Lightroom

Adobe Lightroom is where most photographers spend a significant portion of their working lives — and knowing it well makes a real difference to both the quality of your output and the speed of your workflow. This section covers Lightroom from practical angles: import and organization, raw processing, masking and local adjustments, color grading, and the workflow habits that separate efficient photographers from those drowning in a backlog.

5 Ways to Improve Your Landscape Photo Editing Skills in Lightroom

Rarely is a landscape photo finished when you press the shutter. Almost every image takes some amount of editing to produce a finished product. In recent years, Lightroom has become a far more powerful editing tool, and it is now possible to complete many landscape images without ever heading over to Photoshop. This fantastic video tutorial will show you five different ways to improve your editing skills in Lightroom. 

One of Lightroom's Oldest and Best Tools

Lightroom has made some remarkable steps forward in recent years, bringing an array of innovative new features that can automate many tasks that used to be quite tedious to perform manually. And as impressive as many of those new capabilities are, one of its most effective tools is a simple one that has been around for quite some time. This great video tutorial features an experienced Lightroom pro showing you how to get the most out of the tool in your work. 

5 Powerful Lightroom Masking Techniques for Landscape Photography

When you edit landscape photos, you will often make use of a variety of masks to target adjustments to different areas of the frame. Lightroom has made some major steps forward in its masking capabilities in recent iterations, making it far easier to efficiently and precisely process your photos. This excellent video tutorial will show you five uses for Lightroom's masking capabilities when working with landscape images. 

5 Editing Mistakes That Make Your Photos Look Amateur

Post-production of your photography can feel like a minefield when you first start; overwhelming, endlessly complicated, and confusing. In this video, Pat Kay goes over five common mistakes that can ruin your images.

How to Use This Powerful New Lightroom Feature

In the past few years, Lightroom has taken some powerful steps forward, making it a versatile and capable editing tool that can accomplish many tasks that used to require a trip to Photoshop. One of the greatest new additions is the ability to use curves in masks. This great video tutorial will show you how to use curves inside the program's masking panel to quickly and easily create powerful and precise edits. 

A Look at the New ON1 Photo Keyword AI 2023

Coming from the land of "why has no one thought of this before," ON1's latest release, Photo Keyword AI, promises to make organizing your photo far easier and more efficient. It looks awfully nifty, and for anyone who has a large catalog of photos in Lightroom that they need to navigate, it could be an indispensable tool. This great video will show you the tool and how to use it to organize and search your images. 

5 Common Lightroom Questions and Answers

Lightroom can be a sneakily intricate program, and it is not always obvious how to accomplish something you want. Whether you are still learning the program or a seasoned veteran, this helpful video tutorial discusses five common issues with not-so-obvious solutions that will make your life and workflow a little easier. 

How to Edit a Portrait in Lightroom

Traditionally, you edit portraits in Photoshop, where you can take advantage of the program's powerful array of local editing tools. On the other hand, Lightroom has taken tremendous steps forward in the past few years, and while Photoshop still sits at the top for portrait work, there are many situations in which you can complete a portrait edit entirely in Lightroom. This helpful video tutorial will show you how to do just that. 

The Excellent Change to the Curves Tool in Lightroom

Adobe Lightroom was once where you imported all your images into collections and then made some small tweaks before exporting to Adobe Photoshop. Now, it is a complex beast in its own right and can manage entire post-production workflows in some instances.

How to Create a Tasteful HDR Image

HDR images took the photography world by storm about 15 years ago, and after a few years, they mostly fell away, as they were mostly deemed to be too over the top to be tasteful. Nonetheless, even today's best cameras can't capture some scenes all in one exposure, and as such, if you want to avoid blown highlights or shadows, you need to combine multiple exposures somehow. This in-depth video tutorial discusses what makes for a tasteful HDR image and how to go about creating one in Lightroom. 

How to Use Some of Lightroom's Most Powerful Tools

While it remains primarily a cataloging program, Lightroom has made some significant steps forward in editing capabilities in recent years, and it is now possible to complete entire edits within the program, making your workflow far more convenient and efficient. This helpful video tutorial takes a look at the three of Lightroom's most useful tools, the Masking panel, Healing Brush, and Panoramic Merge, and how to use them. 

Focus Stacking on Steroids

With the advancements in camera technology and software, focus stacking has never been easier. You can now even stack complex woodland photos without significant difficulty. In this article, I share how to approach such scenes.

How Good Is Lightroom's AI Denoise Feature?

Lightroom's new AI Denoise feature has been monumental step forward for the program, but it also enters the market at a time when there are numerous highly advanced noise reduction applications. How good is it? This great video takes a look at the new feature, including its performance and how to use it on your own images. 

The Power of Lightroom for Landscape Photographers

It can be overwhelming for a landscape photographer when it comes to the editing process. Between all the sliders and sections in Lightroom and a myriad of options in Photoshop, it can be difficult to know where to start. This video walks you through some simple steps in Lightroom to enhance your photograph, with the final touches done in Photoshop.

