Careful color adjustments in Lightroom Classic and Adobe Camera Raw can elevate your images dramatically. Whether subtle or bold, knowing the right tool for your vision makes the difference between average edits and exceptional photography.
Coming to you from M.D. Welch of Photo Kitchen, this insightful video provides clear explanations of three powerful color-enhancement tools: Color Mixer, Calibration, and Color Grading. Welch emphasizes avoiding the Tone Curve for color adjustments, as it unintentionally alters tonal values, potentially harming your image's integrity. Instead, Welch demonstrates the precision of Color Mixer—particularly its HSL (Hue, Saturation, and Luminance) controls. By using the intuitive Target Adjustment Tool, you can directly shift specific colors without guesswork, revealing subtle yet impactful enhancements. Welch openly critiques the Color tab within Color Mixer, advising against its use due to limited effectiveness compared to HSL's superior accuracy.
Welch then turns your attention to the Calibration panel, which is less understood yet uniquely effective for creating cohesive looks across entire images. If you've encountered issues with overly greenish tones in images from Nikon, Sony, or Fuji cameras, Welch’s tip to adjust the Shadows slider in Calibration immediately resolves this common frustration. Calibration, Welch explains, globally shifts colors, giving images a cohesive, cinematic aesthetic reminiscent of classic film stocks. The demonstration shows how slight adjustments to primary color sliders radically transform the mood and consistency of your image without selective editing.
The video addresses important limitations: the global nature of these tools can unintentionally alter colors in unwanted areas. Welch provides clever workarounds using local adjustments with masks and Point Color, enabling selective editing. Although Calibration and Color Grading lack direct local adjustment options, Welch demonstrates practical masking techniques, offering flexibility in achieving precise results without sacrificing image-wide color cohesion. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Welch.
