Adding contrast can transform an image, but it often changes more than just light and shadow. It also affects color saturation, sometimes in ways that don’t look natural. Understanding how to manage this is key to creating polished images without overdoing it.
Coming to you from Glyn Dewis, this practical video explains how to add contrast in Lightroom while maintaining control over color saturation. Dewis highlights the multiple tools available, including the contrast slider, tone curve, and effects section tools like Dehaze, Clarity, and Texture. While these adjustments can enhance light and dark areas, they often increase saturation, which may not always be desirable. This effect can result in colors looking overly vibrant or unrealistic.
For those familiar with Photoshop, Dewis draws an important comparison. When adding contrast using a curves adjustment layer in Photoshop, switching the blend mode to Luminosity keeps the contrast adjustments from impacting color saturation. Lightroom doesn’t offer blend modes, but Dewis demonstrates a workaround that uses the Refine Saturation slider to manage saturation after applying contrast adjustments.
The Refine Saturation slider, part of Lightroom’s tone curve adjustments, allows you to control the level of color saturation introduced by contrast changes. Dewis demonstrates this with an example, applying a classic S-curve to a sunset photo taken on an iPhone. While the added contrast improves the image’s tonal depth, the saturation increases too much, making the colors look unnatural. Using the Refine Saturation slider, Dewis dials back the saturation incrementally until the colors appear balanced. This feature lets you adjust the effect precisely, leaving some saturation changes intact or returning colors to their original state.
This approach mimics the functionality of Photoshop’s Luminosity blend mode but offers more flexibility. It’s a powerful tool for those who want finer control over how their images look, especially when working with scenes where color realism matters. Dewis emphasizes that this technique isn’t just about avoiding over-saturation—it’s about achieving the exact look you want, whether it’s subtle or bold. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Dewis.
