Adobe Lightroom techniques

see also:

• how to use image editing tools
• Adobe Photoshop® techniques 1
• OnOne (On1) portraiture retouching workflow
• Udemy: Getting started with Lightroom tutorial
• Removing CA color fringing with new controls in Lightroom 4.1
• Phillip Reeve's LR workflow
• youtube tutorial: how to import photos into LR
• youtube tutorial: Top 5 Lightroom Secrets that Changed my Life - use brush to adjust grad/radial filters, using presets, dodge and burn, sync images, create panoramas
• Sharpening resized images for the web
• Youtube - sharpening and noise reduction in LR
• Youtube - light and airy photos
  • shoot with lighter backgrounds
  • in LR, reduce saturation and raise luminance of R/O/Y (skin tones) and do the opposite with the other colors
  • portraits, sharpening masking set high (eg. 89) to avoid over-sharpening skin, wrinkles

• FB will create multiple versions of your image, each with a different size
• width should be a multiple of 480 pixels (eg. 960 for a portrait or perhaps 1920 pixels for a landscape image) to allow FB to resize to 480 pixels with better image quality and minimise banding (if you still get banding, consider adding a small amount of noise)
• FB's algorithms tend to lose your high frequency data - that is the fine detail, so if you don't want your image looking too blurry, ensure you middle frequency data is optimised - that is - the image details you can see without pixel peeping
• if using layers in PS then duplicate your image then flatten the layers before resizing
• currently there does not appear to be any advantage of PNG over JPG as FB will convert to JPG if your PNG is larger than 1Mb

• see Youtube tutorial

• Youtube tutorial cloudy day waterfall in Iceland by Attilio Ruffo
• avoid edge halos by using dual gradient filters with luminosity masks rather than by just reducing highlights and increasing shadows which will cause edge halos - see https://fstoppers.com/education/dont-ever-do-editing-mistake-282438

• just select the images you wish to use then right click and select Panorama
• then you get a preview and can choose which option - spherical, cylindrical or perspective

• over-expose skin in camera without getting blown highlights - then reduce exposure in Lightroom to suit - this gives more tonality and smoother skin with less noise
• ensure white balance is accurate
• apply lens profile correction if available for that lens
• straighten and crop image
• set overall sharpness level to exclude skin:
  • masking = 90-94 or so

• feather = 0
• opacity = 100

• avoid eyes, eyebrows, nostrils and lips
• clarity = -45
• sharpness = +43
• noise = +40
• feather = 100
• flow = 100
• density = 100
• automask = ON (so you can see where you have painted by pressing O)
• for area at top of cheeks, smile creases, etc, try a brush:
• highlights = 67
• shadows = 62
• clarity = -38
• sharpness = -33
• flow = 45
• feather = 40

• luminance = 31
• detail = 50
• contrast = 0
• color = 25
• detail = 50
• smoothness = 50

• using the HSL method:
  • zoom in on the subject's face
  • go to HSL section, click on HSL
  • for each of hue, saturation and luminance, sequentially adjust each by dragging the marker onto the skin and adjusting up or down as needed
• using the RGB curve method ¹⁾:
  • go to the Tone Curve and click on the small curve icon and this will allow you then to select channel
  • select channel red
  • drag the marker to subject's skin and read off the value eg 74%
  • repeat using the same bit of skin for each channel
  • calculate an adjustment value = (red - blue)/2
  • set the red channel on that skin to equal the green value + the adjustment value by holding down the shift key as you change it
  • set the blue channel on that skin to equal the green value - the adjustment value by holding down the shift key as you change it
  • fine tune green channel to taste

• overall image B&W settings:
  • most images in B&W need areas of high contrast with areas of blacks and areas of whites
  • try using:
    • contrast = +30
    • highlights = -15
    • shadows = + 45
    • blacks = -50
    • clarity = +35
    • then click on B&W tab and adjust the color sliders to suit the image
      • drag control to skin and adjust to brighten skin as needed
  • then review settings to adjust for skin:
    • tone curve: for example, lights = +8, darks = -4
    • basic: whites = +45, blacks = -18
• consider adding some split toning to gently colorize the image
  • eg. copper hue:
    • highlights:
      • hue = 24
      • saturation = 3
    • balance = +40
    • shadows:
      • hue = 14
      • saturation = 7

• via using the radial filter: Orwig's Youtube tutorial
• from http://photofocus.com/2014/07/13/enhancing-the-eyes-with-lightroom/
• pupil adjustment brush settings:
  • exposure = -4
  • contrast = -100
  • highlights = -100
  • shadows = -100
  • clarity = 40
  • saturation = -100
• iris adjustment brush settings:
  • exposure = 0.35
  • contrast = 0
  • highlights = 0 to 10
  • shadows = 0 to 17
  • clarity = 10 - 40
  • saturation = 40
  • sharpness = 0 to 18
  • automask = ON
• catchlights adjustment brush settings:
  • exposure = 0.35
  • contrast = 0
  • highlights = 0
  • shadows = 0
  • clarity = -8
  • saturation = 24
  • automask = ON
• whites of eyes adjustment brush settings:
  • exposure = 0.14
  • contrast = 0
  • highlights = 0
  • shadows = 0
  • clarity = 0
  • saturation = -47
  • automask = ON

• contrast = 0
• highlights = 70
• shadows = 0
• clarity = 35
• sharpness = 30
• automask = ON
• flow = 45
• feather = 40

A great tutorial for Lightroom 5 users:

Fixing skin tones in Lightroom using only 3 clicks: