos. It's worth experimenting with this tool to see how it can enhance your images.
To learn more about this tool check out this video.
Step 6: Batch Editing
Once you've edited one photo to your liking, you can apply those same edits to multiple photos using batch editing. This is a great way to save time and ensure consistency across all the photos in a folder.
To batch edit, start by selecting the photo you've just edited in the thumbnail strip. Then, hold down the shift or control key and select the other photos you want to apply the same edits to. Next, click on the "Sync" button in the bottom right corner of the screen.
A window will pop up asking you to select which settings you want to copy over to the other photos. Choose the settings you've been working on and hit "Synchronise". Now, all the selected photos will have the same edits applied to them.
Batch editing is a simple but powerful tool that can help you save a lot of time when working with large numbers of photos. Give it a try and see how it can streamline your editing process.
Step 7: Spot Healing
Have you ever taken what you thought was the perfect shot, only to realise later that there's an unwanted object or blemish in the photo? Well, don't worry because Adobe Lightroom Classic has a spot healing tool that can help.
To use the spot healing tool, simply click on it in the Develop panel. You'll then have the option to choose between cloning or healing. Cloning copies pixels from one part of the image to another, while healing uses AI to determine which pixels should be copied. Experiment with both to see which works best for your photo.
Next, click on the unwanted object or blemish in your image. Two circles will appear - the first where you clicked and the second where the pixels are being taken from. Move these circles around until you get the desired result. The spot healing tool is perfect for those small imperfections that can detract from an otherwise great photo.
Step 8: Reduce Noise and Sharpen your Image
To reduce noise, adjust the "Noise Reduction" slider until the noise is reduced to an acceptable level. Be careful not to overdo it, as this can make the image look too soft.
To sharpen the image, adjust the "Sharpening" slider. You can also adjust the "Masking" slider to apply sharpening only to the edges of the image, and not to areas with smooth textures.
Again, the amount of noise reduction and sharpening needed will depend on the individual image, so it's important to experiment and find the right balance.
And that's it, you have successfully edited your photo in Adobe Lightroom!
I hope you have found this useful. If you want any more information on any of these steps, please let me know in the comments.
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