Lightroom Update: Color Grading

Adobe just launched a new update to the Lightroom Develop Module, and I love it! The new feature is Color Grading and it replaced split toning. This tool allows you to gain precise control over the colors of shadows, mid-tones, and highlights in an image.  The tool also offers global control to adjust the overall color of a photo. This new feature provides more control in your editing over the previous split toning. 

The color grading option is located under the HSL panel in the Develop Module. You have multiple view options available with this new tool:

 1. View all 3 color wheels - shadows, highlights, mid-tones at one time

 2. Select each color wheel separately to make adjustments

 3. Choose the global adjustment wheel to impact the overall color of the image

A couple of tips as you get started and play around with this new tool: 

  • This tool can help you make small adjustments to your image. Give your image a final touch to take it to the next level.
  • It is not required to make adjustments to all 3 color wheels ( highlights, shadows, mid-tones). Changing just one can make that small adjustment that you are looking for. 
  • The tool can also make large, creative color adjustments if you create surreal images or cinematic looks. 
  • When working with just one color grading wheel, there is an option to select a color using the color picker tool ( see image below). This is a great way to target color in your image. 
  • Once you make your color adjustments, there is an option to adjust the blend mode and then the balance. This allows you to adjust further where you want the weight of your edits. Move the slider to the left to put more weight on the shadows or to the right for the highlights. I suggest using the blend and balance tools after you have made adjustments to the 3 color wheels. 

The video below will give you a review of the color grading tool and an example of how I used it to edit an image. 


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