If I could describe my photo editing process in one word it would be: warm. I like my pictures to look warm and bright, like you could easily step right on into them. When I

Lightroom vs Photoshop, which is better? I get asked this question ALL the time by photographers. Read this post to find out which editing software is best for most photographers and why!

Skin Color RGB Mastering skin tones in photography is no easy feat, but there are some simple steps you can take to help you on your way. From accurate white balance to editing by numbers, here are some ways I go about maintaining accurate skin tones no matter the

Todays Friday Freebie is a brand new Free Dark and Moody Lightroom Preset Download. Created to give a dark and moody look to your photos with a simple click.

In this article, we will guide you through different approaches to editing portraits in Lightroom. By the end of this article, you will have a good idea of what results you get from these different approaches. You will then be able to confidently create your own portrait edits in Lightroom!

Ever since the middle of high school, I’ve been immensely interested in “the process.” You know, that middle bit between point A and point B that nobody

*Post contains affiliate links. When I first started using my DSLR on a regular basis I really began to understand why having a trusted and consistent photography editing workflow when handling your images was so

Retoucher Matt Kloskowski offers this quick and easy Lightroom tip for your mental library: if you ever find yourself with a drastically underexposed

We all know that learning a new piece of software can be daunting - this is especially true when we're talking about Lightroom, which has so many modules, panels, buttons and options that you might not even know where to start! It has taken me quite a few years to figure out Lightroom, an

Discover Lightroom's hidden gems! Unveil 5 little-known tools that can transform your photos. Click to refine your edits and elevate your imagery.

8/12 UPDATE: In June 2012, I released a full seminar that refines and builds significantly upon the tutorials outlined in 2009’s Skinny Wednesday series. The entire program is now available …

Lightroom Photo Editing Tips: Learn how to quickly and effectively adjust unnatural skin tones within seconds as I let you in on one of my best kept secrets

It is really easy to "pop" or enhance eyes in LightRoom 4 (and up). It takes just a few seconds to sharpen and enhance the iris and lashes, whiten the whites of the eye, and even change the eye color. I overdid my samples below to make sure you could see what I was doing in each step, so please don't be scared off by his glassy doll-looking eyes. Sharpen Iris and Lashes: Click to select (or press K) your adjustment brush. In the image above you can see it under the histogram, and over "New". Then look for the "Effects" menu (under "Mask") and select "Clarity" (this will sharpen the eyes and lashes) and set it to 100%. You can always dial it down later. I keep flow, feather and density on 100 in these steps. Click on Auto Mask if you want to "stay in the lines", but I actually turned it off on this step because I wanted to sharpen the iris AND the lashes. Adjust your brush to size (use the [ and ] on your keyboard, or adjust the "Size" slider) and paint over the iris and lashes to define them. You can adjust the amount of clarity to taste, but I usually use 75-100 on this step. A nifty trick to see if you did paint ever the entire area is to hold your mouse over the active "black" little circle that shows where you have started editing and then click on Alt on your keyboard. The red areas are where you have painted. Now click "New" under "Mask" because we are going to use the adjustment brush for another enhancement and don't want to adjust the Clarity setting we already made. The great thing about these adjustment layers is you can go back and edit them later! Add a Sparkle to the Iris: Select "Exposure" under "Effect" and dial this up to taste. Again, I usually start higher and then move it down after painting over the eyes. I used the Auto Mask this time because I am only going to paint over the iris. Whiten Eye-Whites: Click on "New" under "Mask" and make sure "Auto Mask" is checked and paint over your eye whites with a higher exposure. Don't overdo this step, make sure to dial it down until your whites are whiter but not glaringly white. This screenshot has been overdone just so you can see where I was painting. Increase Iris Color Saturation: Select "New" then "Saturation" under "Effect" and paint over the iris. Don't overdo this step either. Start high and then dial it down. Change or Enhance Iris Color: If you want to actually change or enhance the color of the eyes, it is easy. Click on "New" then "Color" and pick an eye color. Paint over the iris with this new color (I removed Auto Mask on this step because I was having problems adding green to the highlights in the Iris) and then adjust the slider to taste. I completely overdid this step for this example. Freaky green eyes! But this can be done with a very subtle hand, just dial it down. Here is little Imp with his enhanced (and for the purposes of this tutorial, overdone and perhaps a bit scary) eyes. This sounded time-consuming, but it is actually a very quick edit. I often skip the saturation and color steps, but I love to add clarity and adjust the exposure a bit to every close-up portrait. Again, be restrained with eye enhancements. You don't want your portrait to look like a glass-eyed doll. :-) Dial down the settings until you don't notice much of a difference. Subtlety is key. If you want to go back and make additional adjustments, just click on the little marker on the eyes to open up the Effect menu for that adjustment. I hope this was helpful! Do you want to download my favorite CoffeeShop PSE/Photoshop Actions and Lightroom Presets or Design Elements in one convenient zipped file AND help support this blog? Just click here for my action pack or here for a download of some of my most popular design elements, storyboards, and textures. For complete info on installing all of my actions, click here.

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Want to add some direction light to your images? In this Pretty Presets Adobe Lightroom tutorial, discover another use for the graduated filter in Lightroom.

Four great tips on how to efficiently edit your photos with Adobe Lightroom.

Today we're looking at 10 Absolutely ESSENTIAL Lightroom shortcuts I wish I knew these when I started photography and photo editing.

I've used both Lightroom and Photoshop for a while, and Lightroom is the photo editor I'd reccomend. Check out my favorite ways to edit using Lightroom!

Learn how to use Lightroom's Targeted Adjustment Tool. This powerful tool will help you make precise adjustments to color, contrast and exposure with ease!

Discover Lightroom's hidden gems! Unveil 5 little-known tools that can transform your photos. Click to refine your edits and elevate your imagery.

If you are looking for top Lightroom workflow tips to optimize and speed up your editing process, you need to read this article.

Check out this quick Lightroom tutorial for beginners to help you learn how to install Lightroom Presets. | Filtercrave Photography Tips + Lightroom Tips

In this tutorial, I'll walk you step-by-step through the process of creating a matte effect in Lightroom. This process works in Lightroom 3 & up.

If you're interested in learning more about Adobe Lightroom and how you can use it to improve your photos, we have a huge collection of articles and tutorials available for free. We complied the Lightroom 101 series to provide an introduction to Lightroom's Library and Develop Modules. The Library Module is extremely helpful for keeping […]

Here are the top 3 most downloaded Lightroom presets! These presets will create a big impact and give you a quick, consistent, and beautiful look!