Adobe Lightroom is getting more and more powerful and is a popular choice of image editor for many photographers. And compared with Photoshop, it’s very intuitive and doesn’t require a steep learning curve. However, for this reason, it can be easy to fall into traps and start doing things that don’t bring the best out of your photos.
In this video, portrait photographer Katelyn James walks us through her pet peeves and best practices of editing images in Lightroom. Now we can all stop making these silly mistakes. And I have to admit I’m guilty of a couple of these too!
Inconsistent editing patterns
One of the biggest mistakes photographers make is starting from scratch every time they open Lightroom. Without established patterns or go-to adjustments, it’s difficult to develop a consistent style, resulting in erratic edits. When your work lacks consistency, it becomes less recognizable, and you may struggle to create a cohesive portfolio.
Solution: Establish a consistent editing workflow. Create presets or develop habits around specific adjustments you regularly make. This will help you maintain a uniform look and feel in your images over time.
Missing subtle issues
Photographers often miss minor details that can greatly impact the overall quality of an image. For instance, when shooting in direct sunlight, harsh, unnatural colour casts on skin tones, such as intense orange highlights, might go unnoticed and cause distracting visual imbalances.
Solution: Use masking tools in Lightroom to isolate and desaturate areas with unnatural colour casts, like the bright orange tones on the skin caused by sunlight. By focusing on specific problem areas and toning down the intensity, you can maintain a balanced and natural look.
Improper use of temperature sliders
A common error when warming up images is over-relying on the temperature slider. While this tool adjusts the overall warmth of an image, it often affects the entire photo, leading to unwanted changes in other areas, such as the background.
Solution: Instead of using the temperature slider for everything, use targeted adjustments like colour grading. By warming up only the highlights or using a brush to apply warmth selectively, you can make more precise edits that maintain the overall balance of your image without overdoing it.
Overuse of contrast
Many photographers want their images to “pop” and immediately turn to the contrast slider. However, adding too much contrast can make the image appear heavy and unbalanced, especially if you’re working with underexposed images.
Solution: Before adding contrast, focus on brightening the image by adjusting the blacks, shadows, and highlights. Opening up the darker areas creates a lighter base from which to build contrast, resulting in a cleaner and more vibrant final image without heaviness.
Ignoring subtle colour casts in hair and shadows
Photographers often overlook small, distracting colour casts in areas like hair, shadows, or skin, which can detract from the overall quality of the image. For example, reflections from the sky can create blue tints in hair, or direct sunlight can make certain parts of the body look unnaturally red.
Solution: Train your eye to spot these issues and correct them using the HSL panel or by applying targeted desaturation. Addressing small colour issues early can significantly improve the overall look and feel of your image, preventing you from accidentally damaging other parts of the photo in the editing process.
Not recognizing the root issue
Perhaps the biggest mistake photographers make is failing to identify the underlying problem in an image. This often leads to a lot of unnecessary adjustments as they try to fix everything at once, making the process more frustrating.
Solution: Focus on recognizing the key issue first. Whether it’s a colour imbalance, contrast problem, or uneven exposure, addressing the main issue before making further edits can save you time and frustration. By identifying and solving the root problem, you can streamline your editing workflow.
