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Ready to transform your photos? Day 4 of 30 Days of Lightroom unlocks basic image adjustments. Learn to master exposure, white balance, contrast, and more using simple sliders.
Discover how the histogram helps visualize your changes and how to quickly reset or compare adjustments. We’ll show you a practical workflow, starting with the Auto button for a quick base, then fine-tuning tone, presence, and color.
This tutorial includes a RAW file image so you can make the best out of your editing experience!
Follow along with all 30 episodes as we explore the the magic of Lightroom together!
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AFTER
BEFORE
Transform Your Photos
Today, we’ll cover essential basic adjustments to enhance your photos in Lightroom Classic. This guide will walk you through understanding the histogram, mastering tone adjustments, and using presence and color controls to make your images shine. Let’s get started!
Understanding The Histogram
The histogram is a crucial tool for visualizing your image’s tonal range. It displays the distribution of darks (left), shadows, exposure (midtones), highlights, and whites (right). Hovering over sections of the histogram highlights the corresponding tonal areas in your image. Adjusting the sliders in the Tone section of the Basic panel directly affects the histogram and your image. You can also click and drag directly on the histogram to adjust these values. Remember you can always reset the Tone adjustments by holding Alt/Option and clicking “Reset Tone.” Double-clicking a specific slider (e.g., Highlights) resets only that adjustment.
Mastering Tone
The Tone section offers precise control over your image’s light and dark areas. “Exposure” controls the overall brightness, while “Contrast” adjusts the difference between light and dark tones. “Highlights” and “Shadows” recover detail in those respective areas. “Whites” and “Blacks” control the extreme ends of the tonal range. Experiment with these sliders to achieve the desired balance and mood in your photos. The Auto button is a great starting point, automatically setting these values for a balanced image.
Presence and Color
The Presence section refines the details and texture of your image. “Texture” adds subtle sharpening, while “Clarity” enhances mid-tone contrast for a more defined look. “Vibrance” and “Saturation” control the intensity of colors. Vibrance is gentler, protecting skin tones, while Saturation affects all colors equally. For most portraits, using Vibrance is recommended. Remember, these adjustments, like all others, can be reset by double-clicking the slider name or the slider itself.
That’s it for Day 4! You’ve now learned the fundamentals of basic image adjustments in Lightroom. Tomorrow, we’ll explore more editing tools to further enhance your photographs.
