Today Adobe announced new features and updates to Lightroom (v4) and Lightroom mobile including Color Grading, Auto Versions, Learn and Discovery, Zoom, Graphical Watermarks and Watermark Syncing, Export with Previous and more!
This video walks through Color Grading, Auto Versions, and improvements to the Learn and Discover features on desktop and mobile. Be sure to check out the additional information about color grading and additional features in the text below.
If you’re interested in more in-depth detail about color grading, you can watch this video, read all about it below, or just skip to the other new features and enhancements below!
COLOR GRADING—Lightroom’s new Color Grading feature enables even more control over the application of color tints to your images. Using the Color Edit Stack > Color Grading, colors can be applied independently to shadows, highlights and midtones in your image with additional controls to blend, shift balance, and change luminosity values.
Split Tone —The new Color Grading options upgrades (and replaces) the Split Tone options. When opening legacy files (or applying legacy presets that contain Split Tone settings), the color tints will be applied in Color Grading (using the Shadows and Highlight color wheels and the Blending slider if necessary) to achieve a perfect match.
Applying Colors—The Default view of the Color Grading panel in Lightroom on the desktop displays three color wheels: one for shadows, midtones, and highlights. Quickly select the desired Hue and Saturation by clicking in a color wheel. Note: in Lightroom mobile, because of the limited space, there isn’t a 3-way color wheel view – instead, the default view is the Detail view (fortunately, you can use the same options for adding color tints as the 3-color wheel view).
• To limit refinements to the Hue, drag the solid colored dot (handle) on the edge of the wheel. In the desktop version of Lightroom, Command -drag (Mac) | Control -drag (Win) the hollow dot within the color wheel to restrict refinements to Hue.
• To limit refinements to the Saturation, drag the hollow dot within the color wheel (Lightroom displays a soft constraint (spoke) between the center and edge). Dragging the dot far enough away from the initially selected spot will break the constraint and enable you to select a different Hue and Saturation.
• In the desktop version of Lightroom, Option -drag (Mac) | Alt -drag (Win) the dot will move it more slowly, enabling finer adjustments to both Hue and Saturation. Note: Fine Adjustment mode does not use the soft-constraint.
The Luminance Slider—Drag the Luminance slider to darken/lighten each color range. Lightening the Shadows and darkening the highlights enables color to be added to the black and white pixels in an image.
• While Luminance changes can be applied to an image even without applying a color tint, there are more sophisticated controls in the Light panel for adjusting tones (for example, recovering shadow and highlight information). The Luminance controls in Color Grading are intended to make color grading specific changes and are optimized to adjust the color tinting ranges as changes are made to the Blending and Balance sliders.
The Balance Slider—Use the Balance slider to shift the range of values that define the shadows/midtones/highlights. For example, if you apply a blue tint to the shadows and want that tint to extend farther into the midtones/highlights, move the Balance slider to the left. If you apply a yellow tint to the highlights and want that tint to extend farther into the midtones/shadows, move the Balance slider to the right.
The Blending Sliders—Use the Blending slider to determine the amount of color blending (crossover/overlap) between the tints assigned to the shadows/midtones/highlights. With blending set to 0, there is a small amount over overlap to avoid abrupt transitions but each color should remain “pure”. With the slider set to 100%, the color tints will overlap (crossover) and create additional colors between shadow/midtones, and highlights. Note: Without the blending slider, it would be difficult to control how color is added in the midtones (a lower blending value enables the midtone color to stand on its own).
• In the desktop version of Lightroom, Option -drag (Mac) | Alt -drag (Win) the Blending slider to temporarily boost the saturation to 100, allowing you to quickly see how the tints are mixing as you adjust the Blending. On mobile, you can do the same thing by adding a second finger touch to the screen while using the Blending slider.
Detail View—To view individual (larger), color wheels, click the Detail icons at the top of the Color Grading panel or, click the “peek-a-boo” color wheels on either side of the panel to move from one color wheel to another.
• You can use the same options for adding color tints as the 3-color view, or use the disclosure triangle to use the Hue and Saturation sliders.
• Small dots are added under each detail icon that has adjustments.
Global Color Slider—Use the Global color wheel to apply a color tint (and adjust luminance values) to an entire image or, to apply a tint in conjunction with three-way adjustments. This can be helpful when you like the effect that you have achieved using the other color wheels, but want to increase/decrease the global Hue/Sat/Luminance.
