(If you’re getting this post through email, click here to view the video.)
As I wrote last week, Lightroom 4 represents a big change—the biggest change to Adobe’s Raw processing engine since Adobe Camera Raw was introduced in 2003. They’ve completely revamped the underlying algorithms for all of the tonal controls, and changed the behavior, and in some cases the names, of all the Basic Tone sliders.
Overall, I’m really happy with the new process, especially for high-contrast images. But if you’re accustomed to Lightroom 3 the new tools may seem strange at first. So I’ve been working on two videos to explain the changes and how to work with the new tools.
The first video, embedded here, explains some of the differences between the old and new processes, how the new tools work, and the ways they affect an image’s appearance. Here are some of the main points:
– The automatic highlight recovery and black point setting in the new process (2:00)
– Why you should avoid updating older images to the new process—unless you want to start over (5:04)
– The new tools: some of the names are familiar, but they all behave differently (7:30)
– Starting points: the numbers are different, but the defaults are really the same (8:53)
– An in-depth look at each of the new Basic Tone controls and how they work (12:38)
This video is about 25 minutes long, so, as I say in the video, grab your favorite beverage, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. I think you’ll come away with a better understanding of the strange but powerful new world that Adobe has created in Lightroom 4.
In the second video I talk about workflow in the new process. I show examples of processing both high-contrast and low-contrast images, talk about what settings you should start with, and discuss whether the new and improved Basic sliders can replace using curves.
I hope you enjoy this first video!
—Michael Frye
Related Posts: Lightroom 4 Update; Lightroom 4 Goes on Sale; Should You Wait, or Dive In?
Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author and photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters, plus the eBooks Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, and Exposure for Outdoor Photography. He has written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.
Thank for sharing this Michael, it’s great..
Thanks Paul! Glad you found it helpful.
Hi,
thank you very much for sharing your experiences in this video. This is very helpful and instructive!
Florian.
Thank you very much Florian!
Awesome video Michael. You explain and demonstrate this stuff better than anyone. Can’t wait for the second installation. Thanks for doing this.
Thanks Jan! I really appreciate that. I’m working on that second segment. 🙂
Thank you for your video. I have a bunch of friends that complained about LR4 new slider. I showed them your video and they all shut up now that they know how to make it work.
Nice! Glad you – and your friends – were able to benefit from this.
Thank you so much Michael.
Great stuff!
I watched this tutorial this morning before going to the corporate job, and watching it a second time right now.
Heck I might even watch 3-4 times, due to the amount of changes you are showing us in LR4.
Looking forward to to part two.
Thanks again for all the time that you take out of your busy schedule to make these tutorials.
You really should sell these tutorials as either a digital download or DVD.
I’d be your first customer! 🙂
Paolo
Smoky Cat Productions
Nature & Wildlife Photography and Videography
Thank you Paolo! I really appreciate the kind words, and I’m glad you enjoyed the video. I’m happy to share this, and hope that people can learn something and benefit from it. But I’m figuring out the logistics of doing an online course about Lightroom that would go into greater depth, so keep an eye out for that.
Hi Michael,
The two tools that I use the most in LR4 are Curves, and the Graduated Filter.
I have been experimenting with pretty much every thing that is “under the hood” in LR4, which has yielded fantastic results.
The problem with my current process is that it often takes me 4-6 hours of work in LR4 to get a photo “right”.
I would be extremely interested in being able to learn how to streamline this process, so please let me know when you start offering the online course.
Paolo
Smoky Cat Productions
Nature & Wildlife
Photography and Videography
Well 4-6 hours is a long time! I’ll be sure to let you know.
Hi Michael,
Thank you for sharing your analysis of the new 2012 image processing. I like your analytical approach comparing Lr3, Lr4 and the point curve. This is one of the best demonstrations and analyses I have seen so far. Adobe should hire you as a consultant!
Daniel
Thanks very much Daniel. I’m expecting Adobe to call any day now. 🙂
Totally agree with Daniel. You did a better job than the people in Adobe do.
Hi Michael,
This is a wonderful tutorial. It has helped me to better understand setting black and white points as well as using tone curves. I have been holding off on updating to LR4 and will wait until I see the rest of your tutorials before deciding. Thanks!
Carol
Thanks very much Carol! Although the new tools take some getting used to, there are some big improvements, so it might be worth the upgrade.
Hi Michael,
Thank you for spending the time to do this. By far the clearest and most useful explanation of the new 2012 process I’ve found. Looking forward to using LR4 ‘properly’ now! Really good stuff, much appreciated.
Simon
Thanks Simon – I appreciate that, and I’m glad you found this helpful.
Hi Michael,
Your explanation of the automagical highlight and shadow recovery was an aha moment for me…I’d wondered that some of my shots weren’t showing blinkies when I went to process them (and I knew there there were some slight highlight issues in the field). Can’t wait to hear the second installment, especially your views on the “baseline” settings.
Vivienne
Vivienne, I’m glad this helped clarify some things. There’s a lot of new stuff going on in this new process, and I think it’s going to take some time to get used to it, but I think it’s all good. 🙂
Michael,
Thanks for a very well done tutorial. Clear and concise presentation. Thank you for taking the time to share this with us.
