Hey there everyone! I’ve got another deep-dive Lightroom video for ya! This time we’ll look at a little-known/used tool with the selective adjustments in Lightroom (and Photoshop Camera Raw). It’s the Color option and it hides WAY down at the very bottom of the Grad/Radial/Brush panel. At first glance it looks like it may do the same thing as white balance or your other color adjustments, but it’s actually a lot different. 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.
Don’t you find adding color to your photograph to be deceptive to your audience, as well as artistically unethical?
Once you start adding elements (color in this instance) to the image that didn’t hit the image sensor, then it seems to me that you’re no longer editing but painting. Which also means that you’re no longer a photographer but a painter. I don’t know, as a classical artist and a photographer I find this to be deceptive to the audience and artistically unethical. This seems to be a tool best used sparingly and not on major elements of a photograph. If your photograph can’t be made to look great by enhancing, then perhaps that photo deserves to be trashed, and in some instances perhaps one should do a better job at photographing?
What’re your thoughts on that sentiment that other photographers have about the role of editing as a tool for enhancing rather than a tool for complete manipulation?
Hi Stephen.
I’ll try to keep this short because the last thing the world needs is yet another “ethical” photography discussion on editing. Here’s my take. If it’s considered documentary or journalistic, editing should be minimal as your job is to report history – not enhance or modify it.
There is not a hobby or activity in the world that hasn’t been forever changed by technology. Whether it’s golf, skiing, surfing, or piloting an airplane… they all have their “back in the old days, we did this and it’s so much different nowadays that the essence of said activity is lost”. It’s not true. It’s not lost… it’s just changed and nothing we say or do will revert it back to the old days.
When I research a scene/subject and then approach it to take a photo I have a vision in my head of what I hope to capture. I’m confident in my capabilities to capture the best photo possible. Sometimes that photo matches with my vision and not much editing is required. Sometimes it doesn’t. At that point I use my capabilities on the computer to help reach my vision. That’s what works for me and I don’t pay much attention to what people call it.
For me personally, there is no difference of using a filter on the camera before capturing it, or using a filter afterwards. Because there is no definition of “photograph” that says it must exist forever as captured exactly by the camera sensor.
The great thing is that photography can be something different for everyone. For me, it’s using the tools I used in this video. For you, it can be not using any of these tools and that’s totally okay. Don’t try to define it – or name it – just do it, and make images that make you happy, rather than try to define some one as a painter, digital artist or photographer.
Lots of people drive cars that we don’t like. But we shouldn’t feel the need to stop them and tell them why we don’t like their car. Let them have their individuality, even if it differs from ours. Thanks.
It’s too bad you can’t select a color from the photo itself with the color picker to use the adjustment brush for color dodging like you can in photoshop. Seems like it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch
You can. Put your cursor in the color picker area and click and drag over the photo and it’ll pick up the color from the photo.
Thanks, Matt! I love learning something new, and you did it!
Hello Mike,
Would you please be so kind to speakeless “smaller”. For me you may speak with half the amount of words. So there will be much time to try playing with the sliders. It’s now all the time “listening”, “stop”, try to find the pointer, “adjust”it an try come back to the point where I did or do have to stopped and do it again.
Use less (maybe half the amount) words to explain your great tutorials. That will be much easiier for me and maybe a lot of others. And Go on with it. Regards,peter
@Mie Nelson Pedde: Thank you so much for your PS – I HAD NO IDEA!!! Thank you, kind man, for helping me solve what I thought was an unsolvable issue!
Well done, as always. One other tip – for those who don’t have or use Ps, is that you can (sort of) use this idea as a colour replacement tool. Use the Brush tool to select some element of the image (say a red car with a yellow background – select the red of the car). Now, you can use the Colour Picker tool to choose a colour replacement (say blue), and if you move the Saturation slider in the Brush tool all the way to the left, your red car becomes a blue car. Again, it’s not as powerful an option as it is in Ps but in some cases it can work. You can adjust the amount of desaturation using the slider, and you can also adjust the saturation of the colour box to create a blended effect. You can use the same idea if you’ve got a portrait (for example) with a white highlight area. Use the Brush tool to select the highlight, then use the colour picker tool to select a skin tone from the person’s face. Play with it a bit.
Mike.
P.S. You probably know that if you open the Colour picker box (in Brush, Graduated Filter or Gradient) click inside the colour box and (holding the mouse down) drag outside the box, you can select a colour from the image. If you’re using Lr in a window (instead of full screen), you can keep dragging outside of the Lr window and pick a colour from another window you have open – web browser or any window. As long as you can see it on screen, you can sample it.
Mike.
Thanks, Matt! I love learning something new, and you did it!
I have always wondered what that little xbox is for and had played around with it. I appreciated seeing it correctly applied! thanks
Thanks, Mattt. Great video!
Great tips, thanks
Thanks for your videos. Haven’t tried use it, but will try using your tips. Thank you.
Always enjoy your teaching style Matt. Great tips that are easy to execute. Keep up the great content!
Thanks for the explanation.
Thanks, Matt. Great tips!
Excellent!
Thanks, your videos are so helpful
Thanks Matt. Great advice. Was a real surprise to see my photo used. This was taken at Sundance in Utah and the Fall colours were wonderful. Your approach has stimulated me to revisit these photos again. This is something I should do more as you always see old photos differently especially if you have learnt new techniques since they were taken. So much fun. Thanks
Thanks Colin for letting me use the photo. It’s a great example. I’ll definitely be diving in to my photo makeover submission folder for other material. It’s great to have different people’s images in there so you get a bunch of shooting styles.
