I've always been a Photoshop guy, but in recent years, I've found myself more and more involved with Lightroom.
I'm not the most organized person in the world, so Lightroom's easy importing, organizing, and management tools are a godsend for me.
I like the workflow in Lightroom more and more as well - it's easier and makes more sense to me.
If you're in the same boat as me and want to start using Lightroom more, you don't want to miss the 14 Lightroom tricks that Evan Ranft presents in the video above.
From speeding up your workflow to advanced editing tips and everything in between, this video will give you plenty of Lightroom techniques that will help you create improved images.
Have a look at the video, and for some discussion of a few of my favorite tips, read on below.
Change the Color of the Develop Screen Background
You know how they say that the background of a portrait can make or break the shot?
Well the same principle applies to the background color you see in the Develop Screen in Lightroom.
Some people prefer using a white background, others a black background, and yet others some shade of gray.
It sounds crazy, but changing the background color can change the way you see your image, particularly its colors and contrast.
So, to change things up, just right-click on the background in the Develop Screen, and choose the color of your choice from the corresponding pop-up menu.
Straighten a Horizon
Try as you might, sometimes your horizons aren't going to be absolutely straight.
Fortunately, it's an easy fix in Lightroom.
Though you can use the Angle Slider in the Crop and Straighten Panel, there's an even easier way.
Just press Command or Control on your keyboard, and that enables you to draw a straight line.
In this instance, Evan draws a line across the guardrail, and Lightroom automatically adjusts the image to make that line perfectly straight. Easy, right?
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Fix Distortion
If your photo has a lot of horizontal or vertical lines, you might notice that they appear a bit distorted.
But with Lightroom, this is a simple fix by using the Transform Tools in the Transform Panel.
In looking at the screenshot above, the vertical lines aren't completely vertical and are instead bent ever so slightly.
But by pressing the Vertical button in the Transform Panel, Lightroom corrects this distortion, making those vertical lines appear straighter.
This is a great tool to use when you have symmetrical images, like this one.
View Your Image By Itself
Even though Lightroom has a great workspace, all those panels and buttons and tools can be a little distracting.
When you want to have a look at your image to see how it's coming along, and want to omit all those tools and stuff, you can do so by pressing the L button twice.
The resulting window, shown above, gives you a nice, blank canvas on which to inspect your photo.
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Get Finer Control Over Sliders
For those of us that don't have the finest of hand control, the small sliders in Lightroom can be a bear to use.
Instead of making a small adjustment to something like exposure, it's easy to take it too far and end up with an image that's way brighter or darker than you wanted.
The fix for this is simple: grab the left-hand edge of the panel, and drag it to the left.
As you can see in the screenshot above, doing so extends those sliders and gives you much greater control over how much you move them.
The Best of Lightroom Tricks: Copy Settings From One Image to Another
Let's say you've fine-tuned an image and you love it.
What if you want to copy some of the settings for that image to another one though?
Just right-click on the image as shown above, and select Copy Settings.
In the following screen you can choose what specific Lightroom settings you'd like to copy, ranging from white balance to color, lens corrections to effects, and a host of other things.
Then, just open another image, right click on it, and select Paste Settings.
It's a fast and easy way to give your photos the same vibe, which is why it's my favorite lightroom trick.
Don't forget, Evan has more great Lightroom tips in his video and on his channel that will help you master Lightroom and get the most out of your photos. You can also check out the best Lightroom tutorials on PhotographyTalk!
Learn More:
- 3 Simple, Yet Helpful Lightroom Tricks
- Make the Most of Editing in Lightroom With These Must-Have Tips