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. 

Coming to you from Park Cameras, this fantastic video tutorial will show you how to use a hidden midtones slider in Lightroom to add a bit of natural pop to your photos. This slider is not hidden in the sense that Adobe put it in a secret place. Rather, it is not found in the basic toning panel with the other adjustments like shadows, highlights, and more, as Adobe designed it for color grading. Nonetheless, if you leave the color adjustments out, it allows you to adjust the luminosity of the midtones for a subtle but effective edit that will not risk the overbaked HDR look that comes from pushing the shadows and highlights sliders around too much. You could also use the tone curve for this effect, but that is probably not as straightforward or efficient, though there's certainly nothing wrong with that. Check out the video above for the full rundown.

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

Log in or register to post comments
6 Comments