Clean Natural Look in Lightroom
Curated by
hollandsam
3 min read
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Achieving a clean, natural look in Lightroom requires a delicate balance of subtle adjustments and an understanding of how to work with natural light. From utilizing camera matching profiles to fine-tuning skin tones, photographers can enhance their images while maintaining a realistic appearance that complements their two-window lighting setup.
Exposure and White Balance
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Start by setting the correct exposure and white balance to establish a solid foundation for your natural-looking edits. Use the Exposure slider in the Basic panel to adjust overall brightness, fine-tuning with Highlights and Shadows sliders
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. For accurate white balance, utilize the White Balance Dropper tool on a neutral gray area in your image, or manually adjust Temperature and Tint sliders2
. These initial adjustments are crucial for achieving a clean, natural look and ensuring your colors appear true-to-life before proceeding with more detailed edits.2 sources
Basic and Color Adjustments
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Subtle adjustments in the Basic panel can significantly enhance the natural look of your images. Increase contrast slightly for definition, reduce highlights to recover detail in bright areas, and boost shadows to reveal information in darker regions. Fine-tune whites and blacks to set appropriate tonal range. Use clarity sparingly to enhance texture without appearing unnatural, and increase vibrance slightly to boost muted colors while preserving skin tones
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. For precise color control, utilize the HSL panel to shift hues, adjust saturation, and fine-tune luminance of individual colors2
. These targeted adjustments allow for a balanced, natural-looking color palette that complements your well-lit shooting environment.2 sources
Skin Tone Correction
For portraits, achieving natural-looking skin tones is crucial. Use the Color Balance tool to check RGB values of skin tones, aiming for Red > Green > Blue, with Red approximately 1.4 times Green
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. The HSL panel's Targeted Adjustment tool allows for precise adjustments by clicking and dragging directly on skin areas. Consider applying skin smoothing and retouching brushes for a polished look, but exercise caution to avoid over-editing. These techniques, combined with your two-window lighting setup, can help create flattering, true-to-life skin tones that enhance the overall natural appearance of your images.1 source
Leveraging Natural Light
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Maximize the potential of your two-window setup by shooting during the softest light conditions, typically early morning or late afternoon. If the sunlight becomes too harsh, use diffusers like thin white sheets to soften the light and create a more flattering effect
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. Experiment with front, side, and backlighting to find the most complementary angle for your subject. This natural lighting arrangement provides an excellent foundation for achieving clean, natural-looking images that require minimal post-processing in Lightroom2
.
2 sources
Related
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