7 SIMPLE LIGHTROOM TIPS every beginner photographer should know

Nigel Danson

8 Aug 202122:32

EducationalLearning

32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe video gives 7 simple Lightroom photo editing tips that can make a big difference, even to advanced users. It starts by explaining how moving the exposure slider helps understand the luminosity range of an image. Other tips include: increasing contrast locally instead of globally which boosts saturation too; using local adjustments for most image changes rather than global ones; recovering blown out highlights; merging bracketed shots into HDR photos to increase dynamic range; reducing clarity and dehaze for ethereal effects; and controlling saturation by color instead of globally.

Takeaways

😀 Understand image luminosity by moving exposure slider left and right to see detail
😊 Contrast increases saturation and should be applied locally, not globally
📐 Use local adjustments instead of global adjustments
🔄 You can recover blown out highlights using local filters
🖼️ Take multiple exposures for HDR to get more dynamic range
🌄 Reduce clarity for ethereal, painterly effects
🎨 Vary clarity throughout image to create depth
🎞️ Control saturation on a color by color basis
📈 Use histograms to understand luminance levels
⛅️ Add radial filters to create glow around bright areas

Q & A

What is the first thing the presenter does when editing a photo?
-The first thing the presenter does is take the exposure slider and dial it all the way back and forward to see the detail in the shadows and highlights. This helps understand the image luminance and brightness levels.
How does increasing contrast affect an image?
-Increasing contrast not only increases the difference between light and shadow tones, but also increases saturation. So contrast enhances both contrast and color vibrance.
Why is it better to use local adjustments rather than global adjustments?
-Most adjustments are better applied locally rather than globally. This allows you to selectively edit parts of the image that need changing rather than changing the whole image uniformly.
How can you recover blown out highlights in Lightroom?
-Even if you overexpose parts of an image, the raw file retains all data. So you can use local adjustments like radial filters to reduce exposure just on the blown out areas and recover detail.
When is HDR merging useful in Lightroom?
-Taking multiple exposures allows capturing detail in shadows and highlights. Merging them as HDR in Lightroom retains this broad dynamic range, helping avoid issues like noisy shadows.
How can clarity and dehaze sliders be used creatively?
-Reducing clarity and dehaze can create nice soft, ethereal effects instead of just increasing punch and contrast. Gradual clarity can also convey depth.
What is a better approach than simply increasing global saturation?
-Rather than just increasing overall saturation, it is better to selectively control saturation of specific color channels. This allows enhancing colors selectively.
What does the contrast slider affect apart from tonal range?
-Apart from expanding the tonal range between highlights and shadows, increasing contrast also boosts color saturation globally.
When taking photos in high dynamic range scenes, what technique helps capture detail?
-Taking multiple exposures - darker and brighter than optimal - allows capturing shadow and highlight detail. HDR merging combines this expanded range.
How can radial filters be used to revise overexposed bright regions?
-Even if you overexpose bright regions initially, radial filters allow reducing exposure locally to recover blown highlight detail.

Outlines

00:00

📸 Understanding Image Brightness and Shadows

The first tip is to understand the brightness levels, shadows and highlights in your image by moving the exposure slider left and right. This reveals detail that can be recovered in the highlights and shadows. It also shows areas of noise that need to be dealt with.

05:02

🔆 Using Contrast for Punch

The second tip is about using contrast. Increasing contrast boosts separation between highlights and shadows, and also increases saturation. Rather than applying contrast globally, use local adjustments to apply it selectively for targeted punch.

10:04

🌄 Making Local Adjustments

The third tip is to not just make global adjustments but rather use local adjustments to affect only certain parts of the image. This provides more control compared to blanket adjustments applied to the whole image.

15:08

☀️ Recovering Blown Out Highlights

The fourth tip is that blown out highlights can be recovered in Lightroom because the raw file retains the information even if it looks burnt out on screen. You're never doing destructive editing so shadows and highlights can be brought back.

20:14

⏳ Creating HDR for Maximum Dynamic Range

The fifth tip is using HDR. By taking multiple exposures you capture maximum dynamic range in both shadows and highlights. This gives enormous latitude when editing to recover detail throughout the tonal range with no noise or blocked shadows.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡exposure

Exposure refers to the amount of light captured in a photograph. It is a key concept for understanding image brightness and contrast. The host advocates adjusting exposure globally and locally to reveal shadow and highlight details. He shows how increasing exposure reveals noise in the shadows.

💡contrast

Contrast defines the difference between the lightest and darkest parts of an image. The video explains how increasing contrast also boosts color saturation globally. It advocates using local adjustments to control contrast in specific areas rather than across the whole image.

💡local adjustments

Local adjustments allow you to selectively edit specific parts of a photo rather than applying global changes. The host argues most edits should be local, using tools like radial filters, to avoid overediting certain areas.

💡RAW

RAW refers to uncompressed image files that retain more editing flexibility. The video shows how blown out highlights can be recovered from RAW files since they capture more data than JPEGs.

💡HDR

HDR or high dynamic range imaging combines multiple exposures to capture more highlight and shadow details. The video demonstrates merging 3 drone photos into an HDR image with increased dynamic range.

💡clarity

The clarity slider adjusts edge contrast in images. While clarity is often increased, the video advocates reducing it locally to create soft, ethereal effects.

💡dehaze

The dehaze slider removes haze or fog from images. Like clarity, the host suggests lowering dehaze locally can add glow and create an atmospheric look.

💡saturation

Saturation refers to the intensity of colors in an image. Rather than boosting saturation globally, the video shows selectively increasing it for greens and oranges.

💡luminosity

Luminosity means the brightness of different parts of an image. Checking the luminosity levels in the shadows and highlights is advocated as an initial step before editing.

💡histogram

The histogram shows the distribution of dark and bright tones in an image. The video demonstrates using the histogram when adjusting exposure to visualize how the tonal range is affected.

Highlights

Understanding image luminosity, brightness levels, shadows and highlights before editing

Contrast increases saturation as well as light/shadow difference

Apply contrast locally, not globally across the image

Make local adjustments instead of global adjustments

You can recover blown out highlights in raw images

Take multiple exposures to create HDR images with more dynamic range

Reduce clarity/dehaze for ethereal, painterly effects

Vary clarity across image to create depth

Control saturation on a color-by-color basis

Dial exposure all the way up/down to check for detail

Contrast also increases color saturation

Use local adjustments instead of global adjustments

Raw data retains highlight/shadow detail even if image looks blown out

HDR merging gives best of all exposures in one image

Reduce clarity for soft, ethereal look

Transcripts

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