
Like I mentioned at the start of this article, Lightroom is a huge program, and even a “complete” guide like this one couldn’t possibly dive into everything it offers. You’ll get a lot better at using the sliders as you continue to edit photos over time - and there is plenty more to learn. Using the “Camera Calibration” panel to get more accurate colors: Nikon, Canon, Fuji, and Sony.However, if you’d like to read about any of them in particular, we have several articles that dive into more detail on some specific topics: Play around with these sliders, and you’ll get a better feel for what they do than you ever could just by reading an article online. Most of them are fairly intuitive, and it isn’t worth spending 1000 words describing how “shadows” affects the brightness of the shadows in a photo, and “contrast” boosts the overall contrast of your scene. But it will affect all the shadows equally across the entire image. (A note on what I mean by this: Yes, something like the “shadows” slider will affect the shadows more than the rest of the photo. The Develop sliders affect the entire photograph rather than just a specific part. This is where you change the brightness, contrast, saturation, colors, and other global image edits. The heart of the Develop module is the right-hand side bar - the post-processing sliders. Personally, I spend 50x more time in Lightroom than Photoshop, and most of my work is in the Develop module. Unless you are focused on conceptual, studio, or advertising photos, which could require intense levels of retouching and photo blending, the options in the Develop module will likely be enough for most of your photos. Lightroom isn’t as advanced as Photoshop in terms of the sheer number of post-processing options it offers, but it certainly includes the most important options. Still, if you’re a color-high photographer who throws conventions in the wind, and you want otherworldly contrast and bright red skies in your photograph, you can do that in Lightroom, too. If someone immediately thinks one of your photos looks fake, they aren’t likely to see it in a very positive light. It’s a crucial way to differentiate your work from the rest of the market.Īt a broad level, a good philosophy for post-processing is that your final result should look natural.



It’s also one of the most personal parts about photography, and your individual post-processing style has a major effect on the way your photos ultimately look.

It only took 6000 words to get to the best part: editing your photos!Īlong with organization, post-processing is one of the crucial pillars of Lightroom.
