(If you’re viewing this post as an email and can’t see the video, click here.)
There’s a lot going on under the hood in Lightroom – things that aren’t obvious, and aren’t talked about much, not even by Adobe. For example, all the Tone sliders in the Basic Panel are image-adaptive – that is, their behavior changes based on the image content. The two most important image-adaptive behaviors are the automatic highlight recovery, and the automatic black-point adjustment, which kick in when a raw file has overexposed highlights or underexposed shadows.
The seven-minute video above explains how the automatic highlight recovery and automatic black point adjustment work. The full 44-minute video about the Basic Panel Tone Controls has much more, including an in-depth look at all the Tone sliders, an explanation of why Adobe’s default settings might not be the best starting place for many images, and demonstrations of how I approach processing both high-contrast and low-contrast images in Lightroom.
That full 44-minute video is just one of 17 videos included in my Landscapes in Lightroom ebook and video package. Other videos delve into the Adjustment Brush, Spot Removal tool, HDR Merge, Panorama Merge, and much more. And the ebook itself includes nine examples where I take you step-by-step through processing a variety of images – high contrast, low contrast, black and white, HDR, panorama, and a Milky Way photograph. Plus you get to download the DNG raw files so you can follow along with each example.
As a reminder, the new edition of Landscapes in Lightroom is available at the old price of $26.95 until midnight tomorrow. After that the price will go up to $39.00. To purchase the ebook and video package, or learn more about all the features of this new edition, click here:
Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide
— Michael Frye
Related Posts: The Profile Browser in Lightroom Classic; Lightroom eBook Updated!; Big Lightroom News
Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael 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 you, Michael. Very useful information.
You’re welcome Bob – glad you found this helpful.
Learning invaluable things in Landscapes in Lightroom, like image-adaptive behavior, that I’ve never been introduced to in hours of reading and video tutorials. Maybe it’s because you live and create in the landscapes that are also so relevant to me. And your style is so clear and cool. Thanks, as always… dcraig
Thanks DCraig – I’m glad you’re finding Landscapes in Lightroom helpful!
Thanks a lot for this relevant information!
You’re welcome Marcus – glad you found this helpful!
Just finished your book Digital Landscape Photography, as is stumbled over it accidentally. I finished it in one day and i will stick to it for deeper understanding. I found it very helpful and it gave me a very new viewpoint. I was really affected by your deep insight and the way your capable of using and explaining further technical approaches though still being loyal to the old masters. Wich actually is the mayor effect of your book and why i´am loving it so much. I am glad having had a profound explanation of the Zone System, as i was always struggling with overexposed and washed out pictures. Also the very diverse Lightroom and Photoshop techniques you introduced have a huge impact on my work, since i´m looking for new ways and different approaches getting better. Thank you so much!
I’ve take a number of classes on Lightroom, read many articles and books, and I find Michael’s Landscape in Lightroom e-book and video package to be probably the most helpful resource I’ve ever found. Books and ebooks and article don’t always make it as easy as they sound. Classes often jump ahead of the audience and the audience (often that is me) sometimes falls behind. But Michael’s ebook is thoughtful with details and the videos are clear (and can be rerun whenever necessary). Thanks Michael, your Landscape in Lightroom gives me a big jump.
Thanks so much Randy! I’m glad you’re finding the course helpful.