3 Lightroom Features That Will Change How You Edit

Pye Jirsa

lightroom features

Having an efficient and effective editing process is important for both professionals and hobbyists alike. In the last year, Adobe has introduced some new Lightroom features that just may change how you edit. Let’s check them out.

Video: 3 Lightroom Features That Will Change How You Edit

An efficient editing process is not only ideal but crucial when working with high volumes of images. Even for those who don’t work with high volumes, it never hurts to simply your editing process where you can! These Lightroom features will definitely shave some valuable time from your workflow.

Related Reading: Advanced Masking With Lightroom’s AI Features

Tool #1: The Amount Slider

lightroom features slider tool

The amount slider makes working with presets a breeze. Simply select a preset and use the slider to dial the effect up or tone it down. You’ll notice that it evenly adjusts all the settings on its own.

Tool #2: Subject Mask

lightroom features subject mask

The subject mask has been included with the Lightroom features for about a year now. However, this time, I’ll show you how to use it to apply a dodge and burn effect. Start off by creating the mask.

Then, slightly lower the exposure and raise the highlight and white sliders to isolate those tones. Add a bit of clarity to boost the mid-tone contrast and you’re good to go.

Tool #3: Background Mask

lightroom features background mask

While there’s no specific tool within the Lightroom features for selecting the background, you can easily achieve this by selecting the subject again, and inverting the mask.

Then, make all your adjustments to your background without affecting your subject!

Before & After

Check out the final edit after using these intuitive Lightroom features.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this article/video. Give these Lightroom features a try and see how much time you’re able to save from your own editing workflow! For a deep dive on Lightroom editing, check out the complete Mastering Lightroom course on SLR Lounge Premium along with a host of photography related courses! You can also visit Visual Flow for intuitive presets and retouching tools.

Don’t miss our next episode of Mastering Your Craft on Adorama’s YouTube channel next week! If you want to catch up on all the episodes, make sure you check out our playlist!

Pye Jirsa

Pye Jirsa is the co-founder of SLR Lounge and Lin & Jirsa Photography, one of Southern California's most recognized wedding photography studios. He is the creator of SLR Lounge's full educational library and has trained over 20,000 photographers since 2008 across lighting, posing, editing, and business strategy. He is also the co-creator of Visual Flow Presets and has spoken at WPPI, PPA, CreativeLive, Fstoppers, and Adorama.

More articles by Pye Jirsa →

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