A Look at Lightroom's AI Denoise Feature

Adobe recently released AI-driven noise reduction in Lightroom, which represents a major step forward for the program. How good is the new feature? This great video takes a look at everything you can expect. 

The Power of Tone Curves in Lightroom

The tone curve often gets less use than tools like the exposure sliders or color grading panel, but it offers arguably more power, precision, and versatility than either of those aforementioned options, which is why every photographer should have some level of familiarity with it. This excellent video tutorial takes a look at everything you can do with the tone curve in Lightroom and shows you how to leverage it to take greater control over your photo edits. 

How to Add a Warm Glow to the Sky of a Landscape Image Using Lightroom

The warm glow of a sunrise or sunset can be a nice addition to a landscape image, but sometimes, the weather simply does not cooperate, and you are left with a rather plain sky. Luckily, it is not terribly difficult to add a nice, subtle warmth to the sky of such a photo. This great video tutorial will show you how to quickly and effectively do just that using only Lightroom. 

The Proper Way to Use Photo Presets

Photo presets often have a bad reputation, but used in the proper manner, they can be useful tools that can save you time and make your life easier. If you are new to photography and feeling tempted by presets, check out this quick and helpful video tutorial that will show you the proper way to make use of them. 

A Guide to Editing an Image in Lightroom From Start to Finish

If you are new to editing your images, you might feel a bit overwhelmed by the dozens of sliders and adjustments available to you in Lightroom. They are not too difficult once you get the hang of them, though. This great video tutorial features an experienced photographer sharing his Lightroom editing work to get you on your way. 

5 Easy Ways to Edit Faster in Lightroom

Most of us spend a lot of time in Lightroom, and as such, it is well worth examining your workflow and finding any spots where you can increase your efficiency, as even small changes can up to big savings. This great video tutorial discusses five easy ways to increase your efficiency in the program. 

A Look at Lightroom's New AI Denoise Tool

Adobe recently rolled out one of its biggest Lightroom feature updates in quite some time: AI noise reduction. Promising to vastly out-perform the previous system, the new functionality has some stiff competition from many other options. How does it perform in practice? This great video overview takes a look at what you can expect. 

6 Lesser-known Landscape Photography Editing Techniques in Lightroom

Lightroom has become impressively capable in the last few years, easily able to edit a wide range of landscape images from start to finish. With all these capabilities and features, it can be easy to overlook some of the options at your disposal. If you would like to expand your abilities, check out this great video tutorial that discusses six useful techniques for editing landscape images. 

How to Color Grade Images in Lightroom

Color grading is a subtle art, and yet, it is one of the most powerful ways to give your image a professional look, convey a certain mood, and establish a recognizable personal style. If you are new to the technique and looking for some advice on how to do it in a professional manner, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you a wide range of useful tips and techniques for color grading images in Lightroom.

How to Edit Skies in Landscape Photos in Lightroom

The way you edit the sky can have a tremendous impact on not just the quality of a landscape images, but the mood it conveys to the viewer. Lightroom offers a lot of power and versatility for editing skies, and this fantastic video tutorial will show you how to take advantage of those capabilities to create better and more precise edits. 

How to Add Realistic Light Using Lightroom’s Intelligent Presets

This tutorial looks at using Adobe Lightroom Classic's intelligent masking and preset tools to create realistic light in post-production after you've already shot your images. Then, you can save the preset to use on any photo with just one click. This is essential for portrait and landscape photographers and will make your images better with less effort.

Three Useful Lightroom Tips You Might Not Have Seen Before

While it used to be that Photoshop was the place for any sort of advanced photo editing, in recent iterations, Lightroom has become impressively intricate and capable. In fact, you can now do a lot of things in the program you used to have to switch to Photoshop for, and often, you can perform them more efficiently in Lightroom. This great video tutorial will show you three functions and techniques you might not be aware of and how to use them in your editing.

Edit Your Images Faster With Lightroom's AI Masks

Adobe's Lightroom masking feature introduced just under a year ago revolutionized the workflow for many photographers by automating the tedious task of creating individual masks for specific parts of an image. This AI masking feature allows photographers to easily separate the foreground from the background, easily break down the parts of a portrait, and apply various edits to each individual part.

This Powerful Lightroom Tool Saves Time and Makes Edits More Precise

Lightroom is bursting with a variety of tools for editing your images, but one that is often overlooked is the Targeted Adjustment Tool. This tiny icon hiding among the larger sliders and adjustments is quite powerful, though, and with it, you can efficiently make very precise adjustments to multiple aspects of your photos. This great video tutorial will show you where to find the Targeted Adjustment Tool and how to use it to edit your images. 

Essential Ways to Manage Your Photography Files Using Lightroom Classic

Most of the problems I get asked to fix in my role as technical support for photographers has to do with Lightroom. This article will show you the way I use Lightroom to be able to find any photograph I've shot in the last 10 years in under a minute. This is how best to organize and categorize your files to best serve you as a photographer and the tips and tricks that you might have otherwise missed. 

