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Making Images Look a Whole Lot Better with the Develop Module in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4

Mar 6, 2012

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This chapter is from the book 

Photoshop Lightroom: From Snapshots to Great Shots (Covers Lightroom 4)

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Chapter 3 Assignments

You just might spend more time in the Develop module than any other module in Lightroom. Therefore, it’s important to get to know all of the panels so that you know which one to use in any situation.

Learn the Basics

Of all the panels you will use, the Basic panel is probably the most powerful when it comes to improving the look of your images. Experiment with the Exposure, Highlights, Shadows, and Blacks sliders to see how they complement each other. Also, play around with the Clarity and Vibrance sliders to see how they can punch up a dull image.

Sharp as a Tack

Sharpening is one of those adjustments that people tend to overdo at first. I’m not sure why, but sometimes seeing an ubersharp image gets folks excited. Resist the urge to turn your images into Ginsu knives, and instead try sharpening with control. Apply a modest amount of sharpening with the Amount slider and then use the Option (Alt) key trick to mask the sharpness to just the edges of your subject.

Create a Classic Black and White

Not all images look good in black and white, but when you have a tool that is as quick and easy to use as the Black & White panel, it’s fun to try out the technique. Try applying it to images that have some nice contrast. Also, candid people shots can look good as black-and-white images. Reset all of the sliders to 0, and then use the Target Adjustment tool on the image to lighten or darken it as you see fit.

Play with Presets and Create Your Own

The Lightroom team developed some stylish development presets for you to try out. All you need to do is just mouse over them to see how they look. Try making some virtual copies and applying a couple of presets; then compare your images. Then try creating your own preset and see how it looks when applied to different shots. By the way, you can delete a virtual copy at any time by selecting it and pressing the Delete (Backspace) key.

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