Editing photographs is a lot of fun but you may feel overwhelmed when jumping in and launching Adobe Lightroom for the first time. Don’t worry it happens to all of us. There are so many options - “but where do you begin?”…I hear you ask. In this class I have included 12 fabulous editing lessons that really will set you on a path to creating great images.

So if you join the class you will be 12 short modules away from becoming more confident with your photo edits. Each module will introduce a new editing style and you can watch me edit example photographs in real time. And I will also explain the thought process behind each edit. Plus you can also download the sample photographs and join in.

I do have a complete Lightroom class already on Skillshare but I thought why not create a shorter bitesize class to get you editing quicker. And Perhaps once you have completed this bitesize class, you could join the full Lightroom class with more confidence in your own ability.

I have listed the course modules below together with a snippet of what to expect in each. I hope you are excited to begin your Lightroom journey and you enjoy the course as much as I did in creating it. Please take part in the practical demonstrations and post your photographs too - I would love to see your work.

Best wishes, Frank

• Module 1: Auto Tone

  I usually avoid anything with word AUTO in the title. That said it would be wrong of me to avoid showing you a very simple tool that allows Lightroom to correct exposure on your behalf. There is no doubt that it is a credible option to correct exposure. Plus it can be a good jumping off point especially when you are learning.

• Module 2: Cropping

  Cropping a photograph can help to create a much better composition. Taking a wider shot for instance and changing the ratio to make a more pleasing composition can actually change the whole atmosphere of the shot and actually tell a whole new story. Cropping can be the saviour of a photograph that you previously dismissed as not being worthy - you just need a creative eye to see it. In many cases cropping should be one of the first editing tasks as it will help you decide whether to continue with the edit.

• Module 3: Editing with The Histogram

  The histogram is a graphical representation of the blacks, shadows, midtones, highlights and whites within a photograph. We can easily use the histogram to see if the photograph is under or over exposed. Plus as we make adjustment to the exposure in Lightroom we can monitor the histogram and keep an eye on the exposure and make suitable corrections. It all works rather well and you can use the histogram itself to make corrections or the sliders within the basic tool section.

• Module 4: White Balance

  Every location be it indoors or outdoors has a specific colour temperature measured in degrees kelvin. Think of white balance as the method of achieving the correct colours. An incorrect white balance can produce a very unpleasing photograph - especially with skin tones. Once inside Lightroom you can then correct or adjust the White Balance to suit. Plus adjusting the white balance in certain photographs can help you warm or cool an image.

• Module 5: Lens Correction & Transform

  As the front glass element of a lens is curved it will produce a slight bulge in your photograph known as barrel distortion. This effect is more noticeable in Wide angle lenses. Also some lenses can create a darker area around edges of the photograph - this is known as vignetting. We can simply fix both using Lightroom. Also using the Transform tool we can correct perspective to make sure the uprights are vertical and horizons are horizontal and level. Doing both can drastically improve your photographs.

• Module 6: Content Aware Remove

  Wouldn’t it be great if we could simply remove those distracting little details. Well we can, by simply using the content aware remove tool in Lightroom. Lightroom does a fabulous job of banishing unwanted items from a photograph and when the task gets too tough we can simply pop across to photoshop. But more on that later.

• Module 7: Masking Part 1

  By creating a mask we can make adjustments to a certain area of a photograph - change the colour of an object, or darken the highlights in the sky for instance. We simply select the area we want to adjust by creating this mask. Now there are many ways to do this plus we can even use Ai technology to select people, subjects, the background, the sky and so on. Once selected we can use almost the same editing tools that we use for global edits but now they only apply to the masked area allowing us to make changes just to that specific area. It’s amazing. There is a lot to discover so over the next four modules let me show you how to use masks with some exciting examples.

• Module 8: Masking Part 2

  In this module I am going to show you how to create a mask using colour range. By doing this you can select a specific colour and then change it to a completely new colour.

• Module 9: Masking Part 3

  In part 3 of the masking tutorial I am going to show you how Lightroom uses ai to create a mask. AI allows you to quickly create a mask of the sky, the background or objects. It can also locate people and then create masks of just the skin, hair or clothing!

• Module 10: Masking Part 4

  In this final part of the masking section I am going to show you how to edit a portrait using ai to create masks. By doing this I can create separate edits for the hair, the lips and skin etc giving the portrait a complete makeover to create a whole new look.

• Module 11: Presets and Snapshots

  Applying presets is a quick way to achieve a desired look and you can even decrease or increase its effect. This allows you to fine tune the effect to a position you are happy with. Of course you can use presets as a starting off point and then make adjustments to the exposure and colours etc to make it your own. Creating snapshots allows you to compare the effect of any number of presets added to the same photograph and then make the final choice.

• Module 12: Quick Edits in Photoshop

  Although this whole class has covered how to edit in Lightroom I want to show you how simple it is to jump from Lightroom to Photoshop to create further edits. Edits perhaps Lightroom can’t handle Removing larger or more complicated details from your photograph for instance. Then once the edit is complete in Photoshop you can simply save it and it will appear back in Lightroom - It all works seamlessly.