Contrast vs. Clarity vs. Texture in Lightroom: Which is Better?

Did you know that there's a HUGE difference between the contrast, clarity, and texture sliders in Lightroom? The results may SEEM similar at first glance, but the QUALITY and ACCURACY of these three adjustments can vary greatly...which can give you damaged pixels or otherwise unwanted side effects. In this quick tutorial, you'll learn what EXACTLY happens with each slider, as well as the proper order to adjust them...allowing you to pull as much detail as possible out of your raw file for the highest-quality final image.
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0:00 Overview
1:38 The Definition of Contrast
2:32 Contrast Slider
4:16 Clarity Slider
6:26 Texture Slider
8:27 Masking for Better Quality Adjustments
10:13 Additional Resources

[@kevinmcdonnell]

Christopher fully understands these subtle visual attributes and their discrete effect on images. He then explains the what and how in clear, understandable English. Christopher is a quality teacher, delivering knowledge endorsed through a comprehensive understanding of LightRoom supported by practical experience.

[@christopherodonnell]

Great to hear from you, Kevin! Wow, thanks for the very generous endorsement....it's much appreciated!!!

[@Mhuzel]

Good English, clear meaningful explanations, no baseball hat. Thank you.

[@christopherodonnell]

Thanks for the feedback; glad you found the video useful!

[@ZOly62]

I haven't seen someone delve so deeply into a topic and explain WHY! Why it's better to do something one way than another, and how that helps you understand the problem. Some other educators just show you how they do it, just moving sliders, but they don't explain why it's better than another way of processing or another solution. I watched Chris's LR course:The Masking Panel, which was made on the same principle. He explains things down to the smallest detail and is good not only for beginners but also for experienced LR users, including myself. Anyway, I enjoyed watching the entire course. 👌👌👌

[@christopherodonnell]

Your comment made my day, thank you! I'm happy that an experienced Lightroom user like yourself still found the masking course helpful. Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback...much appreciated! :)

[@ZOly62]

@@christopherodonnell You are welcome Chris, it was my pleasure.

[@sonicetobehere4343]

Christopher explains in great detail the different techniques and the theory as to what they mean. He is an extremely knowledgeable teacher and one of the best ones out there. I completed 2 of his free courses, Lightroom Behind the Mask and Luminosity Masks. He doesn't speed through them and his demonstrations are easy to follow along with. I had the videos on one monitor while I followed along with lightroom and photoshop on my other monitor so that I could achieve what he was demonstrating. This video on contrast was just as informative. Thank you Christopher!!

[@christopherodonnell]

This comment made my day! I'm very happy to hear that you found the courses helpful...luminosity masks are my favorite subject to teach because they open up so many possibilities...fairly sure that I've used these masks on every single photograph I've processed. Thank you for the great feedback!

[@halstewart3650]

Well explained. Thank you.

[@christopherodonnell]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

[@ianharper6015]

Thank you for a very well explained topic. Very useful.

[@christopherodonnell]

That's great to hear, thank you!

[@pipernyle871]

That was really helpful. Thank you.

[@christopherodonnell]

My pleasure!

[@patcosgrave1546]

outstanding as usual

[@christopherodonnell]

Thank you Pat! :)

[@davidmapleton5127]

Thank you Christopher for such an understandable and explanatory video. I am an "old school" (and I mean old school) photographer and struggle with Lightroom in the digital age. But, being old school, I do understand B&W and can easily relate that to colour. So Thanks again.

[@christopherodonnell]

"Old school" is the best foundation for photography! You don't get bogged down with the digital side which can be a huge distraction...much better in the long run to build your confidence with the camera and composition first. I believe it made a huge difference in my photography by starting with film. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@user-fs3xo1lt5z]

What an informative and educational video! Christopher is an excellent photographer with great tips for those who are seeking to enhance their photos! His videos are always so professional and helpful!

[@christopherodonnell]

I'm very happy to hear that you found this helpful! My goal with these tutorials is make Lightroom and Photoshop a fun and creative outlet for serious landscape photographers. I think the best way to accomplish that is to first break these programs down into very simple steps....and once that foundation is laid properly, you can take on even the most advanced techniques with complete confidence. Now you can certainly get by with a novice understanding, but you won't have true fulfillment with your photography until you break through that beginner/intermediate plateau...so that is what I want to help with. Thank you for the very kind comment!

[@dalladymon]

Chris, good explanation regarding clarity, contrast, and texture and how to use masking to improve images. I did not see a link to your tutorials. Did I miss something?

[@christopherodonnell]

@@dalladymonglad you enjoyed the video. The links are listed in the description, but you may need to expand it to see. Here’s a direct link to the Lightroom masking course: creativeraw.com/lightroom-behind-the-mask

[@billpanuska5775]

Excellent. Clear, informative, handled like a skilled educator. I did not hear a quick recap of the sequence of the three sliders. Otherwise, an impressive presentation.

[@christopherodonnell]

Thanks for the excellent feedback Bill, happy you found it useful! Since contrast is a brute-force, global adjustment...I recommend not using it at all unless your image is very flat with large gaps on both sides of the histogram. Instead, start with clarity, and then fine-tune with texture. If you find that your image is a bit lacking at the end of your workflow, you can then try the contrast slider within the confines of a mask (followed by clarity and texture)...making sure to keep an eye on that histogram. This can be a bit nuanced depending on your intent. I have a "cheat sheet" on my Lightroom workflow that you may find helpful. In it, I explain that processing should be done in several rounds of different INTENT (i.e. adjusting for light, color, and texture separately). If interested, you can download it here for free: creativeraw.com/lightroom-workflow-cheatsheet/ Thanks for taking the time to comment, it's much appreciated!

[@christafijen]

Thank you for the excellent video!

[@christopherodonnell]

Thank you very much Christa! :)

[@martinlennon4673]

Excellent explanation / demonstration. 👍

[@christopherodonnell]

Thanks Martin!

[@shupingyin8082]

Excellent vid

[@christopherodonnell]

Thank you!

[@charlotteellison4895]

This so informative Christopher. Thank you so much!!! 😊

[@christopherodonnell]

Thank you for the great feedback Charlotte - I'm happy you enjoyed it! :)

[@williamhager1872]

Great video! Thank You.

[@christopherodonnell]

Thanks William! :)

[@BrianFinn-yk3ef]

Thanks

[@christopherodonnell]

Glad to have you here Brian!

[@alpinephotoutah]

Wow. So many click-bait videos dancing around the subject for 20 minutes and never providing an applicable answer. Thank you for making this video, sub'd!

[@christopherodonnell]

Yes! I prefer to at least generally know what the video will be about before investing my time. Thanks for the kind feedback and glad you enjoyed it!