There’s been a good amount of confusion around the Light adjustment layer in Photoshop. If you’re an Adobe user for your photography, it can be odd to see the same adjustments in Lightroom / Camera Raw, and also in the main Photoshop interface. In this week’s video I’ll share some of the downsides of the new Light adjustment layer, but also the times where it would help your workflow. Enjoy!
About Me
I love teaching and photography... In that order. I feel that enjoying photography, and photo editing can get WAY too complicated. So my personal mission (and favorite thing to do), is to create education that simplifies the process of taking great photos, and how to edit them to get the results you’ve always wanted.
Thank you! I will be delighted to know about video you are talking about.
A friend of mine sent me a couple of emails where you discuss the updates to Photoshop. I would like to receive those as well.
I will be delighted to kinow about video.Thank you.
Thank you
Matt, I’ve been learning from you for over a decade. Had to stop the vid at 6 minutes in to tell you how utterly confused I was until you said “raw”.
The first group of adjustments in Lightroom and ACR is called “Light”. I’m an ACR/PS user so when you bounced back and forth between the two I wasn’t making the connection to the new adjustment layer called LIGHT and the category group name called the same damn thing! When you mentioned the raw file it clicked!
Wow. What a poor name. I can’t be the only one confused!
Many thanks for all your wonderful training!
I guess you could look at it as consistent naming right? Curves is curves regardless of where it is. Hue/Saturation is the same too. So it makes sense to keep naming similar. Thanks.
Brilliant video! You are amazing at explaining the “little” things that turn out to be important for my editing process.
THANK YOU!!! I’m hoping to salvage a family portrait where there was light blowout from the park we were in. Hopefully I can do that in Lightroom and keep the rest of the work in PS.
THANK YOU!!
Sensational explanation. Thank you for clearing the confusion. As someone else has added, your mate Blake also did a video. My thanks to you both, as you compliment each other’s discoveries of the use of this tool.
Thanx Matt,
Sure you “didn’t do anything, just brought them into” PS. But, the Preference settings make a huge effect. I see you used 16-bit; good. But, you used RGB color space; one of the most restrictive. What about trying this with something like ProPhoto to better match the color range in those ARW files?
Cheers
Tim
Hi Tim. ProPhoto is a color space. It doesn’t affect anything I’ve demonstrated here, and no device in the world can actually show this color space. It doesn’t change the outcome, but of course you should do your own tests on your own photos if you need. Thanks
It’s funny, but most of the way through the video I kept thinking that adjusting the entire photo is likely not why they added the light layer. And then, when you got to the part about when to use it I could finally relax and watch without preconceived ideas.
Hi Matt,
Met you at an Adobe conference back in 2007 and have been following you ever since. I already get your emails, but I noticed when watching this video that I had not subscribed on You Tube, so I did. Please don’t duplicate the emails. Good video.
Your fellow instructor Blake Rudis draws attention to strange things that can happen in Ps if the Light adjustment layer is not at the bottom of the layer stack. Adobe have done something odd here, for reasons not entirely clear.
Oops, sorry, I meant I generally adjust tone in Lightroom Classic rather than Photoshop, including its Adjustment Panel, but surprising what a difference this makes. The power of Raw!
Thank you for demonstrating the advantages of editing in Camera Raw.
Great video. I use LrC and don’t generally use ACR in PS, but I’m surprised how much of a difference this makes. There is a wealth of data in those little Raw files, definitely worth preserving and working with for as long as possible.
Thanks for the simple explanations as to when to use and when not to use each editing product. I am already signed up for VIP Summit and circled your session already. Looking forward to the Summit
I think some of the power of the adjusment layers is the automatic masking. Some of your edits could have used the mask to apply the effects to specific areas versus being global adjustments. Just a comment and I wonder why you didn’t discuss the masking.
Hi. A mask wouldn’t make the adjustment better. It would just show and hide it from certain areas. And you’ve got far better masking in LR/Acr right? So why would you use a lesser adjustment, with masking tools in PS?
Thanks
Matt I’m not sure why but I find for many of my macro shots Photoshop more often than not does a far more accurate ‘automatic’ selection of the ‘Subject’ than Camera Raw does.
Paul, I agree with you. PS does a much better job with selections than LR or ACR (essentially the same).
Thanks for the simple well stated video on reasons why and why not. I always enjoy your videos. I am already signed up for the VIP Summit and already circled your sessions.
Matt. thank you so much for doing. this video. Your examples were very compelling.
thanks for the heads up
Very good Matt and excellent advice.
Thank you for your generosity in showing these differences between LR & PS adjustments. It’s hugely appreciated. I’d never have known otherwise that there can be such a difference between the two programmes.
Kevin from UK.
Hi Matt,
I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one. After 14 years as the only proactive Adobe rep in Iceland, I plan to step aside. It’s is time for younger people to fill the bridge and make use of new technology to reach all the empty white spaces on the Icelandic market. Sharing real example via social media and with emails is the name of the game as I see it. Educate the potential users.
However Matt, I will not be able to stop working. I have private projects I want to work on and have time to plan work-win-play events on flexible terms.
I know there does exist the correct formula for staging a local event with you for the locals, both professionals and enthusiasts. I don’t like to use the word amateurs.
I will keep the Adobe 4×4 van, with Wi-fi and 220V charging as it is compulsory to plan any local Adobe events such that couple of nights lost in Iceland is included in the the program planing.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained Matt and I have been around on my home turf.
Let me know if we should start dreaming together.
All the best to you and your beautiful family.
Einar
Hi Einar. Glad to hear you’re doing well. I’m happy to dream, but my dreaming will most likely be close to home here in FL 🙂
This guy speaks much too fast! We cannot adjust the speed at which the video is playing, nor do we see the speaker when he is explaining and adjusting things in Photoshop, in order to lip-read. And besides, not all of us are native speakers of English.
I would really have wanted to follow what he is saying, but I’m not able to.
Really? Don’t you have a pause button? Matt provides these videos for free, and regardless of native language should be appreciated.
There is is a gear icon that will allow you to adjust speed. And for what it’s worth I think his delivery is spot on.
Matt does have an energetic style and he delivers at a good clip.
As mentioned already, try the Gear Icon > Speed and set the slider as desired.
Also, you might try the CC option and see if the translation into a non-English language helps.
Good Luck
Tim
Hi. Remember, this was a demonstration not a step by step tutorial. You weren’t meant to follow along with anything I’ve done here. There was no technique being taught.
HI Matt, when you went to Ps you used the adjustment layers. Would what you are showing still be true if you had used the Raw in filters? I never use the adjustment layers anymore, but I often use the Raw in filters. My understanding has been that it is the same as if I were using it in Lr. Is that not so? I use Ps often because I also use Greg Benson’s Luminzia.
I learn from and appreciate you.
Terry Connelly
Hi Terry. This video was referring to the Light adjustment layer, so I’m not sure of your question. But using the Camera Raw filter doesn’t magically add detail/information to the photo. The moment you’ve left LR/ACR, and you’re working in the main PS interface (even if it’s the CR filter) you’ve lost that information and it will not come back as demonstrated in this video. Thanks!
Looking forward to hearing Matt’s take on this.