How to use the Tone Curve in Lightroom

[@hairulnordin]

This is great that hasn't been truly discussed like this anywhere else. Awesome work!

[@megtakara2591]

THANK YOU MITCH LALLY!!!!

[@MitchLally]

You’re so welcome Meg

[@Raf-y3y]

Thank you for explaining it so thoroughly. Can you maybe do a video or a guide for different tone curve styles? I mean you've shown us some examples, like the faded film look or increasing contrast. I'd love to have a simple guide with let's say about 10 to 20 basic tone curves styles that are derived from classic film stocks like Portra 160, Portra 400, Fuji 400H, Slide Film etc. or styles like editorial, fine art, documentary photography (modern Magnum photographers, New York Times), etc. etc. I think you're the man for that! :D

[@paulhackner5663]

Best and clearest explanation on the tone curve .

[@MichaelSasser]

Beautifully explained!

[@Ikeetgeenbrood]

Amazing! A condensed video on the thing that is probably never properly explained anywhere else. Learned a ton, thanks so much!

[@NDIDA12]

I love your stuff, keep it up!

[@effieskitsa]

Amazing!!! NOW I got it! It's the first time someone has explained what the Tone curves are used for. Thank you!!!

[@sokakfotografcisi]

Amazing informative approach for difference between basic panel and tone curve. Thank you so much 😊🎶

[@jonathan_careless]

Excellent. I finally understand how this works now. Thank you.

[@lsdustyrhodes]

Well done. Even though I mostly knew this, having worked with Lightroom for years, I found your take on these two modules different and useful. Just goes to show that, regardless of how much you think you know, you can always learn something new.

[@ZorvaineVonSinius]

Straight to the point, love it

[@elliscofield9756]

Can you create more tutorials? You are correct, most tutorials are not as accurate in their explanation. You are the first person that I've seen explain it in this manner and I watched my fair share of tutorials on the subject.

[@andrewphillips2520]

best explanation I've come across, thank you so much!

[@solid2718]

Thanks for the video Mitch. I'll definitely be playing around with the tone curve

[@riseGoib]

That was the best Video on this Topic I have ever seen. Thank you very much. I actually didn't know that the Curves can't bring Highlights back

[@octonolite_0]

Thanks for this quick tutorial. Always helpful to see good explanations of these tools. I'll definitely be looking out if you do more of these.

[@jikim5554]

Love! This is so informative!

[@quamb]

What a great video. Fast, to the point, and super informative - thank you!

[@jitsantan]

Thanks FOR the tips, it really helps

[@Emre-u5i]

Awesome video! May I ask who’se the model shown in the thumbnail ? Thanks!

[@totalmentekemado]

i really didnt know this and ive been working with lightroom for years. thanks!!!

[@JonSnowxx]

Good distinction!

[@cornebuitendijk7885]

Thanks for your excellent explanation! By the way, can the RGB curve work as an alternative for color grading?

[@MitchLally]

Absolutely it can. It’s all about what you prefer using to get the result you want.

[@emmanuelami6825]

Hi ! Could you explain what are the differences between colored toned curves and the color grading pannel ? I think it's just differents methods for the same result. Great video by the way :)

[@deanconway8776]

Excellent explanation thank you

[@OnFinal]

Thank you for clarifying that 👍

[@JimKalligas]

Very useful video! Keep it up! What about the photo on the thumbnail? I love the tones on that one! Is it film or digital? And if digital is it edited with your presets?

[@MitchLally]

Digital! Edited with the Helio presets.

[@MrScottsivertson]

This was great

[@johnpouw3352]

Very cool....after 4 years of editing photos I am really only now coming to grips with curves due to their seeming complexity. Thanks for the tips :) John Pouw NZ

[@rmcf4life]

Thanks

[@dinodemopoulos3336]

Maybe a dumb question, but can you just use the basic panel and bypass the tone curve entirely to get the image to where you want it?

[@frodev728]

in some cases yes of course, but they’re different tools, so which is best is going to depend on the photo and what you want to get out of it.

[@RohannvanRensburg]

Have a look at the sliders under the tone curve if you change the curve type. A combo of these (lights and darks) plus shadows, highlights, whites and blacks gets you there. The S curve just allows it more precisely sometimes. Look at the histogram when you highlight any of the sliders and it will tell you what range it affects.