Which Is Best for Fuji Files: Lightroom or Capture One?

There are probably two main software options when it comes to the processing of Fuji raw files that most photographers tend to use, Adobe Lightroom and Capture One. The choice, however, depends on the user's personal preferences, as both have their strengths and weaknesses.

Why You Should Try Editing Your Photos in Reverse

It sounds like a strange concept, but the reasoning behind it is sound, and it is straightforward and easy to do. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to edit your photos in reverse and why it will help you make better and more precise photos. 

This 'Hidden' Lightroom Slider Will Make Your Photos Pop

There are a lot of different ways to edit a photo in Lightroom, but most people probably do not use this slider for the purpose demonstrated here, as it is designed for something else. Nonetheless, it can give your photos that extra bit of pop that makes them catch the viewer's eye without teetering into the territory of the gaudy. This great video tutorial will show you where to find it and how to use it to improve your images. 

A Beginner's Guide to Editing Photos in Lightroom

Lightroom is one of the most popular programs for editing your photos, and it is surprisingly powerful, able to tackle a wide range of edits entirely by itself. If you are new to photography and working in Lightroom, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you the ins and outs of working in the program through a portrait edit.

How to Isolate Your Subject With Moody, Dark Tones Using Lightroom

A creative and well-executed edit can take a modest snapshot and turn it into an eye-catching image. Lightroom's new masking features contain some impressively powerful tools that allow you to quickly and accurately select and edit different parts of your image, and this excellent video tutorial will show you how to take advantage of them to create a moody, dark-toned edit that helps your subject pop out from that atmosphere. 

Using the Lightroom Classic Modules No One Talks About

Lightroom is one of the most popular photo-editing programs. We talk a lot about the library module and the develop module. The other available modules are almost never mentioned. What are these modules? But more important, are these useful?

A Beginner's Guide to Editing Black and White Photos in Lightroom

Creating a successful black and white image is about a lot more than simply pulling out all the saturation from a color image. If you are new to editing and wondering how to create black and white photos that really capture the eye, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you everything you need to know to create a stunning black and white shot in Lightroom.

What Features Would You Like to See in Lightroom?

Lightroom has evolved into a tremendously versatile and powerful program, capable of tackling many things that one used to have to switch to Photoshop for. Nonetheless, there is always room to grow. This great video essay features a seasoned Lightroom educator discussing five things he would still like to see Adobe add to the program.

Impossible Things: AI Photo Editor Works With Lightroom Presets

Lightroom preset maker DVLOP and photo educators SLR Lounge have launched a new take on AI photo editing with their project called Impossible Things. Entering the relatively new, yet increasingly competitive world of AI photo editing, Impossible Things promises to be the fastest and easiest AI photo editor.

How These Lightroom Tools Can Improve Your Landscape Photos

While Photoshop is still the destination of choice for the most involved and detailed edits, Lightroom has evolved into a tremendously versatile and powerful tool that can tackle quite a few images on its own. Three of its most useful tools for landscape photography are texture, clarity, and dehaze, and this excellent video tutorial will show you how they are used and how to leverage them for better images. 

A Simple Technique to Make Your Photos Pop

When it comes to landscape photography, we talk a lot about how to make photos "pop," but there is a fine line between a photo that pops and one that is gaudy. This great video tutorial will show you a simple and straightforward technique for adding a bit of pop to a landscape photo in a tasteful but effective manner. 

Everything You Need to Know to Edit Landscape Photos in Lightroom

Creating a compelling landscape photo takes good technique, knowledge of weather and light, planning, and, often, a lot of time and effort. And after all that, it takes strong understanding of post-processing and good taste to produce a finished product. This excellent video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer who will take you through how to edit a landscape photo using Lightroom.

The Best Way to Import Images Into Lightroom

Did you know that there are various ways to import images into Lightroom? Here, we look at the most effective method, which will save you time and ensure you don't even have to open the import dialog box.

Software Wars: Can Capture One Pro Defeat Lightroom Classic?

Capture One has a great reputation for image quality but comes with a premium price tag. Does it live up to its reputation, and is that extra cost worth it compared to other programs? I tested it side by side with Adobe Lightroom Classic.

How to Take Full Advantage of Lightroom's Newest Tools

Lightroom continues to advance in its capabilities, making it a more versatile editing platform than ever before. If you have not checked out all the new features yet, take a look at this fantastic video tutorial that will take you through some of the most useful new tools, where to find them, and how to use them for quicker and more powerful edits. 

How to Retouch a Portrait in Lightroom Without Photoshop

High-end retouching is normally done in Photoshop, so can similar edits be achieved in Lightroom without ever leaving the software? The following tutorial is based upon the tips and techniques provided in lesson 19 of Mastering Adobe Lightroom by Pye Jirsa and is only part of the 49 lessons available in the tutorial.