Workflow tips for Lightroom Classic in 7 steps

Monday 17 July 2023, 14:41 by Nando Harmsen | 6,406 views | 9 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Editing a photo into a finished result is part of photography. What comes out of the camera is rarely perfect. How you edit a photo is very personal. I can give you a few tips for a pleasant workflow.

Editing a photo becomes less difficult when you have a good workflow. That workflow is different for everyone, in principle. After all, every photographer has a favourite way of working. But are you looking for your favourite way? Then these tips will help.

The tips are based on a workflow in Lightroom Classic. If you do not use that software, look at what is edited in each step. Your favourite software package will have that option too. It may look slightly different, but basically it is the same or comparable.

Step 1: Lens correction

Lens correction removes lens faults. Distortion, chromatic aberration and vignetting caused by the lens disappear.

But be careful, sometimes lens correction creates unwanted effects. You may only notice this later in the workflow. In that case, you need to go back and turn off lens correction. So always pay close attention.

Apply any transformations in this step too, straighten the horizon, and crop the photo to your preferred aspect ratio.

Step 2: Dust spots and blemishes

This is a good time to remove dust spots and blemishes. They may be difficult to see. It can therefore help to temporarily set the contrast very high, or apply Dehaze extremely strongly.

you can also make dust spots visible using Visualise Spots. See what works best for you. Do not forget to set the contrast or Dehaze back to 0 afterwards.

Step 3: Global exposure, colour and contrast

Optimise the exposure, highlights and shadows. Do not make this too extreme, but make sure the photo has the best possible appearance. Do not worry too much yet about areas that are far too light or dark. That comes in the next step.

Also optimise the colour using white balance and tint. Be a little careful here too, but remember that you can always adjust everything later. Nothing you do is final or irreversible.

Step 4: Local exposure and contrast

Once you have finished the global adjustments, it is time to adjust the exposure and contrast locally. Sometimes this is hardly necessary, while at other times it is essential.

You make local adjustments using masks. Use radial masks, linear masks, or object recognition. Do not be afraid to use more than one. Applying vignetting is also a form of local adjustment.

You can always go back a step from here and adjust the global edit. It is an interplay between global and local adjustments. Take your time.

Step 5: Mood and colour

This is not always necessary, and it is also very personal. When thinking about mood, consider effects such as the Orton effect, which gives the photo a dreamy appearance.

You can also create mood by adding a colour using colour gradients. It gives your photo a distinctive, unique appearance. Here too, you can go back a few steps to adjust the white balance.

If you have your own style, consider creating a preset from your colour gradient. This gives you a quick starting point with nothing more than the press of a button. You can then optimise the result further.

Step 6: Check the exposure and contrast again a day later>Although you can make further adjustments to the exposure and contrast during every step of your editing, it is a good idea to do this again after a day.

Although the editing of your photo was basically finished, further adjustments may still be needed. Your photo may have too little contrast or colour, or the editing may have gone too far. You only notice this once you have gained some distance. So look at the photo again a day later, and adjust what is needed.

Step 7: Sharpening and noise

In principle, this step is only needed when you are going to export the photo. You can of course deal with noise here too, but sharpening depends on how the photo will be used.

Sharpening for use on the internet is different from sharpening for print. Sharpening for a poster is also different from sharpening for a small postcard-sized print. You can only sharpen with a specific purpose once you are exporting for a particular use.

Adapt it to your own preferences

These 7 steps are of course not compulsory. They are not a holy grail that guarantees a good photo. But they can be used as a starting point for your personal workflow.

What are your steps when editing? Do you consistently follow a particular order, or do you let what you see guide you and work in a less structured way? Let us know in a comment below this post.

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