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Editing Without Fear In Adobe Lightroom

    Divider LineWhen you enhance a photo with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom what you are really doing is changing the file’s metadata. Generally, we think of metadata as things like your copyright info or keywords, but when you move the sliders in Lightroom’s Develop Module you are making changes that are stored in a set of metadata fields.

This is important because it means that your original image is never permanently altered when you are fine-tuning your image with Lightroom. This is called non-destructive editing.

The difference between Lightroom and Photoshop

In Adobe Photoshop CC, on the other hand, it is easy to make permanent and irreversible changes to your original file. Adobe Photoshop CC is an incredibly powerful program but if you make a mistake in Photoshop, and overwrite your original file, then you may not be able to undo your changes. With Photoshop Lightroom there is no need for this worry because file protection is inherently built into this program.

This is one of the reasons why I love Lightroom. I feel free to experiment in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom because I know that I cannot harm my original image in any way. I can try anything. I can try everything. I can literally push any button in Lightroom’s Develop Module and I never have to worry about the safety of my original capture.

The beauty of non-destructive editing

I have no fear because at any point in time, no matter how many buttons I have pushed, I can always hit the big Reset button in the lower right-hand corner of the Lightroom Develop Module and instantly return to my original capture.

So go ahead, fire up Lightroom and experiment. Pick out one of your favorite photos and try to make it even better. Try anything. Try everything. If you don’t like the results, just press Reset. Try whatever you want without any fear that you might harm your original file!

Black and white photo before enhancement with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
The Original Image
Black and white photo after enhancement with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
After enhancement with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

What about Adobe Camera Raw?

At this point, those with a strong Adobe Photoshop background might be saying to themselves that this sounds a lot like what happens when I open a digital camera raw file using the Adobe Camera Raw conversion engine. These experienced photographers are correct. Lightroom’s Develop Module is exactly the same as the Adobe Camera Raw processing engine that you can find inside of Adobe Photoshop CC.

This philosophy of non-destructive raw image enhancement holds true in both programs. The user interface looks different but the underlying code for raw processing is the same in both programs. However, once you move a file from Adobe Camera Raw into the main Adobe Photoshop CC workspace, you are no longer working in a non-destructive editing environment.

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  • LIGHTROOM CLASSIC: BASIC IMAGE EDITING
    • Module 1:IMAGE EDITING BASICS
      • Lesson 1:Editing Without Fear In Adobe Lightroom
      • Lesson 2:How To Find Missing Tools In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic’s Develop Module
      • Lesson 3:5 Useful Develop Module Keyboard Shortcuts In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
    • Module 2:OPTICS
      • Unlock This Lesson
        How To Use The Lens Correction Panel In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
      • Lesson 1:How To Use The Transform Panel In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
    • Module 3:EXPOSURE IMPROVEMENTS
      • Lesson 1:How To Use Camera Profiles In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
      • Lesson 2:How To Set The Exposure In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic (Basic)
      • Unlock This Lesson
        How To Set The Exposure In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic (Advanced)
      • Unlock This Lesson
        How To Use Auto Exposure In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
      • Lesson 3:Adding Contrast With The Tone Curve In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
    • Module 4:COLOR ADJUSTMENTS
      • Lesson 1:White Balance Corrections In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
      • Lesson 2:How To Use Saturation & Vibrance In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
      • Unlock This Lesson
        How To Use The Target Adjustment Tool In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
      • Unlock This Lesson
        How To Use Color Grading In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
    • Module 5:BLACK & WHITE CONVERSION
      • Unlock This Lesson
        How To Make Black & White Photos Using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
      • Unlock This Lesson
        Adding A Vignette In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
    • Module 6:IMAGE REPAIRS
      • Unlock This Lesson
        Red Eye Removal In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
      • Unlock This Lesson
        Spot Removal Basics In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
      • Unlock This Lesson
        Advanced Spot Removal In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
    • Module 7:DETAILS
      • Lesson 1:Noise Reduction With Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
      • Lesson 2:How To Sharpen In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic

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