• The Luminance slider is displayed by default, use the disclosure triangle to view Hue and Sat sliders.
• The Blending and Balance sliders have no effect on the toning applied by the Global wheel.
Resetting Color Wheels—Double click within a Color Wheel to reset the Hue and Saturation. Double click on the Luminosity slider to reset it.
• In the desktop version, Control -click (Mac) | right -click (Win) on a color wheel and use the context sensitive menu to reset the color wheel you clicked on, reset all three-way color wheels and/or reset All. In the mobile version click the more (…) icon and choose to Reset the selected color wheel or Reset All.
Copy and Paste Color Wheel Settings—In the desktop version, Control -click (Mac) | Right -click (Win) on an individual color wheel and use the context sensitive menu to Copy the settings of the clicked wheel or paste settings copied from another wheel. In the mobile version, click the more (…) icon to select Copy the current color wheel’s settings.
• To copy and paste all color grading settings in the desktop version, click the more icon (…) and select Choose Edit Settings to Copy. In the Copy Settings window, check Color > Color Grading. Then, move to the desired image, select the more menu (…) and select Paste Edit Settings. In the mobile version, you will need to tap Done to apply the color grading options, then at the top right of the Edit window, tap the more (…) icon to select Copy Settings and check Color > Color Grading. Then, move to the desired image, tap the more (…) icon and select Paste Settings.
• Color Grading settings can also be saved as part of a Preset.
Previewing Changes—In the desktop version, use the light switch icon to toggle the visibility of the settings applied in the Color Grading panel.
For more information on Color Grading be sure to check out this blog post “Introducing Color Grading” from Max Windt on the ACR engineering team!
NEW ZOOM CONTROLS—Lightroom (desktop) now supports Box Zoom and the scroll wheel for zooming: Command -drag (Mac) | Control -drag (Win) a box over the area in the image that you want to zoom into or Command + scroll wheel (Mac) | Control + scroll wheel (Win) to zoom in/out.
EXPORT WITH PREVIOUS—In Lightroom (desktop), use the Share menu to Export using whatever Settings you set on your previous export or, Command + E (Mac) | Control + E (Win).
GRAPHIC WATERMARKS AND WATERMARK SYNCING—Watermarks automatically sync between Lightroom on the desktop and Lightroom mobile.
• In the desktop version,, select Share > Custom Settings > Include Watermark and click the Gear icon to access the new Graphic watermarking features. Choose from JPEG or PNG (includes transparency support), and reposition, resize, and change opacity as desired.
• In the mobile version, tap Share, then tap Export As and enable Include Watermarks. Tap Customize and choose from JPEG or PNG (includes transparency support), and reposition, resize, and change opacity as desired.
CHANGES TO THE INTERFACE—In the desktop version, there is a new icon for images that have been edited in the Square Grid view.
IMPROVEMENTS TO LEARN AND DISCOVER—the Learn/Discover/Connections features have been repositioned within the left panel making them more discoverable and inline with Lightroom mobile
Follow Photographers—Stay connected with your favorite photographers within the Lightroom community with the new Follow feature in Learn and Discover. Simply tap the follow button next to your favorite Lightroom photographer and stay up to date on their edits in your following feed.
Daily inspiration—In the mobile version, at the top of both the learn and Discover areas is a new For You feed which is automatically curated to your photography goals and interests based on the content that you’ve viewed and on your recent activity within Lightroom.
User profile—Check out your user profile to get an overview of the different sections available now such as people you are Following, your Followers and edits that you’ve liked.
BEST PHOTOS—On Lightroom mobile, you can select an album, tap the more icon (…) and tap Choose Best Photos. Leveraging artificial intelligence, Best Photos works by first identifying and grouping similar photos within your selection. From each group of similar photos, the best photo is selected based on several dimensions, including technical aspects (focus, exposure), subject matter (person present, face forward, eyes open), as well as general aesthetics (framing, subject present). Finally, you can decide what percentage of photos make the cut by toggling the quality threshold slider. Photos not selected can be added to your best photos group and further organized using your favorite Lightroom tools.
This release also includes additional camera raw support, lens profile support, and addresses bugs that were introduced in previous releases of Lightroom.
Enjoy!