Thanks again!
I have wondered about that box for a long time, but hadn’t researched it. Great tip. I’ve already used it several times and it is great. Thanks.
Cool! Thanks for all your great instructive videos!
always saw it, never used it. Woohoo! A new tool for my bag o’tricks!
Matt
You make Lightroom fun ,great tips presented simply and easy to follow along.
I loved how it improved my sample photo.
I am doing one of your Lightroom Courses ,learning while enjoying the process at the same time.
Thanks Matt, you’ve made my learning easier.
You really know how to explain and show these nuances of Lightroom rather well.
Thanks so much, Matt! Great tutorial which I will definitely utilize.
THANK YOU!!! This solves a problem I’ve been having for many photos. Once again, your tutorials shine the light on Lightroom!
Interesting and informative video, look forward to more.
Excellent…Great Information.
I cannot see the little box with X on it. I don’t see how to make it appear in any menu. Why?
Thanks
Camilo
Great tip!! Thank you!
That’s brill, thank you! Have been having trouble with my greens appearing too bright and your tip has sorted it.
Thanks for your valuable tip!
Wow! Invaluable tip! Thanks!
Well done, as usual! Thank you!
Matt, thank you so much! Everytime I watch you work I am reminded again of why I love your teaching, and your photography. I also love (and am very envious) of your artistic eye. I love your Photoshop, Lightroom, and On1, courses. If I only had a bit more of my mother’s artistic genetics (she was an oil and watercolor painter) I could be more optimistic going forward. But, it is so much fun to learn from you. Thanks much for your knowledge, encouragement, motivation, and helping us enrichen our love for this wonderful endeavor!
Excellent! Very helpful, Matt.. I had never used that tool!
Nice job. Looks great Matt. Very good tip.
Greatly enjoyed this tutorial.Thanks Matt.
Thanks Matt.Great tip as usual.
Never knew! Thank you, can’t wait to give it a try!
Great tip, Matt. This is one corner of Lightroom that I hadn’t yet used, but I will keep that one in my retouching arsenal moving forward… Thanks!
Why is it you can’t choose a color from the image? Odd.
You can. Just start clicking on the color picker first and drag your cursor over the photo.
I always wondered about that Color box. Fantastic tip to add more creativity to my photos. Thanks a lot. I really enjoy your LR and PS tips. Keep them coming.
Great tip and I really like the new look to your video.
It’s been a while since I’ve had a video that blew my mind in Lightroom, but this one sure did it – thanks Matt!
Hello Matt. Thanks GReetings from Greece Piraeus
Great tutorial. Learned at least three new things that I can start using right away. Thank you!
Great tip. And never have used it.and have been using LR since first version.
Thanks.
Loved that last example with the Spring grass & the Fall trees! Kinda unique.
What a great tip. Always enjoy your videos.
Another wonderful tutorial, Matt. I’ve been following you for quite some time. My problem is to remember all the excellent tips you’ve been posting over the years.
As always, great tutorial Matt. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. God bless!
Thank you, Matt! A really neat presentation that will help a lot.
Cheers.
As always, great tutorial Matt. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. God bless.
So simple, yet so impressive! Thanks Matt.
Love your t-shirt!
Great tip. I hadn’t looked in that area to see color as an option.
Hello Matt,
Thank you for this tutorial. If you would please let me know what is the shortcut to HDR & Panorama.
Great new tool that I was completely unaware of. Thanks Matt!
Thanks Keith – it’s actually been there since Lightroom Version 3 🙂
I can see this working beautifully in real estate photos with lifeless grasses. Many thanks for continually offering your expertise. I am your fan!!
Love these tutorials Matt, thanks so much for generously sharing.
Thanks Matt always enjoy theses videos. I love LR
Awesome demo Matt! Thanks..
Might have never tried it had you not pointed it out.
Love your LR hidden tips. Try more.
Thanks Matt. Love your tips and teaching videos!
Great tip will use it .
Great video will use the info.
Great tutorial I have never tried it before. Much appreciated Matt
One more trick to know. Thanks.
Really enjoyed this tip. Keep it coming Matt. Thanks!
Thanks. I will make use of that tip right away.
Great tip Matt (yet again 🙂
Die Tipps sind immer wieder eine Fundgrube. Danke!
The tips are always a treasure trove. Thank you!
My mistake sorry Matt last comment not correct . (I must be getting old )
Pixperfect has just done this video tit. This week . Who’s teaching who?
Sorry my mistake I got confused
Absolutely amazing!
Never ever knew what it did
Thank you so much!
Now to learn whatever the tone curve is and split toning
Oh, another mystery………..the esoteric and nebulous workings behind the catalog
Great tutorial I have never tried it before. Can’t wait to use it
Nice tip. Never used it before. It is great that you keep us informed about those “hidden” gems in Lightroom.
Hey Matt,
Nicely done!!! Great tutorial. I’ve used this a couple of times in some autumn photos, but only to accentuate the color of the trees. You also taught me to drag the eye dropper over the color to match the existing color. I’ve never thought to use as a total gradient … awesome!
Dennis
What fun!! Best explanation I’ve seen yet of how to use that setting. Off to try it.
Wonderful tip! Can’t wait to use it!
Great tips Matt. Thanks. I always wondered what the color setting did!
Elliot
Great lesson. And you make it look so easy.
Love it……..
Ah, that’s how you do it. Thanks…for the most part I stumbled around the colour addition not knowing how or why to use it.