[@ry1sfly]

This was a really helpful video. I usually just watch reviews of equipment I don't have! This is much better, more useful. Cheers!

[@drchtct]

comment for the algorithm as a reward for not plugging anyfuckingthing in this video, no presets, no skillshare, just useful content, thanks Mitch

[@MitchLally]

Cheers - but you do realise that those things are necessary to keep doing a channel long term… not sure why people think they’re entitled to free content without the creator getting something back from it even if it is entirely optional.

[@drchtct]

@@MitchLally it's more nuanced than that. If you provide good content like this video and plug an ad for a minute, that's fine. But often it feels like creators have a certain amount of sponsored videos to do and just fill the time around it. The video exists because of the ad, not the other way around, viewers notice that. Viewers pay with their time, the ads they watch (which make products more expensive for the customer) or YT Premium fees, it's never free. As a creator, doing a good video without plugging anything is not for nothing, you get a ton of views and traffic to your channel & products if it's simply a good no nonsense video. All about the balance, which is why I like that you sampled this one in to your schedule, no problem with doing ads inbetween.

[@bruce-le-smith]

Very useful, thanks for the demonstration.

[@Martinskitchen-pj9yd]

Thanks for your video. Very useful :)

[@THRILLA.x]

Awesome video mate

[@shengyuanhsuphotography7255]

🎉nice explanation

[@03LilShaun]

If that’s how your raw image is looking like, how is your white balance setting looking like from your camera because I’ve bought your presets buh there’s still something missing.

[@PuthethuKollam]

Why don’t you use the HDR panel so that the entire dynamic rage is well preserved and also save that HDR pic in .jxl??

[@nathansattah3940]

Awesome video! Could you explain how adding color with the tone curve (to shadows and highlights) differs from using the color grading wheel? It seems like the tone curve gives you a little more control.

[@MitchLally]

Yeah I would see the wheels more like the parametric curve in the way that it has predefined ranges. But then also you can be more precise with the hue you want to add - ie. adding turquoise, orange, pink.

[@808islandlife_HI]

Very informative. Thanks!

[@visualsbypreet]

Good one Mate 👌

[@Kodzegura]

thank you!

[@nagual2335]

I’m shocked and ashamed that I didn’t know this 🤯

[@michaborski7383]

thanks !

[@abdulshomad9781]

Great 👍🏻👍🏻

[@adamhlavin2463]

Great video! I'd love to see a video where you edit gfx and xt5 files!

[@rdtstudios]

Great info Mitch! Thanks

[@RandumbTech]

I really wish I could hit the like button more than once on this one. Like many, I've struggled to figure out the finer details of editing. In the past, I'd choose one or the other, never both. The way you explained it makes perfect sense - get the exposure dialed in first, then experiment with the tone curves. Great tutorial!!

[@NetvoTV]

Hey Mitch, my name is Johnny and I'm a freelance logo designer, currently I'm looking for more works, would you love to have a logo to help your audiences easier to find and follow your useful photography contents, as the loyalty building trademark symbol surrounding your works and as the proud image to print on your merchs too? I would love to help you create a monogram logo inspired by your passions for you! Let me know if you interested to make it happen! 🙂

[@cldce]

Ca$h from heartbreak high?

[@jannicolaij6742]

Great video! Always really interesting to see the different ways you can use these tools. One question: every once in a while I have an image that shows clipping in the midtones (histogram)... I don't understand how that is possible, do you? How can it lose information in the grey area/midtone area?

[@MitchLally]

The histogram shows the amount of pixels top to bottom in that luma range - so if there is a spike in the middle of the histogram (midtones) it doesn't mean it's clipped - it just means there is a lot of pixels in that luma range. The only pixels that are clipped are the ones which reach the white point or the black point of the gamut.

[@jannicolaij6742]

@@MitchLally Thank you so much Mitch! I think I understand now.

[@jvincents]

And me I use Histogram, lol 😂

[@juanmayorga4702]

You don't know how much this video helped me!! Thanks

[@فرجالقحطانى-ي6ن]

تنكيو فرج القحطانى

[@DavidWinstead]

Thanks for the info and tips, I learned something new!