Infratech Civil

Product:  Adobe Lightroom Classic  |   Subject: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic

In this exercise, we will learn about Adobe Lightroom Classic exposure and Contrast. 

Exposure & Contrast

In this section, we're going to adjust images. We're going to adjust the exposure and contrast values using the sliders. Once again, we are in the develop module, and we are in the basic section. For this example, we are working with this image, it's called trees-340750, and you can find it in your Australia folder. 

To adjust the exposure, we just use the slider and move it left or right. When we move it to the left, we're darkening the image. 

When we move it to the right, we're brightening the image. 

As you can see, the more I move it to the right, the brighter it gets until it's all washed out. I want to point out that you will notice how the histogram changes as you adjust the exposure. 

The next thing that we're going to work with is contrast. Contrast is a way for us human beings to distinguish between the differences in objects. But essentially, we want to note all of the details that we can find in the images. The way contrast works are it mainly affects the mid-tones. I'll show you what I mean. When we increase the contrast, we're going to darken the dark areas, and we're going to brighten the light areas. Once again, keep an eye on the histogram and see how these adjustments affect i., I'm going to click on the contrast slider and increase it. You'll notice how the darker areas get darker, and the brighter areas get brighter. 

In this example, I've exaggerated the contrast values. You can see how the mid-tones' main areas have gone a lot brighter, and the darker areas, the dark mid-tones here, have gotten darker. Now I'm going actually to decrease the contrast and show you what happens. When we increase the contrast, the darker areas became darker, and the brighter areas became brighter. If and when we decrease the contrast, the brighter areas here, the brighter mid-tones will get slightly darker, and the darker mid-tones will get slightly lighter. So I'll show you what I mean. I will just exaggerate it. Keep an eye out on the histogram and see how it moves. And you can see when we've reduced the contrast by this amount by minus 100. The image kind of looks flat. 

When we're working with exposure and contrast, we're trying to create an effect in the image suitable for our eyes and perceptions to see the detail within the image and ensure that the image sort of pops out. So I invite you to work with the exposure and work with the contrast to create an image that works well with you. 

To quickly recap, the exposure controls the overall brightness of the image, and the contrast mainly works with the mid-tones. I hope this has been helpful, and if you do have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.