During Photoshop World last week, I photographed Scott Diussa during the After Hours party. Here is the quick step by step to get the final look using only Lightroom 5.
STEP 1: Here is the Raw file exactly as it appears in the Lightroom Catalog. This was shot with a Nikon D4 at 1/320 second f/2.8 and ISO 1600
STEP 2: The first thing I do is change the Camera profile to NEUTRAL which takes out some of the vibrance.
STEP 3: I turn on the Lens Correction.
STEP 4: I increase the sharpening and add some noise reduction.
STEP 5: I change the Tone Curve to Medium Contrast.
STEP 6: This is the main one. This is where all the real changes take place. I start with adjusting the White Balance to get rid of some of the weird color cast created by the mixed LED and Incandescent lighting. Then I reduced the exposure by 1/2 stop and increased the contrast. Then I adjusted the Highlights / Shadows and the Whites / Blacks and finally I push the clarity all the way up and reduce the vibrance and increase the saturation. This combination worked for this image under this lighting. It won’t work for all images under all lighting.
STEP 7: I now crop the image how I want it. I tend to shoot a little wide and crop later so this is pretty standard for me.
STEP 8: In this last step is I used the new Radial tool to create a vignette that not only keeps the attention on Scott but decreases the sharpness off the outside area.
BEFORE
AFTER
Thanks Alan.. Do you tend to set Presets (if so, what?) then go back and tweak as needed? or edit individually from the start.
I have a preset to automatically set Camera Profile, Lens Correction, Sharpening and noise reduction.. Everything else I adjust as needed..
Love the new Radius brush, I use to make 3 or 4 Gradients to do what the radial does now..
Yes, I make presets, then tweak those…. usually apply right on import…
Thank you for the explanation and for using LR5. I appreciate it and enjoyed one of your classes during PSW in Orlando last week. I am growing a ponytail so that I can start doing pit work at concerts…..LOL
Thanks Alan!!
Thanks for posting this Alan! The color cast from the mixture of stage lights can be cool, but most of the time a pain. I’ve admired how your images maintain the integrity of subjects and still show the great color and atmosphere of the concert. Your explanation helps a lot. Thanks again.
Thanks for this post and your time for doing this