Usually my editing is pretty basic, taking less than 2 mins to finish an image. The majority of the time I keep this to a minimum as the best part for me is being out taking the photographs, but, the final step in crafting a photograph is editing. Its how I personally get to complete the process of showing the viewer what I saw and how I felt in that moment. There’s no hard and fast rules when it comes to editing - its all part of the artistic process and something that can be very personal to you. But there’s no denying it; its those finishing touches preparing the image for how you want to share it with the viewer that complete the process. Some people add a preset they have bought off someone else or just shoot in Jpeg and don’t edit at all. There’s all ends of the spectrum, but for me it's more than just tweaking brightness or adding a filter or a preset - editing in Lightroom is where you get to transform your vision into reality. You've already poured emotion into your shot, and now it's time to fine-tune those details to ensure your audience sees what you saw, and feels what you felt. But to get there, you need the right tools and techniques. My process is a fairly simple one, so have a read and an insight into a pretty basic guide to make sure you get the most out of Lightroom when editing your photos.

1. Start with RAW
Before we dive into editing, one golden rule: always shoot in RAW. A RAW file preserves all the data captured by your camera’s sensor, giving you more flexibility and higher quality when editing. With RAW, you have more control over shadows, highlights, and color tones without sacrificing detail. Think of it as a solid foundation before you start building the image you want to create.

2. White Balance: Setting the Mood

Once your image is loaded in Lightroom, one of the first things you’ll want to check is the white balance. I shoot in auto white balance and usually my camera is really good at reflecting what was truly there. However, sometimes it can be a tad off so get familiar with the temperature and tint sliders, something you can easily adjust if needed. Your white balance plays a crucial role in the overall tone of your image. Too cool, and the image may feel cold or distant; too warm, and it can feel overly cozy or even unrealistic. If you want a natural, true-to-life look, set your white balance based on the lighting conditions you shot in. If you want to create a specific mood—warmer for sunsets, cooler for stormy skies—then you can play with it accordingly.

3. Understanding HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance)
The next thing you’ll want to play with is the HSL panel. HSL stands for Hue, Saturation, and Luminance, and it’s where you can fine-tune colours to suit the mood of your photo.

Hue: This is the colour itself. Adjusting the hue can change an entire colour in the image. Want more orange tones? Shift the red hues slightly.
Saturation: This controls the intensity of a colour. Sometimes a photo can feel a bit flat, and a boost in saturation can add vibrance.
Luminance: This is about brightness. You can brighten or darken specific colours to control how they stand out or blend into the image.

Think of it as a way to enhance the mood of your photo. If you want a warmer, nostalgic vibe, you might tweak the reds and oranges to be more vibrant. Or, if you’re going for a cool, calm aesthetic, adjusting blues and greens might do the trick.

4. Complementary Colours and Where to Draw the Eye
When editing, the placement of colour plays a big role in guiding the viewer’s eye through the image. Complementary colours—those opposite each other on the colour wheel—create contrast and vibrancy. For example, pairing orange with blue or red with green can make the colours pop.

Using complementary colours is a great way to draw attention to specific areas. If you have a subject with warm tones (like a sunset), adding some cool tones (in the shadows or the background) can create balance and keep the viewer’s eye moving throughout the frame.

5. Gradient Filters: A Powerful Tool for Subtle Adjustments
Gradient filters are a game-changer when it comes to making local adjustments to your image. Whether it’s darkening a bright sky, adding warmth to the foreground, or enhancing contrast in a specific area, gradient filters give you that power.

To use a gradient filter, click on the graduated filter tool, then click and drag over the area you want to adjust. You can tweak exposure, contrast, clarity, and more within the selected area. The best part? It’s seamless—so it won’t look like you’ve overdone any adjustments - as long as you don’t overcook it, of course! :)

6. Sharpening and Clarity
Once you’ve set the tone and mood of your image, don’t forget to sharpen it. Lightroom offers a sharpening tool that helps add crispness to the details. Just remember—less is often more. Over-sharpening can introduce noise and artifacts.

Also, use the Clarity slider to adjust the midtones of your image for that extra crispness. It’s especially useful for landscape shots or anything with texture.

Or you may want to give a more dreamy feel and bring the clarity down to present more of a soft feel!

7. Straighten that Horizon!

If you are working on a landscape photograph and there is a line of the horizon present, make sure that horizon is straight! There’s nothing worse than seeing a beautiful landscape scene with a wonky horizon, it will detract from the quality of the image straight away. Luckily, Lightroom has an easy-to-use tool for this - I use the Crop Overlay button, and simply move the angle until the photograph is straight. No matter if its oceans, mountains, angles of architecture or anything in between, a straight horizon ensures the natural beauty of the scene takes centre stage without any distractions.

8. Final Thoughts
Editing is an essential part of photography—it’s where your emotion, vision, and technical skills come together. Take your time, experiment with different settings, and trust your instincts. When you’re done, you’ll have an image that not only reflects what you saw through the lens but also what you felt in that moment - and that is going to be different for us all. So don’t ignore this part of the process in putting those final touches to make a photograph yours!

Finally - let me leave you with some before and afters to see what my RAW file looks like in comparison to my final photograph - some have minor adjustments and others I’ve had to work a little harder to get the mood right!

Support My Creative Journey

If you’ve enjoyed reading this post and would like to support my photography journey, I’d be truly grateful! Your support helps me continue exploring new ideas, techniques, and creative projects. If you’d like to show your appreciation, you can buy me a coffee through Buy Me a Coffee. Every little bit helps and means so much to me. Thank you for being part of this creative adventure!

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Thanks for reading,

Emily

Editing in Lightroom: How to Perfect Your Image and Show What You Felt

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