#6 of 10 Things
All New Lightroom Users Should Know

06 of 10 Featured
number 6

Table of Contents

It’s time for number 6 of 10 things I’d tell new Lightroom users. As promised, we are going to explore the Develop Module.

Oh, yes, we are!

Hey, did you name that group from last week’s installment?

Hint, they are sisters and point (er). You know, the Pointer Sisters.

Now onto the Develop Module…

Where to start. Let’s see.

Well, if we start from the beginning and discuss everything, we could be here for a few days or more.

So, let’s start with the basics…

Step 1 - Where Do You Start?

I’m often asked, “where do I start my editing”?

Good question. Let’s find out.

First, Lightroom was created by photographers for photographers. Well, it was created by Adobe.

But, Adobe did develop Lightroom with a lot of feedback from well-known photographers.

Which simply means, the layout is intuitive for a fast and productive workflow.

Always start at the top and work your way down. In most cases.

You have to find what works best (and be consistent) for your Lightroom workflow.

There’s that word again; “workflow.”

Check out my 5 Step Lightroom Workflow. You’ll learn how to create your own!

the Histogram

Even then, you should start with your Histogram. It has a lot of information about your photo.

In fact, it can help you figure out how to “fix” your photo.

Did you under or overexpose your photo?

Well, it’s easy to see when that photo is displayed.

But, in your Histogram, you can see where and how much needs to be fixed.

See the gap on the left side of this Histogram (and the huge spike on the right)…

That’s telling us that the photo has no detail in the shadows.

Plus, the huge spike on the right side is saying that the highlights are blown out.

So, from that, we know that we need to fix the following sliders; Shadow, Highlight, and the White + Black points.

Adjust those sliders too much, or too little could mean the loss of detail.

A properly edited image has details in both the shadows and highlights (for most photos).

A good histogram will have no gaps (in most cases) and no spikes.

It should look more like this Histogram (the same image, but properly edited)….

O.k., so reviewing the Histogram is step one.

Step 2 - Basic Panel

From there, you know what needs to be fixed within the Basics Panel.

Start at the top of that inner panel and adjust your…

Step 3 - the Tone Curve

I love the Tone Curve inner panel!

It will provide you with more precision and control vs. the Contrast slider.

So, yes, the Tone Curve is for adjusting your contrast.

The most often used setup, for me, is what’s known as an “S” curve…

It gives me a boost in the highlights and shadows.

Make sure you don’t go too far.

Otherwise, you’ll end up clipping your White and Black points (shadows and highlights).

Step 4 - Creative Edit Panels

In that order.

Unfortunately, not enough time to go over every feature, tip, and technique of all the editing panels at this time. Sigh.

It’s well beyond the scope of this post (otherwise, you could be here all day – which wouldn’t be bad for my SEO.)…

Click image to enlarge.

What About the Editing Tools?

tools

Well, depending on the photo, I may use one or more of the Tools before other panels.

For example, if I have a photo that is “crooked,” I’ll use the crop tool before I do anything else.

But after that, my main 3, go-to-first (for my workflow) – are…

After that…

Although, I usually do Sharpening (Details) last (and recommend you do the same).

But, what about the Lens Correction and Camera Calibration?

Well, Camera Calibration, I never have to tweak.

I’ve already set up the options for my personal taste (another one of those things you should do before you start using Lightroom).

And for the Lens Correction, well, I’ve set up my settings, and I let Lightroom do that for me automatically.

Say what? How?

I’ve created a Develop preset with my Lens Correction settings and apply it during import!

I love letting Lightroom do things for me automatically!

Next, the Remaining Tools

Once I’m done with the inner panels, the Tools are the next part of my workflow.

Adjustment Brushes, Graduated Filters, and the last tool I use is the Spot Removal.

If you have a lot of “spots” (or retouching), then using the Spot Removal last is ideal.

The more “pins” you add, the more Lightroom gets bogged down.

So, there you have it.

My recommendation for where to start (and end) when editing.

I hope you enjoyed today’s installment.

Guess what?

Only 4 installments left (so sad) that I would tell new Lightroom users…

Number 7 is a doozy.

Not going to want to miss it. Seriously.

O.k., here’s a little hint…

…do this and you could save 1 hour for every 8 hours worked! Say what?

You want to save time? Get out of here. Seriously?

Then, come back in a week to find out how!

1 more thing. If you have any questions, please post them in the comments section (below).

Parker
Parker
A 30-year photography pro with a desire to help you achieve your creative vision! Facebook | Youtube

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