The Dark Side of HIGHLIGHTS in Adobe Lightroom

Highlights is one of the most commonly used tools in landscape and outdoor photography for recovering detail and protecting bright tones from clipping. For that it works well, but it can have a negative impact on an image. Here's what you may not know.
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📕 Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:12 Using Highlights
2:35 Not using Highlights
4:53 What's different
7:12 Subtractive vs additive
8:27 Avoid Highlights?
9:28 Outro
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[@joshmoxey.]

Rookie photographer here. I'm glad I watched this early in my development rather than later. Thank you :)

[@chris.bradshaw]

Great info! Highlight and shadows sliders have something inherent to them that adobe calls ‘edge detection’

[@antonioalbina149]

Wow Todd! I proceeded to try this technique on some of the photos that I edited recently and the results are mind blowing! I find this technique to work on photos that aren’t really problematic in terms of bright light that needs to be addressed with pulling down the highlights, Thanks!

[@leosheepman]

This was so well explained and demonstrated, I've subscribed! I've used Lightroom for years and never seen this explained so well. Thank you from the UK.

[@nimixlol]

That's an issue I've noticed but never thought to consistently fix in that manner. Awesome tip, thanks!

[@steve-anderson]

For years I have been struggling to edit Sony raw files. There is something about the curve applied to them in Lightroom that causes the highlights to be very desaturated. This looks awful in people’s skin tones, making the highlights look grey. I have experiment with color calibration to fix it. Lowering the highlight slider. Raising the shadows. This one video has completely changed everything for me. Skin finally looks like skin!!!! You are a saint!! this technique needs to be shared with every portrait photographer shooting on Sony. Thank you, thank you!

[@johndwilliams]

Interesting tip. Have struggled with how to use highlights correctly. Must try it.

[@jiggyb21]

This is one of those videos that has finished answering a quandary I’ve been working on for some time. Months ago I pinpointed the highlight/shadow habit as an issue for my editing but could not figure out why. Watching this video, it seemed as if you were filling in the part I couldn’t figure out for myself. Just awesome. I also knew it had to do with my transition to digital and the insistence on implementing ETTR. I think that’s where my habit of starting an edit with an over exposed image came from. I think you really helped me on this one. Thanks.

[@keithpinn152]

Hi Todd: Thanks for creating this video. I really liked and appreciated your explanation of the impact of the Highlights slider. Cheers, Keith

[@RodolfoVanzini]

Hi Todd, thank you so much for all you’ve done. I’ve really appreciated. Greetings from northern Italy.

[@cruisingforone]

Greatly appreciate this tutorial.

[@OverlandingwithBruce]

Wow thank you. I’m a total beginner so your explanations are brilliant. Thank you

[@shashiekunthikumar7980]

brilliant advice ! , Thank you

[@macimages4215]

Always good to know another way to process an image. You definitely nailed my processing habit!

[@the-secrettutorials]

What a great point! Thanks

[@melissahall7009]

thank you for this reminder

[@clintronious]

Awesome tip Todd! Changed my editing game already.

[@keith-knittel]

In my edits, I typically start with exposure.. but use it very little. It’s been a long time since I’ve tried to use it aggressively like this, but will try it out since I’ve found myself adding hints of vibrance to my images. Will be trying this method out on my next collection of images!

[@andersblomster]

Brilliant tip!

[@CineDailies]

Wow - this is a fantastic tecnique. Thanks for sharing

[@DieterVanHolder]

Great video with very valid points!

[@melissahall7009]

Excellent Thanks

[@robwasnj]

Indeed doing this affects the tone curve different. I tend to expose for the sky so it's never "blown out" and often raise the entire scene to bring up the rest and help add foreground interest then sometimes tick down the highlights but more often I work the sky and rest of the scene through selections. I often wind up selecting the subject (non sky) and pull the whites what up to expand those tones. Interesting subject for sure.

[@Flyers8810]

I think this approach is perfect for people who "expose to the right". Great lesson, thank you

[@Sought_After_Shot]

Why didnt the yt alg show me your channel months ago this is so helpful. From the lessons in your film presets to this its been very very very helpful thank you so much!

[@WilliamLesourd]

A very effective method indeed

[@SinaFarhat]

I get my colours to a level I like via the calibration tools, so even if I put too much trust into the highlight slider to do it's magic I can get the desired colours via other tools too.

[@djking9828]

Well done, 🙏🍻

[@allenpayne9182]

Interesting topic. I think it is better to work with gradient images and other test images and apply those sliders first to "test images" so you can really spot what the slider is doing. And understand the math behind those sliders. Saying "the clouds" looks more grey or more pink in on version vs. the other is true. But sometimes you want less saturated highlights. Test images can help to understand what the sliders are doing exactly. In a second step it can then applied to a "real world" footage. my 2cents.

[@p4inmaker]

I prefer masking and adjusting the exposure and/or curves of the sky rather than using the other sliders. Preserves more detail.

[@PhilippeCorthout]

Hi Todd, did you switch back to Lightroom from C1? Or do you (still) use both apps? Either way, great editing tip.

[@tonyb2760]

Start with a linear profile and completely avoid any heavy handed, over contrast, detail erasing profile created by Adobe and your edits will be unbelievably better.

[@EthanTrewhitt]

Bringing up the "Blacks" slider is one of the biggest things I've been playing with recently to create a stronger sense of dynamic range. Great tutorial ... I definitely need to play with this approach ASAP.

[@alexanderfield]

Damn time to go back to all previous edits 😂

[@dj_617]

Why not mask the sky and drop exposure locally?

[@jefferyargentine4453]

Todd. I am a bit of a voyeur -- but in a positive way, if that is possible. All I can say is that the pleasure of a wonderful image is in the raw file. Teasing out an interesting picture with sliders in any processor is wonderful. Being enticed by the intricacies of these slaves (PS, LR, etc.) is something a master should understand. And you have reminded me who is the boss. Hopefully. Thank you.

[@candiesestore88]

Always enjoy your videos, great job and thanks. I wonder if you would do a video on how to process 'light and airy' landscape photos in Lightroom. By 'light and airy', I meant those highly desaturated, mostly washed out landscape photos that are very popular online lately. Here is an example ( www.traceycapone.com/products/paris-rooftop-photography-montmartre-wall-art-print ). This style of photography, I think, is in the same direction as your 'ethereal landscape style', and I really like to learn about the Lightroom process for this style. Perhaps you know it, and like to share with your viewer. Thanks.

[@HemantKumar-ot3er]

Todd, please do something about your audio. There's way too much bass boom in it.

[@dominey]

I may have EQd this one too hot. Will take a listen.

[@user-wz7nq9pf5y]

Use curves It's a lot better than this.