Distracting elements can take away from the impact of your photos, and cleaning them up is an essential part of editing. Using Lightroom’s tools, you can remove unwanted objects, adjust colors, and refine details, all without needing advanced software like Photoshop.
Coming to you from Christian Möhrle of The Phlog Photography, this comprehensive video demonstrates how to clean up and enhance an image in Lightroom. Möhrle begins by merging bracketed photos into a single HDR image, ensuring the base file has a balanced exposure before any adjustments. From there, he moves into basic edits, tweaking the profile to “Adobe Landscape” to enhance saturation and brightness. Adjustments to exposure, shadows, and blacks help recover details in dark areas, while lowering highlights preserves the sky’s texture. This foundational work sets up the image for further refinement.
The remove tool, now enhanced with generative AI, is a game-changer for eliminating distracting objects. Möhrle walks through its three modes: clone, heal, and remove. By selecting “object-aware” and fine-tuning brush size, he efficiently cleans up elements like boats and lens flares. The tool isn’t flawless, occasionally leaving artifacts that require additional brushing, but it’s effective for smaller distractions. Möhrle notes that for precision or larger edits, Photoshop remains the better choice, but Lightroom provides a quick and accessible solution for most cleanup tasks.
Masks add depth and focus to the image by targeting specific areas. Möhrle demonstrates using linear and radial gradients to enhance contrast and brightness selectively. For example, darkening the sky while brightening the foreground creates a more dramatic scene. He also introduces color range masks to fine-tune hues, making skies bluer or enhancing warm sunset tones. These masks allow for precise adjustments without affecting the entire image, helping you highlight what matters most.
Color grading further refines the photo’s atmosphere. Möhrle explains how tweaking hues and saturation balances colors across the image. Adjusting orange and yellow hues creates a natural sunset effect, while lowering greens eliminates unwanted tones. He also uses split toning to contrast warm highlights with cooler midtones, adding depth and interest. Lastly, sharpening and masking ensure details stand out, completing the edit. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Möhrle.
And if you really want to dive into landscape photography, check out our latest tutorial, "Photographing the World: Japan II - Discovering Hidden Gems with Elia Locardi!”
