One Tool, Three Ways: Selective editing in Lightroom helps these three pros bring their artistic vision to life

 

 

Much like different photographers will approach any given scene in their own unique ways, photographers also edit and process their digital files in their own way, with their own personal touch. In fact, more than any other part of the photographer's workflow, the editing of images is what sets photographers apart the most. With the incredible flexibility of RAW files produced by today's leading cameras, there is a lot you can do to adjust, tweak and finish an image. Some photographers prefer high-contrast images with rich, saturated colors across the spectrum. Others like images with a flatter tone curve and more subdued colors. With today's cameras and photo editing software, the possibilities are endless.

In the latest installment of One Tool, Three Ways, Adobe looks at how three photographers, each specializing in different types of photography, use the adjustment brush in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC to give their images a distinct look. The three photographers are Kevin Wong, Maddie McGarvey and Jonpaul Douglass. A look at their Instagram profiles above shows that each of the trio use color and tone in different ways in their work.

 

Before and after selective editing using the adjustment brush in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC. Image credit: Maddie McGarvey

For Kevin Wong, an architecture and landscape photographer, he uses selective editing first to address the immediate areas of concern in an image. If a reflection in a puddle is underexposed, for example, he will focus on that area first. After making the first round of selective edits, he will then perform global editing. Before finishing certain images, he will go back for additional selective edits. Maddie McGarvey, on the other hand, does more photojournalism work, specifically photographing people. She pays careful attention to keeping the image looking very natural. Her touch is light as she works to create depth and separation in her photos. Jonpaul Douglass is an abstract photographer who often uses Lightroom and selective editing to create consistency across his work, such as painting a background to be whiter, for example.

To see before and after edits and hear from each photographer as they describe their editing workflow, click here. Readers, do you use selective editing in your workflow? If so, how? Let us know in the comments below.