Joe
You’re welcome Joe, and thanks for the kind words!
Very useful video Michael, thanks very much for posting – as others say, looking forward to part 2. LR3 to LR4 is a big jump and non-intuitive (at least for me!). Adobe’s help does not really explain how to use the new facilities in enough detail. Now that I’m starting to understand, I do see it as a move forward – I wasn’t so sure at first…
Thanks Paul – I’m glad you found this helpful. I wasn’t so sure it was a move forward at first either; the new process takes some getting used to. I could quibble with some of the choices Adobe made, but overall I think Lightroom 4 is definitely a leap forward in Raw image processing.
Michael, you are a pretty amazing guy to provide this information so freely; thank you.
You’re welcome Jay! I’m happy to share this if it’s helpful to people.
Yes. Part 1 really helped me to understand the changes in version 4. Looking forward to Part2. Is it almost ready?
Michael, thank you again.
Glad you found Part 1 helpful Jonathan, and Part 2 is getting there.
Ditto what everyone else has said. Thank you so very much for taking the time to share your knowledge!
You’re welcome Alan, and thanks!
Thanks for doing this video. I just downloaded Lightroom 4 last night and am planning on getting into a book soon to learn the ins and outs (and also probably to remind myself of a lot of the features from 3 that I’d forgotten about) but in the meantime this has been a really nice primer. I’ve only had a little bit of time to mess around with the new sliders but the video gave me a number of “aha” moments after not being sure what those sliders do. Seeing the comparisons between LR 3 and 4 is also really informative. Can’t wait for the next part.
You’re welcome Chris – glad you found this video helpful. Part 2 is already up:
https://www.michaelfrye.com/2012/04/20/lightroom-4-working-with-the-new-process/
Thanks for this AMAZING overview… I knew it was different, but couldn’t articulate just quite how! When you’re so used to processing image one way, and then it changes that much, it boggles the mind. Mind now unboggled. THANK YOU!
Thanks Nick! I’m glad this video helped to clear things up for you.
Thanx, the overview cleared some issues i had. When i started importing images into LR i was taken aback by the weird standard result. Too light and too contrasty. I didn’t realize that there was a ‘standard’ exposure & contrast adjustment going on in the background!
By bringing those back a bit, my startingpoint is much better!
Are there some more standard adjustments you apply when importing images?
You’re welcome Erik. I don’t apply any standard adjustments really. If you watch the second video I show how I would approach processing two different types of images:
https://www.michaelfrye.com/2012/04/20/lightroom-4-working-with-the-new-process/
Thanx again!
I’m gonna watch it again (and probably again)… Finally, after some month’s of frustration, i’m getting in the ballpark. My startingpoint for adjustments is getting better. My last step is to, finally, get my Colorchecker profiles incorporated. It’s not working the way i like. Applying the CCP-profiles gives me too much contrast and saturated colors (neon-greens..).
I’ve gotta lot to learn! But you make it a lot easier!
This is a great video and I am very grateful for your post. The explanations and speed of delivery are perfect for me.
Thanks Darrell — glad you found this helpful.
Thanks for that clever solution. I guess there is still room for Photoshop.
Of course! Photoshop can still do many things that Lightroom can’t. But on the other hand, there are things that Lightroom can do that Photoshop can’t. There are advantages to working directly with the Raw data, rather than a derivative, especially when trying to pull detail out of highlights and shadows in high-contrast scenes.
Thank you Michael for this great information about Lr4; however, I would like to ask you about `Adobe Photoshop CS6` which is the software I use for my RAW files. My question is if I do need to use both `Lr4 and Adobe Photoshop CS6 to be able to do a good job? Thank you Michael and I appreciate your answer.
mARTin
Thank you Martin. No, you don’t need both Lightroom 4 and Photoshop CS6. CS6 comes with Adobe Camera Raw 7, and you can do everything in ACR 7 that you can do in Lightroom’s Develop Module. The advantage of Lightroom is that it replaces both Bridge and ACR, so you’re only using one program instead of two, and Lightroom is much faster and better than Bridge for organizing your photos.
Thank you so much Michael. This is going to help me so much. Your art is simply one of the best! I saw you and your work at Ansel Adams’ gallery this year and you signed one of your books for me.
Thanks,
mARTin
You’re very welcome Martin!
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Michael
I am planning to come over from the UK in 2015 and would like to incorporate a workshop within my schedule.
Do you have 2015 dates available?
Kind Regards
Keith Turner
Thanks for your interest Keith. We’ll be announcing our 2015 workshops soon. Be sure to get on my mailing list to get notified.
Sir,
1] After you make a mask or selection in Lr4 using the adjustment brush, can you get the inverse of it as you can in Photoshop?
2] If you have made more than one separate mask with the Lr adjustment brush, can you turn the effect of a single mask on and off, seperate from the other masks, as you can with the PS layer eyeball?
Thanks
Terrence:
1) Not that I know of.
2) Sort of. You can delete an individual pin and its mask, than undo that deletion (Command-Z or Control-Z), to see it turned off and back on. You could also do this and use Snapshots to save various history states with some pins deleted or not. You can turn off the whole Adjustment Brush panel and see the image without any of your Adjustment Brush edits.