There are many photo editing software programs available on the market. If you’re new to this field, it’s very easy to get confused about choosing the appropriate editing software. Every tool has its way of operation, thus requiring ample time to learn. However, most people don’t like spending a lot of time learning editorial skills. Thankfully, Adobe Lightroom is a software that’s very easy to learn irrespective of your skill level. Plus, it has numerous tools that can help you create exceptional photos.
Even though you’ll spend a part of your time familiarizing yourself with the platform, the total period would be far shorter as opposed to the time you’ll take on other platforms. Lightroom Tutorials are also fun and easy to understand, thus facilitating the learning process. Adobe Lightroom is a very vast software; here are some of the things that will help you get started on the platform.
Starting Out
When you open Lightroom, your first task would be importing the images you’d want to work on. Once you open the program, there is an option of importing your photos on the bottom left corner. By selecting it, a dialogue box will appear giving you the option of choosing the images you’d want to edit. The import dialogue box is an item that you’ll use frequently especially when you have a lot of editing work. Besides importing, it also helps you organize your work.
Basic Adjustments in Lightroom
One loveable thing about Lightroom is the fact that beginners can easily do some editing work without feeling overwhelmed or getting lost. Once you’ve known the fundamental elements in the program, editing becomes very easy.
On the Develop window, the first thing you’ll encounter is the Basic panel which allows you to make initial adjustments. It has several tools that include White balance, Exposure, shadow, Contrast, and Saturation among others. Each of these tools has sliders that let the user adjust the settings to his or her taste.
Advanced Color Correction
In the course of editing your photos, you may want to adjust the color of the image in particular areas. Color correction tools in the HW/Color/B&W panel lets you apply minor tweaks on your photos to achieve your desired style. What’s more, these tools are easy to learn and understand.
Sharpening Your Image
Irrespective of how clear your camera images appear after a shoot, it’s always good practice to apply some minor adjustments such as image sharpening to enhance it. Sharpening should only be done when you’ve already implemented the basic adjustments. The good thing with Lightroom is that it gives you the option of revert the changes to the original format. This feature is very helpful, especially for beginners who might want to practice their skills.
Noise Reduction
Noise reduction has nothing to do with acoustics; there are particular instances where your photos would contain granular spots. This might not be visible from the screen of your camera; however, when you zoom the image on your PC, you will notice that the image contains large grains. Noise is usually caused by a small camera sensor or high ISO levels in your camera. To rectify the problem in Lightroom, head over to the Develop module, and select Sharpening and Noise Reduction. Combining the Noise Reduction and Sharpening tools helps in yielding the optimum results.
Resizing your Images
Most of the images that come straight from the camera contain a very high number of pixels. While this can be good when you want to print the images, their use becomes very limited especially when you want to use them on social media platforms. Many of these sites don’t accept high-resolution photos while others automatically downgrade their sizes which can ultimately end up reducing the quality of the photo itself. Thus, resizing your photo would be the smartest thing to do. Lightroom lets you resize your image depending on its functionality.
Final Thoughts
Lightroom is one of the best editing software available on the market. It’s easy, straightforward, and simple to understand, which makes it the perfect tool for beginners who are looking to gain valuable skills in photo editing. Moreover, the software also has a mobile version which is very helpful for people who’d want to edit their photos before posting them on various social media platforms. Be sure to implement the strategies outlined above in your next editing session.
