Master the essentials
James Paterson reveals six edits to apply to every image in Lightroom
Not sure where to begin with Lightroom? Discover the six tweaks you’ll apply to virtually every image
One of the main difficulties when learning how to use an image editing tool, a new camera, or almost any new technology, is how to get started. Let’s face it, the best part of having a new thing is using it, not reading about it. Most of us don’t want to sift through the manual and spend hours learning every feature of our new purchase, we just want to get to grips with a few fundamentals and dive in. The problem is, how do we know what those essentials are? With Lightroom, there are so many features and tools that beginners can quickly become lost.
In this tutorial we’ll run through six essential Lightroom features that can be applied to most, if not all, of the photographs you shoot. We’ll explain the process of importing an image, applying essential tonal tweaks, selectively adjusting parts of the image, cropping to improve composition, sharpening, and finally exporting. This is a workflow that, regardless of the image content, you’ll find is the backbone of most Lightroom image editing. What’s more, mastering these Lightroom essentials creates the confidence to go on and explore other more advanced tools.