Photoshop How To

If you want to refine your Lightroom skills this tutorial is for you. That’s because in just 18 minutes you’ll receive what's essentially a free master class, covering all the basics to edit photos like a pro.

Sawyer Hartman is a photographer specializing in easy-to follow shooting and editing techniques that will make a big difference in your results. In the video below he walks you through every single panel in Lightroom. He explains what everything does, the basics of using use each feature, and how he employs these tools to achieve professional results.

Hartman’s goal is to help you master the basics of Lightroom as quickly as possible, and he explains the importance of proceeding in the proper chronological order, which he describes as “CCF.” First there’s correction, followed by color, and then what he calls “finishing.”

After a brief introduction and some overall basics Hartman explains how to use Lightroom’s tone curves. Then he demonstrates how easy it is to make important hue, saturation and lightness corrections. One you finish this step you’re getting close to an image that looks really great.

At this point Hartman reveals his favorite feature in Lightroom Classic; namely, the Camera Calibration panel. He explains that this tool is meant to “manipulate the mathematical color values inside your camera,” and you’ll definitely want to learn how it works.

There are a lot more tips in the video, involving everything from detail and lens corrections, to effects, the crop tool, and adjustment brushes. So take a look and bookmark this tutorial so you can refer to it often.

You can find more helpful tips on Hartman’s YouTube channel, and in a recent video of his we posted explaining why the right light is essential for making stunning portrait photos.