The calibration panel in Lightroom Classic is often overlooked, but it’s one of the most powerful tools for color control. If you want more precise control over the colors in your photos, this panel offers unique options that go beyond the typical adjustments like white balance or the hue/saturation/luminance (HSL) sliders.
Coming to you from Gareth Evans with Park Cameras, this detailed video walks through the calibration panel and demonstrates how it affects colors in a fundamentally different way than other tools in Lightroom Classic. The key difference is that it adjusts the RGB values at a core level, meaning it doesn’t just shift individual colors, it changes how red, green, and blue interact across the entire image. This can sound complex, but the results are impressive, especially when you need to unify the color tones in a photo or create a specific color grade.
One of the most interesting aspects of the calibration panel is its ability to affect every pixel in your photo based on its RGB makeup. For example, adjusting the green primary slider doesn’t just alter the green in the background, but it also subtly changes the skin tones and other colors where green is present. This can give your images a more cohesive and natural look without introducing drastic color shifts that can happen when using other sliders. By moving the green primary hue to the left, you push the colors toward a warmer yellow tone; to the right, the tones become deeper green. It’s not just a background tweak—it’s a full image transformation.
Evans also shows how the calibration panel can be used in combination with the HSL sliders for even more control. This allows for finer adjustments, like warming up an image subtly while keeping skin tones intact. In one example, Evans demonstrates how shifting the blue primary hue toward teal gives an image a warm, sunset-like glow. Using the calibration panel this way can simulate changes to the white balance, but with more creative control, allowing you to fine-tune an image’s color mood without making it feel artificial. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Evans.
