Six of the best

Not sure where to start with Lightroom? Try these simple steps…

01 Import the image

Importing an image simply tells Lightroom where it is stored on your computer. Open Lightroom, then click the Library Module. Either click the Import button and find the image using the source options, or simply drag it into the Library interface. Select the file and hit Import.

02 Basic adjustments

Click Develop from the list of Modules, then go to the Basic panel on the right. Work your way down through the sliders. Having a full range of tones from black to white improves most images, so hold Alt and drag the whites slider until just before pixels appear. Repeat with the blacks.

03 Make selective adjustments

Most images will benefit from a selective adjustment. Lightroom offers three tools: the Adjustment Brush, Radial Filter and Graduated Filter. Grab the Graduated Filter from the toolbar at top-right, drag down from the sky, then knock back Exposure in the settings on the right.

04 Crop and straighten

It’s hard to get cropping right in-camera. To crop and straighten an image, grab the Crop tool from the Toolbar. Notice how the panel changes at top-right to display the crop options. Click the straighten icon, drag along the waterline to straighten, then adjust the box to crop.

05 Sharpen the details

RAW images will not have received any in-camera sharpening, so they will usually benefit from sharpening with Lightroom’s Detail panel. Scroll down to it on the right, then go to the Navigator on the left and zoom to 1:1 view. Increase the Amount and Radius sliders to apply sharpening.

06 Export the image

The final step is to produce the image file in a useful format like jpeg. Go to File>Export to access the export dialog. If you want a specific print size, set a width and height in the image sizing options with resolution at 300 pixels per inch. Pick a destination and hit Export.